Have you been wanting to change-up your look, recently? Well, I was, so, like most of us, I took the predictable route and decided to get a haircut. However, I didn’t want to just let all of that hair go to waste, so, taking some inspiration from my younger self (pictured below), I decided to donate it to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization dedicated to making custom hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss.
2018
2014
This time, I was able to donate 14 inches of hair to Locks of Love, and, as you can tell from the photos above, this was my second time donating to them.
If you have long hair and are also looking for a change, what better way to do so, in a way that also helps others in need, than to donate your hair? The only requirements are that the amount of hair donated must measure at least 10 inches from end to end, not be bleached (it’s okay if it is colored or gray), be neatly tied in a braid or ponytail and packaged in a plastic bag, be clean and dry, and be 100% natural. For more information, visit the Locks of Love website.
Speaking of hair, I LOVE drawing hair, so I thought I’d include a tutorial
Hair Tutorial
Basic Terms to Know:
Shape– a 2D figure that can be organic or geometric (when drawing hair, you want the general shape to be organic)
Form– a 3D object that shows depth and space through value (though you’re drawing the hair 2D, you’ll want it to look 3D)
Color– the hues of something (using a variety of colors when doing hair in color will make it look more realistic)
Value– the range of lights and darks (you’ll want to incorporate highlights, shadows, core shadows, reflected light, and cast shadows to give the hair form)
Line– point of moving space that can be implied or actual (in hair, you’ll have lots of thin lines in a variety of thicknesses to show texture)
Texture– the perceived surface of a work of art that can be visual or actual (when drawing hair, it’ll be visual, since it will look like hair, but not actually feel like it)
Simple Steps to Creating Hair
This technique is best suited to graphite and charcoal, although you could also use it with markers, colored pencils, pastels, etc. as long you make sure to use and layer different colors to get a more 3D effect.
Drawing a Braid When drawing a braid, focus on the shapes and values to make it look like the strands are overlapping to create a braid. Also notice the “zig zag” like line that goes down the braid.
Drawing Different Hair Types
To draw different textures of hair, use what you now know about shapes and texture to create them. Remember to work in sections, drawing the textures of sections and pieces of hair, and remember that it always helps to use a reference photo.
In the end, remember that observation and patience are the two most important concepts when it comes to creating art and that practice and time make perfection!
Here are a couple of my older finished drawings of hair in color.
P.S. Let me know in the comments if you’d like to donate your hair, and, if you already have, I’d love to hear about your experience doing so. Also, comment whether or not this tutorial was helpful and if you’d like more in the future. Thank you!