How to Draw Space Buns
Learning how to draw space buns starts with understanding placement, symmetry, and volume.
This hairstyle looks simple at first glance, but a convincing drawing depends on how the buns sit on the head, how the hair gathers, and how light shapes the form.
Space buns appear in anime, fashion illustration, character design, and casual sketches because they add energy and personality.
With a few basic construction steps, you can make them look balanced, natural, and stylized at the same time.
What Makes Space Buns Easy to Recognize?
Space buns are two rounded hair buns positioned on opposite sides of the head, usually high near the crown.
They often leave the rest of the hair loose, braided, or tied back, which creates a playful silhouette.
- Placement: Usually above the ears and slightly toward the top of the head
- Shape: Rounded, coiled, or slightly messy depending on style
- Balance: Both buns should feel visually equal, even if the hairstyle is intentionally asymmetrical
- Character use: Common in cute, sporty, futuristic, and youthful character designs
Materials and Setup
You can draw space buns with a pencil and paper or on a digital tablet.
Before detailing hair strands, it helps to start with light construction lines so the hairstyle fits the head properly.
- Graphite pencil or digital sketch brush
- Eraser for refining guides
- Optional inking tool for clean line art
- Reference images for hairstyle proportions
How to Draw Space Buns Step by Step
1. Sketch the head shape
Begin with a simple head construction shape, such as an oval or an egg shape.
Add a center line and a horizontal guideline to establish where the face sits and where the buns will be placed.
This step matters because space buns depend on symmetry.
If the head angle is turned, the buns should follow that perspective rather than floating independently.
2. Mark the bun placement
Lightly draw two circles or rounded masses on either side of the head near the upper portion of the skull.
These are placement guides, not final shapes.
Keep the buns aligned with the same height unless you want a stylized look.
A slight tilt can make the drawing feel more dynamic, but strong imbalance may look accidental.
3. Block in the hairline and part
Draw the hairline around the forehead and indicate a center part or side part.
The part helps direct the eye upward toward the buns and gives the hairstyle a clear structure.
If the character has bangs, sketch them now.
Curtain bangs, blunt bangs, and wispy fringe all work well with space buns.
4. Shape the buns
Turn each guide circle into a hair bun by wrapping strands around a central mass.
A bun is not a perfect sphere; it has overlapping locks, compressed volume, and a slight flattened edge where it sits against the head.
For a neat style, keep the outline smooth and compact.
For a messier style, let a few strands break away from the bun and create uneven edges.
5. Add hair ties or wrapped sections
Space buns often have visible ties, wrapped hair bands, or twisted sections at the base.
Draw these where the buns meet the scalp to show that the hair is pulled up and secured.
These small details make the hairstyle easier to read, especially in stylized or simplified artwork.
6. Draw the remaining hair
If the rest of the hair is left down, sketch it after the buns are placed.
Let it fall naturally from the head shape, following gravity and the character’s pose.
You can make the hair straight, wavy, curly, or layered.
The buns should stay visually connected to the rest of the hairstyle, so avoid separating the forms too much.
7. Refine the silhouette
Once the basic shapes are in place, clean up the outer contour.
Focus on the overall silhouette first, because silhouette clarity is what makes a hairstyle readable at a glance.
Check that the buns are evenly weighted and that the hair does not look too stiff.
Small irregularities can make the drawing feel more believable.
How to Make Space Buns Look Natural
Even stylized hairstyles benefit from anatomy-based reasoning.
Hair grows from the scalp, gathers under tension, and shifts depending on head position.
- Follow skull volume: Buns should sit on the head, not above it
- Show pull and tension: Hair near the base should angle inward toward the tie
- Vary strand direction: Not every line should curve the same way
- Use a few flyaways: Loose strands add softness and movement
Common Mistakes When Drawing Space Buns
Many beginners make the buns too small, too round, or too far apart.
That can flatten the hairstyle and make it look detached from the head.
- Placing the buns too low: This changes the hairstyle into pigtail buns instead of classic space buns
- Making them identical in a mechanical way: Real hair has slight differences, even in symmetrical styles
- Ignoring head angle: Buns should shift with perspective
- Over-detailing every strand: Too many lines can clutter the drawing and weaken the shape
How to Stylize Space Buns for Different Art Styles
Space buns can look different depending on whether you are drawing anime, semi-realistic portraits, fashion sketches, or chibi characters.
The core structure stays the same, but the line treatment changes.
Anime style
Use clean outlines, simplified strand groups, and strong shape language.
Bangs and face-framing pieces can help emphasize expression.
Semi-realistic style
Show more strand layering, subtle shadow, and believable compression around the bun base.
Keep the forms soft but structured.
Chibi style
Make the buns larger relative to the head and simplify the hair into bold shapes.
This keeps the design cute and readable.
Fashion illustration
Focus on elegance, line flow, and accessory detail.
Space buns can be paired with ribbons, clips, or braided sections for a polished editorial look.
Shading Tips for More Dimension
Good shading turns a flat hairstyle into a three-dimensional form.
Think of each bun as a rounded object with a light source hitting one side and shadow settling on the opposite side.
- Shade under the buns where they cast shadows on the head
- Darken the wrapped base to separate it from the scalp
- Use soft gradients for smooth hair
- Add sharper contrast for thicker, more textured hair
If you are drawing digitally, use layer separation for the hair base, shadows, and highlights.
This makes it easier to adjust the hairstyle without redrawing everything.
Useful Variations to Try
Once you know the basic structure, you can experiment with variations that change the mood of the character.
- Messy space buns: Loose, uneven, and casual
- Double braided buns: Braids feed into each bun for extra texture
- Half-up space buns: Only the top section is tied into buns
- High-volume buns: Bigger, puffier buns for a dramatic silhouette
- Mini buns: Smaller buns for a minimalist or youthful design
How to Practice Faster
Practice by drawing the same hairstyle from front view, three-quarter view, and side view.
This helps you understand how space buns behave across different angles.
You can also redraw the hairstyle on different head shapes, since a round face, narrow face, or angled jawline will slightly change how the buns read in the composition.
Repetition builds consistency, and consistency is what makes the style look intentional.
Final Drawing Checklist
- Is the head shape proportional?
- Are the buns placed symmetrically or intentionally asymmetrically?
- Does the hair tie into the scalp naturally?
- Are the buns clear in silhouette?
- Do the shadows support the volume?
Use these checks as you refine the sketch, and the hairstyle will read clearly even at small sizes.
