Tips to make hair look better?

Wrenger

Its my first time ever modeling hair.
On the front looks decent.
But on the back... oh boy..

https://imgur.com/a/Zzd6oKX

Any tips?

lluc21

I'd say making it curve a bit on the lower part, instead of cutting it straight would help. I think having the body in place would also help you get a good shape better.

Brian "Panda" Choi

I can't load the album.

Wrenger

Photo on left is the first try. Photos on the right represent the hair i have now. I deleted and redone like 5 times fully, this is the best i got and i have a lot of problems trying to fill in the center... @Brian "Panda" Choi
Also thank you @lluc21 i followed your tip, it does work a lot better,

about the body, i don't think it would help me as i don't want the hair to touch the body and change its shape, but i will try.

Wrenger

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

I can't load the album.

Here you go.

Wrenger

I also made the head a little less wide to help me with filling in the middle.. But i am still stuck.

HarlequinWerewolf

Do you have a concept you're working from? That'll help us see what you're trying to achieve. 

Stylised hair is tricky, I'm working to get better at it myself. If I could recommend Danny Mac's tutorial on creating hair, he helps break it down and simplify shapes which is helpful. I would also recommend some of Follygon's videos, he does some speed sculpts which are super fun 

Brian "Panda" Choi

What I see right now is a decent block out, but as HarlequinWerewolf said, what style are you going for?  What is the reference?  Because "just good looking" isn't enough.

Big conceptual term you should be aware of and look into:

"cow lick" - the rough origin point from where the hair swirls OUT from on the scalp.  This should be on your model if possible.

Look into "making flow/anisotropic map for hair" and what it does to the specularity.

Focus on the big forms and volumes of the hair.  Even if its all strands, they should be grouped in a visual sense.  Groups of strands should "act as one" in a way.

Wrenger

On the left side of the head the hair looks decent but on the right side it looks too straight and "perfect".
I worked a little more on the back, i tried breaking the lines up with some additional hair lines and it looks a little better than the beginning.
Reference top right screen.
Thank you for helping me, i appreciate the patience.
@HarlequinWerewolf Will do.
@Brian "Panda" Choi I will try, it sounds complicated, maybe some videos would help me understand what you are saying better. I will look into it more.

Also the photos are before i read the suggestions.

Brian "Panda" Choi

Noticee how much literal volume the hair makes coming out of the head of the character.  Match that.  Right now, you have the hair so close and hugging the scalp, relatively speaking.

Wrenger

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

Noticee how much literal volume the hair makes coming out of the head of the character.  Match that.  Right now, you have the hair so close and hugging the scalp, relatively speaking.

And how do i add more volume? Do i just add more strips on top of the ones i have?

HarlequinWerewolf

What I would do is use a sphere using the move tool push it into the basic shape of the hair. Then put the strips over top so that they follow the shape. Using the sphere means you can more closely match the concept's basic shape

Brian "Panda" Choi

Are you making these hairs via spawning geometry along a curve, or are you placing these on the head with a brush, or?

Wrenger

@HarlequinWerewolf I will try!
@Brian "Panda" Choi I'm manually placing them via spawning geometry along a curve. I'm following YanSculpts's tutorial on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqWYgrXw7Jk
I am making it this way because i plan to 3d print this, after i make the body too. Which will be another full chapter of trial and error.

Wrenger

@HarlequinWerewolf Gotta say it worked out pretty great having an reference object. I used a distorted sphere shape as you said and this is what came out.

Now i have to try and break it up a little as it looks too perfect. Any ideas? Besides adding more strips on top like the one i already did, in opposite directions and the same direction relative to the nearby hair. Also what can i do to fill up the space between the head and the hair? ( bottom right image )
This is the style I'm going for, as its easier for a 3dprinter to print it.

Brian "Panda" Choi

That space between the head and the hair, is ANYONE ever going to see that angle?

If not, there's no reason to fill it in.  Just slap in scalp-vacuum wrapped hair.