First thing I did was look up types of curl patterns. The reason why I'm looking at curl patterns first is because I need a base for how a strand is going to need to look so I can do my best to create it procedurally and adjust it accordingly.
Next I found reference for Regency Era hairstyles. I found the best information for these hairstyles through these links:
I also gathered reference from the Bridgerton show focusing specifically characters Marina Thompson played by Ruby Barker and Queen Charlotte played by Golda Rosheuvel. I did this because throughout the show Marina and the Queen's hair embraces natural curls and coils.
Adam James Phillips executed many of the wigs from Bridgerton. Marcellio Pilcher designed the wigs seen here and many of the Queen's wigs and other hairstyles on Season 1 of Bridgerton.
Next I look up some pictures of natural curly hair, specifically for hair types 4A-4C
Now that I've got some reference to work from I begin diving into Blender ( 3.5, which has a new hair system) and begin creating the hair pattern.
The first pass was ok. The hair begins thicker at the base and get thinner at the ends. It also gets looser the lower it goes which gives the strand a bit of dimension. The biggest problem was the strands started too big so that was my main task for the second pass.
The second pass I got the density and size of the hair strand I wanted. Technically this style is a realistic natural style. My hair looks very similar to this if I brush it out and go outside in humid weather. However, this isn't the exact style I want for my character. The hair is wavy but not coily. I also think it's time to adjust the hair color since I began to play with my skin textures again (more on that in another entry).
I also began to play with shaping of the eyebrows to bring more life to the character. I want them to be thick and full.
This hair color is looking much better but also made me sure that it was time to shift to a Regency Era style to properly embody the character I want for this project. The eyebrows aren't quite working yet but I keep playing with them.
It took a little bit to get a nice style on the character but I feel like it pays off. I also got the eyebrows exactly the way I want them.
Here is a closeup of the hair. I also added some frayed hairs to have everything look less uniformed.
As of this moment this is what my character looks like so far
