Painting complex hair is one of the most rewarding subjects in figure work when it goes well and one of the most frustrating when it doesn't. I want to share the approach that consistently works for me.

I think about hair in three hierarchical scales: the mass (the overall shape and direction of all the hair), the groups (major sections within the mass that separate under their own weight), and strands (individual hairs visible near the surface).

Painting sequence: mass first, always. Block in the overall shape with a large brush. Consider the mass as a single object with its own light side, shadow side, and highlight. Get this right before touching anything smaller.

Groups second: divide the mass into the major separations. Each group has its own highlight near the top. The shadows fall between groups where the hair depth creates occlusion.

Strands last and sparingly: use strand detail only in the highest-contrast area — usually where a group edge crosses a light-dark boundary. A few well-placed strand indications read as 'all strands' to the eye. Strands painted everywhere read as texture noise.