Male · Slicked Back · Right Side
Hair design reference showing a male anime character with a slicked back hairstyle from a right side angle.
Practice Advice
Study the alignment of features and angle of construction lines. Use our interactive practice tools to draw timed sketches of this pose.
How to Draw Slicked Back Hair (Right Side)
This reference shows Slicked Back hair on a male character from a right side view. Use it as a structure study for silhouette, chunking, and flow.
About This Reference
Hair design reference showing a male anime character with a slicked back hairstyle from a right side angle.
1. Structure of Slicked Back Hair
Slicked-back hair is scraped flat against the skull from the hairline to the crown. Show the direction of the comb with short, parallel strokes that follow the head curve, and keep the shine subtle. The forehead is fully exposed, so the face carries the design.
- Direction: short parallel strokes following the head curve.
- Shine: keep it subtle, just a hint along the crown.
- Forehead: fully exposed; let the face carry the design.
2. Drawing It at the Right Side Angle
From the right profile the hair reads as one continuous silhouette from the crown down the back and over the forehead. Compress the fringe against the face and show the hair's thickness at the nape of the neck.
- The hair reads as one continuous silhouette from crown to back.
- Compress the fringe against the face profile.
- Show thickness where the hair meets the nape of the neck.
3. Gender Styling Notes
Male anime faces read through structure. The jaw is broader and more angular, the chin stronger, and the brow ridge more defined. The eyes are narrower and sit slightly higher on the head construction, the nose is sharper with a defined bridge, and the neck is thicker. Use firmer, straighter lines for the jaw and neck to sell the masculine silhouette.
4. What to Watch for in This Reference
Slicked-back hair is defined by its flatness and the direction of the strokes. Study how the hair follows the curve of the skull with no volume or bounce. The strokes should all run in the same direction, following the head's curvature from forehead to crown.
Profile hair is a single continuous silhouette. Study how the hair flows from the crown down the back, over the forehead, and down the nape. The thickness at the nape is what gives the hair mass its weight.
5. Common Mistakes with This Style
Adding volume or bounce to slicked-back hair. This style is deliberately flat against the skull. If your hair is standing up or falling forward, it is not slicked back.
Breaking the silhouette with too many interior lines. In profile, the outer contour of the hair is the strongest line in the drawing — keep interior lines light.
Quick practice plan
- Block in the hair silhouette first, ignoring interior strands entirely.
- Add the chunk structure, following the flow lines from the crown.
- Refine edges and add 3-4 accent strands where the mass meets the face.
- Check your work against the common mistakes list above and fix any issues.
- Redraw the same hairstyle from a different angle using this reference as the base.
