The video tutorial

Introduction

The cherry on top of character design is, without a doubt, the hair.

 

 

It defines the character’s appearance and tells us a lot about their personality.

If you watch anime, I’m sure you can think of at least one show where the hair alone made a character iconic.

Or another one where you can only tell characters apart solely based on their hair.

So, when it comes to manga or anime — how to draw hair?

Personally, I follow four simple steps to draw and color any type of hairstyle — and I really mean any.

In this tutorial, I’ll break it down into two main sections : Drawing and coloring.

Part 1 : Drawing

Let’s start with the drawing part.

To draw hair, I use four key elements: landmarks, volume, shape, and gesture.

To explain each of these, I’ll draw multiple hairstyles on the same character, showing you how to apply each step every time.

I’ll start with a basic ponytail.

But first ... Check your head !

We will be drawing the hair on top of the head, so if the anatomy of the head has issues, it will affect the result.

So check your head !

Tip #1

Use the 3D head models available in Clip Studio Paint (Window => Material => 3D => Head) to double check your head proportions and angles easily.

Step 1 : Landmarks

Landmarks are points or lines you’ll define in order to know where to start your hair from.

For this ponytail, I’ll define :

- A hairline landmark : to balance the face.

- A ponytail anchor : showing where the hair is pulled to and from.

- And bangs landmarks : to decide where they should end, if I decide to include them.

Step 2 : Volume

Volume is the extra space around the skull — it defines how flat or puffy the hair looks.

Step 3 : Shape

Shape isn’t always essential, but it helps sketch out the final look. It’s especially useful for structured hairstyles like buns.

Tip #2

Simplify the shape !

Then, add details mindfully.

Step 4 : Gesture

Finally, gesture — also called flow or motion — It’s not the contour nor the shapes, but the movement that ties everything together.

It’s not about outlines or individual strands, but how the hair moves.

 

In the ponytail example, the gesture includes the flow from the hairline to the ponytail, from the ponytail to the shoulders, and the motion of the bangs.

 

 

In my opinion, gesture is what makes the drawing feel natural and balanced — especially when the character is in motion, or elements like wind or a hand are interacting with the hair.

 

The gesture notion actually applies to everything drawing wise, and not just the hair.

Tip #3

Drawing gesture lines help you keep the hair motion consistent.

Exemples

Now that we have a basic ponytail, let’s see how changing just a few elements can transform it.

If I thicken the shape and tweak the gesture of the bangs and curls, the style feels completely different.

Now, if I move the ponytail landmark and add braids with pointy bangs, we end up with a totally new look.

A bun for the shape !

To show how important shape is, let’s draw a fancy bun.

 

I’ll use the same four steps : landmarks, volume, shape, and gesture.

 

Here, defining the shape makes it much easier to draw the bun, since I’ve already decided how big and where it should be.

 

 

I also added a flower accessory using a preset brush in Clip Studio Paint.

And this is the result !

Flat VS Fluffy

As I mentioned earlier, the volume you choose will really affect the final result.

 

 

Down below, I drew the same hairstyle three times: one with flat volume, one with normal volume, and one with a more exaggerated, voluminous style.

Each one works, but the feel is very different — so choose what fits your design best.

Tip #4

Hair never sticks to the skull - leave space for natural volume, even for flat hairstyles.

By following these four steps, you can create hairstyles that are as simple or as wild as you want. There are truly no limits when it comes to drawing manga hair.

Use references !

At this point you may ask : I followed the steps, but my drawing feel very generic, why is that ?

And my answer would be : use references.

Don’t be afraid to look at photos, screenshots, or other artists’ work.

Studying and gathering reference is the foundation of both learning and creating — so take advantage of all the inspiration out there.

Part 2 : Coloring

Now that you’ve got your drawing, there are four simple steps to color it.

 

Honestly, this part is much easier than the drawing.

 

Just a heads-up: I’ll be demonstrating the cel-shading technique — it’s the classic anime coloring method, and the simplest one I know.

 

Before we begin, make sure you’re working with separate layers for each step, and clip all your shading and light layers to the base color layer.

Tip #5

Organize your layers early ! Label them, and clip them. It will save time later.

I’ll be using three preset brushes in Clip Studio Paint:

the G-pen, the Blend, and the Blur brushes.

Tip #6

These are my 3 go-to brushes, but exploring Clip Studio Assets can help you find your own style, and achieve different results.

Step 1 : Base color

Choose a base color and fill the hair.

Avoid using a color that’s too bright or saturated — you’ll need those tones later for shading and lighting.

Tip #7

Try the fill tool !

It’s fast and expressive ! (And I made a seperate video tutorial for it, if you want to learn how to use it ;))

Step 2 : First shading

Pick a slightly darker color with a subtle shift in hue and saturation.

Apply it to the edges, the top, and the middle section of the hair.

I like to blur the edges so it blends nicely into the base color.

And if you’re unsure about your color choices, remember — Ctrl+U is your best friend. You can adjust everything at any time.

Tip #8

You can download free hairlight brushes from Clip Studio Assets, to help yourself with the shading.

Step 3 : Main Shading

To do it right, you need a sense of your light source and the mood you’re going for.

So, use a reference! Always.

 

Here, I’m keeping the shading pretty general — nothing too technical.

Again, I picked a darker color with a slight hue shift, blur some parts, and left others sharp for contrast.

Step 4 : Lighting

I like to work with two light layers:

- One for colored light

- One for white light

 

 

Set the colored light layer to Glow Dodge, then choose a lighter version of your base color.

This blending mode reacts beautifully with the base and gives a soft glowing edge with every stroke.

Use the same three brushes to apply the light.

 

 

Tip #9

Test different blending mode to see what works best for you !

Now, for the white light:

- Create a new layer above the lineart, but don’t clip it.

- Use it for those final white strokes and highlights.

Tip #10

You can follow these steps, whether you are coloring digitally or with traditional tools !

Conclusion

And that’s it!

You’ve just learned how to draw and color manga hair.

 

 

Bonus training pack !

To help you practice what we covered in the video, I’ve put together a free bonus pack.

You’ll get:

— A layered Clip Studio Paint file (.clip) to explore and edit

— A printable PDF summary of all the key steps and tips

Use them to follow along, study the process, or experiment with your own hairstyles.

 

 

Lasso tool video

Link to my lasso tool tutorial :

Please keep in mind that these are tips from my own experience — feel free to experiment, add your personal touch, and color your way, the way you feel it.

 

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments :)

 

Thanks for watching/reading !