When the textures are done, I create hair chunks. I take 3 planes with different textures I just created and make them interpenetrate together using the negative space I just made. Then, it’s just a matter of placing manually every chunk. To place them, I use different deformers in Maya: Bend, Twist, Flare and Lattice. The placement of all the hair chunks is a very long process, but if the result is nice, it pays out fully.

To place the hair, I learned to divide it into 4 steps: a base layer, 2nd layer, 3rd layer, and flyaways. The base layer will be only to cover the head. Also, I like to start the placement of it really far from the hairline. This way, later, I can add single hairs to the hairline to make it more realistic. The 2nd layer is the most important: I create most of the hair flow. I try to create negative space in the hair, areas where it can catch shadows, and variation in the specularity. I will use less dense hair texture during this step. The 3rd layer is also important. Here, I will break the lighting of the hair and the silhouette even more. I will cover the hairline and give weight to the hair. The last step is to add flyaways - subtle details that will give realism to the hair.