How to Draw Cartoon Hair: Easy 10-Step Guide

Ready to give your character some personality? This tutorial is perfect for young artists ages 5+ to learn how to draw stylized pigtails. All you need is a pencil, an eraser, and a piece of paper to get started on this fun, screen-free creative project.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

A colorful, finished example of a cartoon character with pigtails.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Head Base

A light pencil sketch of a circle representing the base of a cartoon character's head.

Draw a light circle to serve as the head. Teacher's Tip: Keep your pencil strokes very faint so you can easily erase them later—this is just a guide for placement!

Step 2: Defining the Face Shape

The circle from step one now has a rounded jawline added to form a complete head shape.

Extend a line from the sides of your circle to create a rounded chin shape. Teacher's Tip: Think of this as drawing a 'U' shape attached to the bottom of your circle.

Step 3: Adding Ear Guides

A horizontal guide line drawn across the head with two small ear shapes attached to the sides.

Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the head and add two small curves for ears. Teacher's Tip: Aligning the top of the ears with the horizontal line helps keep your character's features symmetrical.

Step 4: Cleaning the Guide Lines

The head shape with the internal horizontal guide line removed.

Carefully erase the horizontal line inside the head. Teacher's Tip: Use a soft eraser and gentle pressure to avoid smudging your paper.

Step 5: Outlining the Hairline

The outline of hair added over the head shape using curved, flowing lines.

Draw the hair outline using connected, curved lines that sit slightly outside the head shape. Teacher's Tip: Make the hair look 'bouncy' by using varying curve sizes—this adds volume to your character's style.

Step 6: Adding Hair Ties

Polka-dot hair ties added to the sides of the character's hair.

Draw two small circles on each side for hair ties, and add tiny circles inside them for polka dots. Teacher's Tip: Adding patterns like polka dots is a great way to customize your character's accessories!

Step 7: Finalizing the Head Outline

The clean, final outline of the head and hair with all construction lines removed.

Erase any remaining guide lines from the original circle. Teacher's Tip: Now that the outline is clean, you can go over your final lines with a darker pencil or pen to make them pop.

Step 8: Drawing the First Pigtail

A stylized pigtail added to one side of the character's head.

Draw the first pigtail using long, jagged curved lines. Teacher's Tip: Don't worry about making the lines perfectly straight; hair naturally has movement and texture.

Step 9: Drawing the Second Pigtail

A matching pigtail added to the other side of the head.

Repeat the process for the second pigtail on the opposite side. Teacher's Tip: Try to match the length and 'jaggedness' of the first pigtail to keep the drawing balanced.

Step 10: Adding Color

The completed cartoon hair drawing fully colored in.

Bring your character to life with color! Whether you choose natural tones or bright, fun colors like blue or purple, the choice is yours. Teacher's Tip: Use light pressure with your crayons or markers to create smooth, even color blocks.