#tutorial...?

How to Draw a Sergal

Step 1: Draw a triangle

Step 2: Draw a parallelogram

Step 3: Add details

Step 4: You did it!

Uhhh the way I draw his hair was actually the result of me trying to draw over his anime hair for years until I have decided to make them less complicated and following a logic (a central point and everything going with a direction, no matter which side the head is) I'm not good at explaining but I hope this pic can help?

I've drawn the central point first with two fluffy hair, one going up and the other going down, as it's a sprout. Then the green part, random fluffy hair up and down (similar). This part and the following one usually change depending if I can manage to do an harmonic fluffy part or not, so it's a matter of luck for me I guess- Dark blue part is thin or smaller hair, the one on the down part are just small messy hair reaching the ears, the other in the top are long and thin or a medium size. Purple part is the smaller hair going to the side, they just close the "circle" so they're usually smaller then the previous ones. Coral part is the fringe, it's medium lenght, not too short not too long (Giotto as an example has very long fringe touching his mouth). And last part is the side hair in front of ears!

This is really simple and doesn't really touch on the expressions bit that you're having trouble with, but since expressions require the face to work, it's a good place to start! :) Granted, this is something simple I whipped up in an hour or so, so it's not extensive or detailed. It's just little things that come to my mind first when I'm having trouble differentiating gender between characters' faces.

Some more detailed notes:

Male faces tend to be more angular and sharper. Things like a more rigid jawline and a sculpted chin.

Female faces, more rounded and softer. Their jawlines usually aren't as defined as a male's and their

Applying the angles vs. rounded rule to facial features is an easy way to define gender. Rough angled noses vs. soft button noses, for example.

HOWEVER! Don't be afraid to mix things up a little bit! Sticking to that rule can really kill diversity in the way you draw faces. Go ahead and curve up your manly faces or to throw angles onto your feminine faces. There are always other ways to tell what gender a character identifies as (body shape, anatomy, clothing, hair, stature, etc.)

Going on a slight tangent here, but don't be afraid to research some things and ask yourself some questions. What generally defines male and female faces in real life? How do your favorite artists differentiate genders between their characters? Things like that, you know?

Speaking of research! Here's some VERY helpful links to help you out on more facial business and especially expressions!

How to draw all sorts of crap (including faces!)

Drawing emotions with Scott McCloud

Simple expressions with alexds1

Lackadaisy expressions (probably the BEST tutorial on expressions)