How to Draw & Paint Hair in Procreate

2026-06-30

Hair trips up more artists than faces do. The secret isn't drawing every strand — it's getting the flow and the big light-and-shadow masses right first, then letting hair brushes do the strands. This guide walks the full Procreate workflow from silhouette to final flyaways.

Think in masses, not strands

The single biggest mistake is rendering individual hairs too early. Real hair reads as a few large masses of value first — the lit side, the core shadow, the cast shadow where it falls over the face or shoulders. Nail those and the hair already looks solid before you draw a single strand.

Set up your layers

Keep hair on its own layer group, separate from the face and background. A typical stack: base color (bottom), shadow, light, then strands and highlights on top. Clip the shading layers to the base shape so paint never bleeds past the silhouette. New to this? See Procreate layers explained.

Step 1 — Block the silhouette

Pick a mid-tone base color and paint the whole hair shape as one flat silhouette. Get the outline right — the parting, the volume, where it tucks behind the ear. A strong silhouette does more for a hairstyle than any amount of strand detail.

Step 2 — Establish flow lines

On a sketch layer, draw a few long flow lines tracing how the hair travels from the root, over the crown, and down to the tips. Every later stroke follows these. Hair that all flows correctly looks groomed; random directions look like a mess.

Step 3 — Block shadow and light

With a soft brush, paint the core shadow (usually underneath and at the back) and the light mass across the top where light hits the crown. Keep edges soft for now — you're sculpting form. This is the same value thinking as painting realistic skin.

Step 4 — Lay the bulk strands

Switch to a multi-strand hair brush and paint bands of strands along your flow lines — darker strands in shadow, slightly lighter in the lit areas. Don't cover everything; let the base value show through between clumps. See the best free hair brushes for the right tool.

Step 5 — Highlights and the hair-light band

Add a soft band of highlight where the crown catches light, then break it up with a few brighter individual strands so it doesn't look like a stripe. Full color and highlight detail is in how to color and highlight hair.

Step 6 — Flyaways and finish

A single-strand tapered brush plus a few stray hairs at the edges instantly sells realism — perfect hair looks fake. Soften the roots with a blender so the strands grow out of the head rather than sit on top. More on this in how to paint realistic hair.

Different hair types

Straight — long, clean flow lines; minimal stray strands.
Curly — think in spiraling ribbons, not lines; see how to draw curly hair.
Facial hair — short directional strokes following the jaw; see how to draw a beard.
Anime / stylized — hair as clean shapes and wedges; see how to color anime hair.

Get set up

Grab a free set from the hair brushes category and a blender for the roots. New to the app overall? Start with how to start drawing on iPad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to expand the answer

How do you draw realistic hair in Procreate?

Work in masses, not strands. Block the silhouette and base color, draw a few flow lines for direction, then paint the big shadow and light masses with a soft brush. Only then lay bulk strands with a multi-strand hair brush along the flow, add a broken highlight band, and finish with a handful of flyaways and softened roots. The form work matters more than individual hairs.

Why does my hair look flat or fake in Procreate?

Usually because the strands were drawn before the form. Hair needs large value masses — a clear lit side and core shadow — before any strand detail. Other common causes are a highlight painted as a hard stripe instead of a broken band, and perfectly uniform strands. Add a few stray flyaways and vary strand spacing to break the mechanical look.

What layers should I use for hair in Procreate?

Keep hair in its own group, separate from the face. A reliable stack from bottom to top is base color, shadow, light, then strands and highlights. Clip the shading layers to the base silhouette so paint stays inside the shape, and keep flyaways on a top layer you can erase freely.

What brushes are best for painting hair in Procreate?

A multi-strand (comb) brush for the bulk of the hair, a single-strand tapered brush for highlights and flyaways, and a soft blender for the roots and base. You can build this kit for free from the hair brushes category. Fur and feathers use the same approach with shorter, scattered strokes.