In this free art lesson, you’ll learn how to draw a Manga Girl with a ponytail hair step-by-step. All of the tutorials on How2DrawManga.com are good drawing tutorials for beginners and experienced artists alike. The online tutorials are easy to follow; they teach you the how to draw basics while showing you how to draw manga step by step.
To learn how to draw long hair, we will be using the Basic Girl Head / Face template that we created in a previous tutorial. Click on the link below to complete the Head and Face drawing first:
After you have your drawing for the Basic Head / Face, follow the step-by-step drawings below to add the ponytail hair. The new lines in each step are shown in red, so you’ll know exactly what to draw next. Take your time and draw at your own pace.
Intro: Start off with a pencil sketch. In the beginning stages, don’t press down too hard. For every step, sketch lightly at first so that it’s easy to erase if you make a mistake
Step 1: Start with a series of long, curved lines on the forehead, above the eyebrows, for the front part of the manga girl’s hair or the bangs/fringe. The biggest shape should be similar to a curved, giant letter V. This represents a big clump of hair. When you draw hair, it is best to draw it as big clumps instead of individual hair strands. On either side of the big V-shaped line draw thinner, curved lines for smaller clumps of hair.
Step 2: Along the left side of the girl’s head, draw a very long, curved shape for another clump of hair. Add a diagonal line that connects this side of the hair to the middle. Near the top of the head, draw a small, curved line for the top part of the bangs or fringe.
Step 3: Draw a series of similar shapes along the right side of the head for more of the girl’s bangs or fringe. The outer clump of hair should be long and thick. To the left draw a series of sloping lines for more of the hair.
Step 4: Along the top edge of the manga girl’s head, draw a series of curved lines for the top of the hair that’s pulled back. These lines shouldn’t be too wide. The lines should follow the curvature of the head and they should be similar to bumps or hills.
Step 5: Add more curved lines along the sides of the girl’s head for the rest of the pulled-back hair. Keep these curved lines close to the edge of the bald head. The lines should end at the top of the ears.
Step 6: On top of the head, draw a wider, curved line for the girl’s headband. On top of the headband, draw a small bow using simple shapes for decoration. Above the headband, draw more curved lines for the top part of the ponytail. These lines should slope toward the left side. Because the girl is facing forward, only the top part of the ponytail is visible.
Step 7: On the lower, left side of the manga girl’s head, draw a long, curved line for the visible part of the wavy ponytail. To the left of the ponytail, draw a thin, long shape for a small clump of hair. On the lower, right side of the head, draw a few thin, pointy shapes for loose hair strands.
Step 8: Add a few more long, curved lines throughout the shape of the hair for extra detail on the hair strands. Curve the lines to follow the shape of the hair clumps and ponytail. Don’t draw too many of these lines; just a few to give more structure.
Step 9: Using a pen or marker, go over the lines to make your drawing permanent. Ink slowly and carefully to avoid accidents. If you’d like, you can draw the eyebrows over the hair like in the image or omit everything that is behind the hair. It all depends on personal style. Some manga artists draw the eyebrows over the hair because it’s a bit see-through and others don’t. It’s up to you. After the ink dries, get rid of every pencil mark with an eraser.
Final Step: Color your drawing! This drawing was colored digitally but you can achieve the same result using color pencils, markers or crayons! Color the headband red. Using light yellow or white, color a few streaks across the top of the hair and bangs for highlights. Use yellow for the rest of the hair but don’t overlap the highlights. Use yellow orange and light brown along the top of the bangs and on the underside of the ponytail for some shadows. Color lightly at first and slowly blend the colors together. For an easier drawing, just color the entire hair a single yellow. You can also use any other color you want. Manga characters are always colorful so use, green, pink, purple or any other color you want for the hair.
Use peach for the skin. Add a bit of pink to the cheeks for blush. Use a bit of light brown under the head for a shadow. Color the irises dark blue at the top and gradually add light blue at the bottom. Using two colors gives the iris a more rounded feel. For a simpler drawing, you can also just use a single color for the iris. You can also use any other color you’d like for the eyes. Don’t overlap the tiny highlight circles inside the eyes as you color the irises.
That’s it! Keep practicing until you get the hair right. Draw it again and again using different colors and eventually you’ll get better! Bookmark this page for different upcoming hairstyles.
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