How to Draw Curly Hair in Procreate

2026-06-30

Curly hair breaks the rules of straight hair: it's volume and shape, not flow lines. Drawn as ribbons that twist and catch light, curls look soft and bouncy; drawn as squiggles, they look like noodles. This guide covers curls, coils and waves in Procreate.

Curls are ribbons, not lines

A curl is a flat ribbon of hair twisting through space, so it shows its edge and its face by turns — narrow where it turns away, wide where it faces you. Thinking "ribbon" instead of "line" is the whole game; it's why some curls look 3D and others look like flat spirals. Build on the masses-first idea from the full hair guide.

Step 1 — Block the whole shape

Curly hair is mostly silhouette and volume. Block the entire mane as one organic shape — wider and rounder than straight hair — with a bumpy, irregular outline. Resist drawing curls yet; get the big cloud of hair right first.

Step 2 — Define curl clumps

Curls group into clumps, not individual hairs. Sketch the major clumps as chunky spiral or S-shapes across the mass, varying their size. Bigger clumps near the crown, smaller toward the edges. This rhythm of big-and-small reads as natural curl.

Step 3 — Shade inside the curls

The inside of each curl turn is in shadow; the outer face catches light. Paint a core shadow under and behind the mass, then darken the insides of the front clumps. This carving is what gives curls their bounce and depth — more than any line work.

Step 4 — Draw the ribbon edges

Now trace a few curl edges with a tapered brush, following the ribbon: thin line on the turn, thicker on the face, broken where it tucks behind another clump. Don't outline every curl — suggest a handful and let shading carry the rest.

Step 5 — Highlights on the curl faces

Curls have many small highlights rather than one band — each outward-facing turn catches a dab of light. Stipple or dab highlights on the faces of the front curls. Keep them broken and scattered. See how to highlight hair.

Step 6 — Frizz and texture

A soft halo of frizz around the silhouette sells curly and coily hair instantly. Use a fine brush or a fur-style brush at the edges for a fuzzy outline. Add a few stray coils springing free.

Curl types

Wavy — long, loose S-ribbons; closer to straight-hair flow.
Curly — defined spiral clumps with clear inner shadow.
Coily / kinky — dense, springy texture; lean on the silhouette and a fuzzy edge more than drawn curls.

Brushes

A tapered strand brush for the ribbon edges, a soft brush for shading, and a fuzzy texture or fur brush for frizz — all free in the hair brushes category.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How do you draw curly hair in Procreate without it looking like noodles?

Treat each curl as a flat ribbon twisting through space, not a single line — narrow where it turns away, wide where it faces you. Block the whole mane as one volume first, define chunky curl clumps, then carve shadow into the insides of the turns. Drawing the ribbon edges and outline last keeps curls looking three-dimensional instead of like flat spirals.

How do you shade curly hair?

The inside of each curl turn falls into shadow while the outer face catches light. Paint a core shadow under and behind the whole mass, then darken the insides of the front clumps. Curls also have many small scattered highlights rather than one band, so dab light on the outward-facing faces. The shadow carving gives curls their bounce.

How do you draw coily or kinky hair in Procreate?

Coily hair is about dense texture and silhouette more than individual curls. Block a rounded, voluminous shape, keep the curl clumps small and tight, and lean heavily on a soft halo of frizz around the edge using a fine or fur-style brush. Suggest a few springy coils rather than trying to draw every one.

What brushes work best for curly hair?

A tapered strand brush for the curl ribbon edges, a soft round brush for shading the clump interiors, and a fuzzy texture or fur brush for the frizz halo around the silhouette. All three are available free in the hair brushes category and install as standard .brushset files.