Aaron Acker 27 Jul 2007

I actually have a artwork critique help question on this, trying to get a fake blond hair to look good... having trouble... I think hair is my hardest part of any portrait regardless of type, color, or sex.

Martha Miller 27 Jul 2007

I find that hair is the hardest part of my portraits. Curly hair is extremely difficult for me. I also find the more i work it ..the worse it gets. I do hope you feel i did a good enough job on you Kerry. I did my best hon.

Kristof Frazier 27 Jul 2007

Wavy and curly I have no issues. If it is straight there is the annoying risk it comes out looking too cartoonish or more like a swatch of cloth draped over their head.

cat delaleu 28 Jul 2007

I love to do hair, but I must agree that straight hair is the hardest. I love curly, it flows generously over my portraits but if I dare go the straight route, it's going everywhere on the canvas, lol, as if my hands are in someone else's body. Oh well, i'm still learning :) that's what's fun about painting

Leigh Karchner 28 Jul 2007

All hair is hard for me. I get frustrated with the texture and curve mostly. The shading and shadows are a piece of cake if I can ever get the hair to look like real hair first.

Denny has been slowly showing me his technique for drawing/painting the dark spaces between the hairs rather than drawing each strand. It sounds crazy but that's how he does it and has a very realistic result. Give it a try!

Vivian Allen 28 Jul 2007

I'm working on hair right now, that is on a commission of a native American Indian male. His hair is waist length and its sooo difficult. I've found that a brush (I don't know the name of the brush) that is long bristle, short bristle, long bristle, etc. is helpful in making the strands look real. I only have to make it all the way down the length of his hair before running out of paint before I get there. All hair is difficult for me, however, I've found that ringlets are the easiest and have the most dramatic effects with the shine and shadows.

Kristof Frazier 28 Jul 2007

Leigh, yep That's the best way to do that anything that has lots of little things involved IE hair,leaves,grass,water,etc

Sometimes it helps to practice by laying tracing paper over any photo that shows well lit hair, such as shampoo or hair dye ads, and just trace around the negative ( shadows) and positive( highlights) of the hair. Just keep in mind hair follows the natural curve of anything it drapes over and as you said...a little looks more like a lot. Good luck!

bert cortes 29 Jul 2007

I don't even try to paint hair, but I sure wish I had some on my scalp..! Thinking of buying a wig..!! Do you all think that's a good investment.

Erin Morey 30 Jul 2007

I find hair difficult period, you want to overwork it. I have discovered that it is more important to get the darks/lights and to not put in too many single strands, just enough for emphasis. This is one of the best in terms of hair I have done.

K L Marsala 30 Jul 2007

very good tips and techniques on doing hair, it is a challenge. I too find straight to more difficult than curly... maybe cuz with curly hair you dont have to be so percise?

Martha you did a superb job on my portrait, no complaints here love!

Penny Myers 30 Jul 2007

I have the most trouble drawing wavy hair. It makes me want to putt my own hair out.lol

Chas Sinklier 01 Aug 2007

Hair! No Worries - back when I used paint and ink I used a little tip from the Old Masters - use a nib-pen for those long hairs - old style drafting pens work pretty well (the ones with the adjusting screw on the side that changes the distance between the nibs works great and you can load it with lots of paint or ink) but don't overlook the classic nib - doesn't hold as much paint, but ya can get a line with a lot of character... Thin the paint to ink consistency or just use coloured inks - works like a champ :0)

Clare Rowley 01 Aug 2007

Hair is definitely a tricky part of the art process, I try to think of it as water.... lol and in this case it is...

I did do an Angelina Jolee with hair.. I think curly is difficult but I love a challenge...

Each curl is a wave.... feel the flow... start with all dark tones and then go in with highlights after..

Clare Rowley 01 Aug 2007

rosemary gioielli 01 Aug 2007

jim rownd 02 Aug 2007

try to think high contrast. squint your eyes and look at your ref. block out your basic shapes. don't try to put in every hair at first.

Joyce Geleynse 02 Aug 2007

Yes, depicting hair is both a challenge and fun! My biggest problem is a tendency to overwork it. I very much like the idea of "punching in" the darks around the hairs as mentioned in some of the other posts......it helps to keep the look of the hair less tight and rigid.

Priscilla Hernandez 02 Aug 2007

I have more problems with straight hair specially in the tips, here's an example of hair painted (curly as it's a self portrait) with a photoshop brush and tons of zoom

Michael Huskey 12 Oct 2009

The hardest for me is curly. Straight isn't really that hard for me.

Michelle Horvath 21 Oct 2009

Drawing dark straight hair I find the hardest. I think that it might be partly because my lack of patience haha