Bulma from Dragon Ball changes her hairstyle more often than almost any other character, so the first job is to pick one look. In this guide you will learn how to draw bulma face in 7 clear steps, using her look from Battle of Gods and early Dragon Ball Super: a short bowl-cut bob, small earrings, a neckerchief and a sleeveless dress.
In each picture, the new lines for that step are black and earlier lines turn grey, so you can see exactly what to add. Keep your first lines light, since the guidelines disappear before the final ink.
Materials Needed
- Paper or a drawing tablet
- A light pencil (HB or 2H) for the circle and guidelines
- A darker pencil (2B) or a fine liner for the final lines
- An eraser
- Optional: markers or coloured pencils for her hair, dress and scarf
Step-by-Step Bulma Face Drawing Guide
Step 1: Sketch the Head Circle and Guidelines
Draw a medium-sized circle in the upper middle of the page; this is the top of the skull. Run a vertical centre line through it and let it continue below the circle by about one-third of the circle’s height. Cross it with a horizontal eye line a little below the middle of the circle, extending slightly past both sides. Press lightly, because every guideline is erased at the end.
Step 2: Shape the Face, Ears and Neck
Start each cheek line just under the eye line on the edge of the circle. Curve both lines down and inward so they meet in a neat, softly pointed chin on the centre line, about a quarter of the circle’s height below it. Add a C-shaped ear on each side, from the eye line down to roughly halfway to the chin; the hair will cover their tops. Drop two short, straight neck lines from under the jaw, about half the circle’s width apart.
Step 3: Draw the Short Bowl-Cut Bob
Lift the top of the hair well above the circle so the head looks rounded and full. Let the outer outline fall straight down past the ears on both sides and curve the ends inward at chin level, so the bob frames the jaw. Fill the forehead with a straight fringe made of long, pointed strands that stop just above the eye line. Add a few thin strand lines inside the hair mass, all following the direction of growth from the crown.
Step 4: Draw the Eyes and Slim Eyebrows
Place two large, tall oval eyes right on the eye line, with about one eye-width of space between them. Draw a thick upper lid that flicks into small lashes at the outer corner, and keep the lower lid light. Inside each eye, add a big iris that touches the upper lid, a dark pupil and two white highlight circles. Peek a thin, curved eyebrow out just below the fringe, above each eye.
Step 5: Add the Nose, Smile and Earrings
Mark the nose with a small hooked stroke on the centre line, about halfway between the eye line and the chin. Below it, draw a short, gently curved smile about one eye-width long and a tiny stroke under it for the lower lip. Finish this step with a small round stud on each earlobe, at about the same height as the nose.
Step 6: Draw the Neckerchief and Sleeveless Dress
Wrap a soft band around the base of the neck for the neckerchief and tie it in a round knot just off centre. Let two pointed tails hang from the knot down to mid-chest, with a fold line in each. Below the scarf, slope the shoulders out to the edges of the page and draw a curved armhole on each side, so the dress reads as sleeveless.
Step 7: Ink the Final Line Art
Trace the lines you want to keep with a fine liner or a dark pencil. Make the outer edge of the hair, the face outline and the shoulders the boldest lines, and keep the hair strands, lashes and scarf folds thinner. After the ink dries, erase the circle, the centre line and the eye line. Nothing new is added in this step; it only cleans up the drawing.
Key Pro Tips for Drawing Bulma’s Face
- Choose one era and stick to it. Bulma goes through many hairstyles across the series. Mixing a ponytail from early Dragon Ball with this outfit will make her look off.
- Keep the bob round and tidy. In this era she wears the bowl cut she first had in the Buu Saga. The hair should hug the head and curve in at the jaw, not flare out.
- Small earrings, not hoops. In Battle of Gods and early Super she swaps her earlier gold hoops for small gold earrings, so keep the studs tiny.
- Colour her in this outfit. Use a purple dress and a light green neckerchief. For the hair, turquoise or blue matches the anime; the manga often shows a violet shade.
FAQ
Why does Bulma’s hair colour change between versions?
Her hair has been coloured in shades of purple, blue and turquoise over the years. The anime usually uses turquoise, while the manga leans violet, so either is correct for its version.