Draw the skull before the hair
Construct the whole head and mark a simple hairline. The hairstyle sits above and around the skull, so leave a small volume gap instead of pasting strands directly onto the face outline.
Choose two or three large masses
Group the front, side and back hair into broad shapes. Test the silhouette at thumbnail size; if the design only works because of tiny strands, simplify it again.
- Front mass: fringe, sweep or exposed hairline
- Side mass: tucked, flared or close to the cheek
- Back mass: cropped, tied or flowing
Split masses into clumps
Divide each large shape into a few tapered clumps that share a direction. Vary their length and overlap while preserving the original flow from crown to tip.
- Use a clear root direction
- Alternate larger and smaller clumps
- Avoid evenly spaced saw-tooth edges
Add light after the design reads
Shade the large hair volumes first, then reserve a few strand accents near focal areas. A limited highlight shape usually explains gloss more clearly than outlining every hair.