22 Girl Hair Drawing Ideas and References

If you're looking for girl hair drawing ideas and references, I have a collection that will help you practice drawing hair.

Drawing hair from references is a great practice that will eventually lead to you being able to draw from your imagination.

*I've included a FREE Artist Study printable at the bottom of this post!

Remember, when you first start drawing hair, you'll want to draw the hair volume around the head first. That's because hair doesn't lie flat on the scalp.

As your drawing develops, make sure you consider whether the character will have straight hair, curly hair, bangs, etc. and draw your lines accordingly.

Drawing your lines early on will allow you to see the hairstyle more clearly.

I've tried to include a variety of hairstyles for you to practice, such as straight hair, curly hair, and even braids.

Girl Hair Drawing Ideas and References

Check out these 22 women hair drawing ideas and references for inspiration drawing hair.

Choosing Your Pencils

Before you begin your drawing, it's important that you choose the right pencil.

If you're new to sketching and aren't sure what pencil grade to start with, I recommend starting your sketch with a pencil on the H scale.

You can finish off your drawing with a darker pencil grade, such as a pencil on the B scale.

Side Braid

This is one of my favorite hair sketches. This girl has a really cute side braid.

If you want to practice drawing braids, this is a great picture to use as a reference.

Photo Credit: cute_cxtnxss

Floral Wreath

This pictures shows how a floral wreath would look from behind.

I like how the hair naturally flows down to a point at the mid back area.

Credit: sketchingtalent

Long Braid

Here's another braid references, but this is a long braid that goes straight down the back.

Notice how the hair is tied at the end with a natural hang past the tie off area.

Credit: _sayanikaa

Straight Hair

This drawing is of a woman with straight medium length hair. This reference is great for anyone who wants to quickly practice drawing hair.

Credit: ani.b_arts

Use a Blending Stump

It can be difficult to get a good blend with pencils. However, you can create a smooth bleeding effect by using a blending stump.

Blending stumps are great for smudging graphite and charcoal.

Top Knot

I love how top knots look in drawings, but I sometimes have a hard time making them look realistic.

I love how the hair is flowing with this top knot bun.

Credit: arpis80

Wedding Hair

I called this wedding hair because I think this is a classic hairstyle that's used for weddings.

It's clear that the artist who drew this is extremely talented.

Credit: sarah.artblog

Six Styles

These simple drawings offer you six different hairstyles to choose from. You can draw one of these styles, or all of them for practice.

Credit: art_with_artist12

Step-by-Step Hairstyles

I love this drawing because it has three step-by-step tutorials to try out.

The artist shows us how to draw each hairstyle in four steps. This is perfect for beginners.

Credit: art4dayz1

Try Not to Smudge

If you can, avoid smudging your drawing. You can place a piece of paper underneath your hand to minimize how much your hand smudges your drawing.

This will help ensure you have a clean looking drawing once it's complete.

Remember, you can use smudging to your advantage to smooth out your shading.

Ponytail with Headphones

This is some original to try out. This picture is of a girl with a long ponytail and headphones.

I love how the hair looks in this drawing. It's so realistic.

Credit: aswinkumar_s

Two Braided Buns

Here's a unique style that's perfect for anyone looking for a bit of a challenge.

I'm loving how realistic this style is. Look at the shading, texture, and more involved in creating this look.

Credit: weheartit

Elegant Bun

This hairstyle is so elegant and filled with so much detail.

From the pulled out pieces of hair, to the texture used for the ponytail, this is all very realistic. What a wonderful drawing.

Credit: weheartit

Messy Bun

This messy bun is so cute and would be perfect to use as a reference for drawing hair.

You can also use this as reference for drawing hair from a top angle.

Credit: hobblekitty

Don't Blend with Your Fingers

Once it's time to blend, try not to blend with your fingers.

When you blend with your fingers, the oils from your skin will transfer to the paper and may affect the look of your drawing.

Again, I recommend blending stumps for blending your work.

Simple Sketches

This drawing is filled with 18 sketches of different hairstyles.

I like this because these styles look great and are great for beginners to try their hands at.

Credit: esylvia

Red Bun

This drawing is of red hair with a slightly messy bun. The artist did such a great job with the overall hairstyle as well as the hairline.

I love how they have included the colors used to get the hair color.

Credit: kyliesketches

Credit: mahmoud_mohmady

Pink Hair

I love the drawings of colored hairstyles. This style is so bright and unique.

If you want to practice using color on your hair drawings, you should definitely use this for reference.

Credit: mjdfie

Practice Sketching Daily

If you want to get better at sketching, the best thing you can do is practice daily.

I recommend setting aside an hour every day to sketch. Don't worry about your work being perfect. It will get better naturally the more you practice.

Low Fancy Bun

I call this a fancy bun because it looks so fancy and elegant to me.

If you want to practice hairstyles aside from the straight ponytail or other straight style, give this one a try.

Credit: mr._drackula_

Blue Hair

This drawing shows you which color was used to create the overall look for.

I think this is such a great idea because it lets artists know how to use colors to give the hair a realistic appearance.

Credit: myrthes.creations

Realistic Hair

This hair is super realistic when it comes to the style, shading, etc.

This is definitely an advanced hair look, but it's perfect for anyone who wants the challenge.

Credit: cates.art

Nine Hairstyles

I'm loving this collection of nine different hairstyle for women.

Not only are these hairstyles so cute, but they're also modern, and there's a hairstyle for every occasion.

Credit: resim_ogrenmek

Practice Blind Contour Drawing

Blind contour drawing is the practice of drawing the contour of a subject without looking down at the paper.

Blind contour drawing is helpful because it trains the eyes and hand to work as a team.

It always helps the artist see all the details of the subject.

Hair Tutorials

Here we have a wide variety of hair tutorials.

This artist gives plenty of notes on how to draw hair such as how to draw it from different angles, tips for hairlines, etc.

Credit: Shark Bomb

Eight Hair Styles

This drawing has eight different hair styles for you to practice.

There are short, long, and medium hairstyles for you to choose from when doing your drawings.

Credit: Styrbjorn Andersson

Locs

While the drawings are of a man, a woman can also look great with these loc styles.

These even the addition of a hair scarf in one of the styles. I love these loc updos.

Credit: Kibbitzer

Braided Red Hair

This drawing is of a woman with long red hair that's been put into two braids.

There's also the addition of the puffing up of the hair right after the braid. This is definitely a creative hairstyle.

Credit: shidlikart

Add Color

Adding color to your drawing can be a great way to make your drawing stand out.

You can use colored pencils, pastels, or even watercolor paint to add some color to your drawing.

Short, Medium, and Long

This hair reference has two short hairstyles, two medium hairstyles, and two long hairstyles.

These hairstyles look amazing and would be so fun to draw.

Credit: weheartit

Curly Hair

This drawing actually gives a few tips for drawing realistic hair.

They're showing how to draw texture, highlights, shadows, and incorporate halftone.

Credit: crystal_arts_

Long Wavy Hair

Here's another hairstyle that looks like a classy wedding hairstyle.

Again, this artist is just so talented when it comes to drawing realistic hair.

Credit: sarah.artblog

Long Hair and Starbucks

Okay, I have to admit, I have no idea how this artist made it look like the hair is wrapped around the fingers.

This is definitely a lovely photo and it would be fun to learn this technique.

Credit: weheartit

Use the Grid Method

The grid method involves drawing a grid over your reference photo and then lightlhy drawing the grid on your drawing paper to scale.

The grid method will help with the placement of your drawing. It will give you a reference point between the photo and your canvas.

Character Hair

Here are some simple sketches of character hairstyles. There are Disney characters like Snow White and Ariel.

As well as classic characters like Marge Simpson and Pippi Longstocking.

Credit: weheartit

Disney Princesses

If you're a fan of Disney and Disney princesses, I think that it would be so fun to draw some of these hairstyles.

This is a great references for practicing your hair shading.

Credit: weheartit

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Bonus Free Printable

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