Manga bangs: 4 types and how to draw them

Bangs are not drawn on the forehead; they start from the skull. In our guide on how to draw manga hair

Two reference points are enough to place them:

• The hairline, which is located higher than one might think, well above the eyebrow. Hair does not start right at the arch.
• The starting point, often a cowlick located at the top of the skull. The strands of the bangs radiate from this point.<\/ul>

  Also, keep a small gap between the bangs and the skin. This thickness adds volume and avoids the effect of paint stuck to the forehead.

This is the simplest, and most frequent among wise, disciplined, or childlike characters. The locks fall almost vertically and stop at the same height, somewhere between the eyebrow and the top of the eye.

To keep it from looking stiff, cut the bottom edge into three or four clusters of slightly different lengths. A perfectly straight line looks like a wig.

The parting is off-center, and the bangs slide to one side of the face. It reveals one eye or part of the forehead, which gives a more mature, more confident, and sometimes more mysterious look.

First trace the direction of the parting, then let the strands follow the curve of the skull. The longer side covers the eyebrow, the short side reveals the brow bone. Make sure the ear and the contour of the face remain legible, like in a profil manga.

Type 3: separated-strand bangs

Here, the bangs consist of a few large strands that leave spaces between them. This is the style of action heroes: it suggests movement, wind, energy.

Think in ribbons rather than individual hairs: wide at the base, tapered at the tip. Three main strands—one large, one medium, one small—are enough. Beyond that, the bangs become a mass of lines that loses its legibility.

Type 4: curtain bangs

They fall in the middle of the forehead and part to each side, like a curtain. It frames the upper face and highlights the eyes, making it a frequent choice for sweet or shy characters.

The trap is making them come down too low: if they cover both eyes, expression is lost. Keep the eyebrows visible, because they are what carry the emotion, as shown in our article on the sourcil manga.

Mistakes that turn bangs into a helmet

Four flaws come up almost every time:

• Following the exact contour of the forehead, without thickness. The character looks shaved under a layer of paint.
• Drawing a hairline flush with the eyebrow. The forehead disappears and the face gets squashed.
• Making symmetrical and uniform bangs. No real hairstyle falls this way on both sides.
• Hiding the eyebrow and the eye at the same time. Emotion has nowhere left to come through.

To check, look at the bangs in silhouette: if you see three or four clumps of different sizes, it works. If you see a block, redo it.