Q&A for How to Draw a Braid

Use darker shades on the areas where one strand slips below another, and use the thicker parts of the hair to add highlights. Pick whichever color you want to use and just play around with the shading.

Nope, it's your drawing, you don't have to shade if you don't want to!

They're guidelines, so that if we lose track of the direction we want the braids to go in we are able to recover and get back on track.

Yes, the same method works for a thin braid. Just edit the way the tutorial shows you until you get what you want.

Draw one from the back. Make sure the drawing tool you're using is a black, thin, but easy-to-see pen. Then flip the paper over, and see if you can see the braid. It will be inverted.

Yes, shading the braid is optional.

Yes. Some people use a series of loops to start a braid, and others use interlocking rectangles as a base. Feel free to experiment with methods and see what you like best.

That's okay! Braids are tricky to draw, so it's normal to mess it up (especially while you're learning). Put it down, take a break if needed, and try again. You're going to draw horrible pictures, amazing pictures, and everything in between. That's part of being an artist; we've all been there. Keep practicing, experimenting, and learning.

Yes, if you'd like. Hard pencils like 2H, 4H or 6H are useful for coloring light areas and drawing fine details like flyaways and little strands of hair. Shading with a hard pencil can take a little longer, and you may want to use an HB or a B pencil to get the darker parts, but a hard pencil is perfect for lighter areas and fine details in the hair.