Male · Slicked Back · Back
Hair design reference showing a male anime character with a slicked back hairstyle from a back 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 (Front)
This reference shows Slicked Back hair on a male character from a front 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 back 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 Front Angle
From the front, the hair's overall silhouette matters most. Establish the face shape first, then add the hair mass around it, keeping the fringe and side falls balanced on either side of the centerline.
- Balance the fringe and side falls on both sides of the centerline.
- Show thickness with a clean edge between hair and face.
- Let a few strands break the forehead line for life.
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.
From the front, the hair silhouette is the first thing the eye reads. Study how the hair mass frames the face — the width of the hair at the sides, the shape of the fringe, and how the top volume sits above the cranium.
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.
Letting the hair silhouette hug the head shape too tightly. Anime hair has volume and sits slightly above the cranium; leave a gap between the hair edge and the head circle.
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.
