Chapter 2: Beards, Braids, Dreads, Curls — Readable Systems

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Beards, Braids, Dreads, Curls — Readable Systems

Why “systems” make hair readable and shippable

Facial hair and complex styles (braids, dreadlocks, curls) are not piles of strands: they are systems—predictable patterns of massing, flow, and material response. Treating them as systems creates designs that read instantly at thumbnail size, animate believably, and translate cleanly to hair cards or high‑end grooms. This article organizes the problem across concept and production: from helmet‑level massing to ribbon/clump logic, material notes for anisotropy and frizz, and practical deliverables for modelers and groomers.

Global massing: silhouette before detail

Begin with the global silhouette that the hairstyle adds to the skull and jaw. For beards, think in wedges and aprons that hang from the face, not fuzzy outlines around the jawline. For braids and dreads, treat each cluster as a tube/ribbon that adds volume to the head’s outline. Make three passes—large, medium, small forms—and stop adding small until the large reads at arm’s length. Establish clear gutter valleys between forms to avoid mush. Mark collision zones (collars, pauldrons, hoods) and design exit paths where hair escapes gear.

Flow fields: growth → gravity → styling

Map hair growth direction first (crown whorl, cheek-to-chin on beards, nape-to-tail on long locks). Layer gravity (downward bias) and styling forces (binds, product, wind). Use this vector field to aim ribbons/clumps. In motion, long elements lag as S-curves; under product, they stiffen and show straighter trajectories with sharper speculars. Annotate your flow arrows in concept sheets—these become guide curves for grooms.

Beards: planes, volumes, and readable edges

Planes: The face gives you hard planes to anchor masses—mustache (philtrum shelf), cheeks (zygomatic to jaw), chin curtain (mentum apron), and under‑jaw volume (submandibular wedge). Draw the beard as stacked ribbons layered over these planes.

Volumes: Classify beards by depth and breadth: stubble (surface noise), short crop (soft rim + tight volume), medium/full (apron width + length), forked/braided beards (engineered silhouettes). Keep roots tighter than tips; let the mass expand away from the face with controlled taper.

Edges: Edges tell cleanliness and age—crisp cut lines at cheek and neckline vs. natural feathering. For readability, keep one dominant edge language per design: knife-cut, lightly frayed, or heavy curl fringe. Use shadow wedges under the lower lip and jaw to separate volumes in grayscale.

Material: Beards often have mixed textures (coarse guard hairs + softer undergrowth). Specular is anisotropic along flow; darker beards need thin, high-contrast rim highlights; lighter beards want restrained, narrow highlights to avoid chalk.

Production notes: Provide a chin‑to‑collar clearance callout; if contact is frequent, consider braided ties or metal clasps to shorten and control collision. For real-time, budget 20–60 cards for short beards and 100–200 for full beards depending on LOD; orient cards along flow, concentrating hero cards at silhouette (chin corners, mustache ends, under‑jaw rim).

Braids: engineered ribbon patterns with torque

Pattern logic: Braids are periodic interleaves. The key is the crossover cadence (spacing) and bulge between ties. Base types:

  • Three‑strand classic: left-over-center alternation; shows diamond bulges.
  • Rope (two‑strand twist): strands twist individually then around each other; tighter specular cords.
  • Fishtail: split bundle; small alternations from each side; reads fine and elegant.
  • Box braids/cornrows: modular units on a grid/rows attached to the scalp; strong graphic read.

Readable construction: Draw braids as tube ribbons whose cross‑section compresses at crossovers and expands between. Keep a consistent taper toward the tip; add flyaway fuzz as sparse break cards at silhouette.

Flow & anchoring: Show scalp anchors—part lines, feed‑in rows, beads or bands at start/finish. For long braids in motion, treat them as pendulums with lower flex frequencies than loose hair; animate with lag and limited torsion.

Materials: Producted braids are stiffer with sharper highlights; natural braids read matte with soft edge fuzz. Accessories (rings, wraps, beads) contribute rhythm and weight; place them to counteract tangents with the face and gear.

Production notes: For real-time, braids are ideal geometry + few cards: model low‑poly tubes with normal/flow maps and accent with alpha fuzz. Supply tiling crossover normal for medium-distance read. In high-end grooms, set clump-to-clump cohesion high and spec tightness per strand. Document segment lengths for simulation to avoid noodle oscillation.

Dreadlocks (locs): tubes, taper, and surface noise

Form: Dreads read as tapered tubes (solid cores) with irregular surface—felted, ropey, or palm‑rolled. Keep a clear root section (thinner, tighter) that thickens away from scalp. Avoid uniform spaghetti; vary diameters (large, medium, small) and spacing.

Flow: Locs hang with weight, pivoting at the root. In bundles, they behave like cable harnesses—limited independent motion. Stage them to frame the face without kissing jaw/shoulder edges; design a few hero locs for silhouette.

Material: Lower specular, broad highlights; edge fuzz catches rims and backlight. Wet locs darken and clump, extending length; product can smooth and stiffen.

Maintenance & story: Accessories (wraps, cuffs, thread) manage collision and add culture/story beats. Roots show new‑growth texture; tips may be blunt, tapered, or brushy—pick one edge language.

Production notes: Favor geo tubes with baked normals plus fuzz cards. Document root pinning and stiffness gradients (root stiff, tip softer). For LOD, collapse small locs first and retain hero silhouettes.

Curls & coils: helical systems, not noise

Taxonomy by coil radius:

  • Waves: broad S‑curves; low spring; specular sweeps.
  • Curls: medium helices; visible ringlets; clear specular flips.
  • Coils/kinks: tight helices; springy masses; silhouette dominated by soft micro‑tufts.

Readable construction: Build volumes first (lobes, halos, side masses). Carve surfaces with ribbon helices that show inside/outside curves. Keep amplitude decay with gravity—tighter near roots, looser toward tips for waves; coils maintain tighter amplitude but compress under hats and hoods.

Material: High micro‑occlusion softens value; specular appears as broken beads along arcs rather than one long stripe. Moisture increases clumping and reduces volume; product adds definition and stiffness.

Production notes: For games, represent curls with card ribbons textured with ringlet patterns aligned to flow; intersperse volume shells for loft. In grooms, set clump → sub‑clump hierarchies and per‑strand frizz. Provide density ranges and clump widths in callouts to avoid over‑ or under‑grooming.

Readability across cameras and crops

At distance, sell styles with silhouette rhythms (braid chains, loc bundles, beard wedges). In medium shots, rely on crossover cadences, tube tapers, and rim fuzz. Close‑ups can carry edge detail—flyaways, beard mustache overlaps, individual curl highlights—placed judiciously at focal zones (mouth corners, chin point, temple).

Collision‑aware design with costumes and gear

Predict intersections: beards with breastplates, braids with quivers, locs with pauldrons, curls under hoods. Solutions: bind sections (beads, wraps), route with clips, or undercut hairlines where helmets seat. Supply contact maps showing where compression, flattening, or split routing occurs. Suggest alt states (tied up / let down) and how they alter silhouette and LOD.

Color, value, and pattern logic

Group values in three bands (roots darker). For multi‑tone styles (ombre, sun tips, salt‑and‑pepper), keep variation flowing with the growth direction. Beard gray often concentrates at chin and mustache—use it to separate planes. For cultural or faction patterns (colored wraps, beads), place accents to reinforce rhythm and to break long parallels with the jaw or collar.

Production deliverables

  • Mass orthos with collision and exit paths.
  • Ribbon/tube breakdowns for each style (3–7 primaries), with taper ratios and crossover cadence for braids.
  • Material board: roughness/gloss ranges, anisotropy strength, frizz amount, wet/dry/product states.
  • Card budgets & orientation for real-time; hero silhouette cards annotated.
  • Groom notes: clump hierarchy, density targets, stiffness gradients, root pinning; sim constraints (no‑flip twist, bend limits).
  • LOD plan: which elements survive at each distance; beard/loc/ braid simplifications.
  • Alt state sheet: tied, wrapped, armored.

Common failure modes and quick fixes

  • Mushy reads: no gutters, equal frequency. → Enforce large/medium/small hierarchy; carve valleys; unify tip taper.
  • Spaghetti braids/locs: uniform tube widths. → Vary diameters; add crossover compression (braids) or surface noise (locs); stage a few hero elements.
  • Plastic shine: broad, directionless highlights. → Align specular to flow; tighten highlights; add rim fuzz.
  • Beards hugging jaw: fur halo instead of mass. → Build apron wedge off the chin; add under‑jaw shadow; define edge language.
  • Alpha soup: intersecting cards flicker. → Route cards cleanly along flow; reduce overlaps; prioritize silhouette cards.

Practice loops

  • System swap: Design one character with four facial/hair systems (tight beard, fishtail braid, medium locs, coil halo). Keep the face constant; change only hair to read different personalities and roles.
  • Cadence drill: Fill a page with three‑strand braids at different crossover cadences and tapers; then translate to a low‑poly tube + normal sketch.
  • Silhouette sprint: 1‑minute thumbnails focusing only on beard wedges and braid/loc silhouettes—no interior lines.
  • Collision study: Draw the same beard against bare neck, scarf, and plate armor; design bind/wrap solutions for each.

Closing thought

Beards, braids, dreads, and curls become powerful character tools when you commit to them as organized systems. Lead with massing, route flow with intention, and select a material language that matches the story. Do that, and your designs will read instantly, animate cleanly, and hand off to production without surprises.