Tutorials - Hairstyles 1
This is the first in a series of two tutorials that shows how to make different hairstyles for your pixel dolls. In this one, I will explain different variations of loose hair.
I like to think of hair as being in two "sections": the part that goes on top of the head, and the part that flows from it. For the front part, I will show the inwards style, where the hair is behind the ears, and the outwards style, used to create an impression of volume. For the flowing part, I will show how to do straight and wavy hair. Here's the palette I'm using:
Inwards Style
First, draw the top of the hair with color A, up to the ears.
With the curve tool, draw the part of the hair that goes on the forehead. It should be shaped in a triangular form. Note that the separation could be eighter in the center or more on one side
Erase the head so that you could see better
Using colour B, start shading near the ears, the separation and the back of the head. Draw a few strands here and there
Continue the shading using colour C
Flood-fill the rest of the white area in colour D
Add some highlights with colour E. Try to make these rather jagged by drawing mostly vertical and horizontal lines.
Outwards Style
Start by drawing the top of the hair and the separation with colour A. Make it so that three pixels at at the separation are lower than the rest of the outline. At the bottom of the separation, draw a heart-like shape, to create the impression that the hair is going outwards.
Use the curve tool to draw the rest of the outline. Don't make it go behind the ears.
Erase the head so that you could see better. Also, you might want to take some of the skin colour to shade under the heart-shaped area
With colour B, start shading the separation and the back of the head. At the bottom of the heart-shape area, draw a thick jagged line.
Continue shading using colour C. Draw a few strands here and there.
Flood-fill the rest of the white area in colour D
Add some highlights, in thin lines and ONLY at the top of the head.
Straight Hair
First, draw the outline of the hair, using colour A and the curve tool.
Edit the bottom of the hair so that it's jagged and unequal
With colour B, create a thick (if it's too thin, the hair won't look like it's straight) jagged line of shading near the middle of the hair. In the same way, shade under the face and near the neck.
Continue to shade like that, but using colour C
Flood-fill the rest of the white in colour D
Add a few hairs sticking out using the curve tool and colour A. Do not put any highlights, unless the areas that are in colour D are really large.
Wavy Hair
Start by drawing the outline of the hair with colour A and the pencil tool. Make the bottom of it go "up" a bit.
With colour B, shade where the waves are going towards the body. The thickness of the shading should be quite thinner than that of straight hair. It should thicken as we aproach the body. Add a few strands here and there.
Continue shading with colour C.
Flood-fill the rest of the white in colour D
Add some highlights, and a few hairs sticking out.
Final Result:
I finally settled for wavy hair with outwards style part to show more volume