So first of all, screen shots are for the weak so here's a cam pic (that I was sending to my husband when he was at MEScon). For future reference I will use screenshots.

The unfortunate thing that while I was really happy with this attempt, when I saved it I saved it as png and lost all the layers for me to go back and continue the progress on it thus this is as far as my first attempt goes. I'm still very excited.

For reference of my style, I literally have watched Sonatine's YT video hair tutorial 50 times and followed along step-by-step. Bare in mind, I got to the shading portion (3rd or 4th level of shading) before I called it for the day so this is by no means anywhere near a finished product.

Between googling reference pictures, looking at CWs already on-site, and just playing around this is what I have so far. I still need to learn how to better shade as this is literally my first legit attempt at this. I was also a little unhappy with the shape of the back side near the ears (hence the missing lineart). A lot of my issue is I'm critiquing my work as I go along and I sorta discouraged myself. I'm working on not doing that because the further along I got in the process the more it started shaping up and looking almost legit. It's a matter of me gaining more experience and confidence in my work and hopefully I can move into commissioning work for other (which is my ultimate goal). For now, my attempts are going to be for design selling purposes, If I even get good enough to that point.

I would really appreciate any critique and feedback. Husband is giving me a lot of support in doing this and I really want to hone my skills so I can contribute to the CW community.

My current self critique: There weren't enough defined pieces of hair. There needed to be more defined tresses I think, instead of just one solid wave of hair The back of the head near the neck and ear. Blech Shading needs a little work as to not look so... feathered? I don't know if that's the right term but there are a few areas where the shade is very thin, very line like. Lineart is very bold in places. I think part of that problem was the layers I had showing at the time. Either way, clean it up.

I think this is really good for a first attempt! I'm not by any means an artist, so I don't think I can really give much of any helpful critique--but I really think this looks good as a WIP towards becoming an onsite CW. :)

I think shading is the key when it comes to making the hair have more defined strands. Shading really adds a lot of depth to any artwork in general, so definitely continue to practice that. Indeed, don't get discouraged! But you should also take your time. Even though you should practice as much as possible, you should pace yourself, too.

Oh, and something that might be good to take note of about many onsite CW wigs: stray strands. Depending on the hairstyle (or the reference you're following), stray strands can help make certain wigs look more natural/organic. Like the Pumpkin Patch Strands that you're wearing, and even the CW wig that I have on right now. So that's something you might want to take note of when you're drawing, especially if you're using a reference.

Keep up the good progress! :)

ayyye thanks for the feedback. I never knew when it was time to add the stray strands but they definitely give the hair a more natural feel. I will definitely start adding some during the process

Yeah, you can definitely play around with the idea of the stray strands and find what works well for you. :) I haven't commissioned many artists for wigs (yet), but I've noticed a couple artists who add stray strands from the sketching phase, and another who added them in when lining the hair. So as you're practicing, you can see what works best. 😀