How to Paint Over Hair in Tomodachi Life Face Paint

One of the most common questions from new face paint users: "Can I paint over the Mii's hair?" The answer is both yes and no — and understanding exactly where the boundaries are is key to getting the results you want.

What you can and can't paint over

The face paint canvas is a 256×256 pixel area that covers the Mii's face — from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the chin, and from cheek to cheek. The Mii's preset hairstyle exists outside this canvas. You cannot paint over the hairstyle that extends beyond the face area.

What you can do:

• Paint over the forehead and upper face area where hair might normally sit
• Use the Draw Over/Under toggle to paint above or below preset facial features (eyes, nose, mouth)
• Set all Mii features to "None" in Mii Maker to start with a completely blank, featureless face
• Paint hair-like colours and shapes onto the face canvas to create custom hairstyles that stay within the face boundary

How to get the cleanest canvas

The most effective approach for serious face paint work:

1. In Mii Maker, set hair style to whatever you like (or None).
2. Set all facial features to None. No eyebrows, no preset eyes, no nose definition, no mouth. This gives you a completely blank face oval.
3. Enter face paint in Pro mode.
4. Use the Draw Under setting for your base skin colour. This ensures it sits behind where preset features would be — important if you later add features back.
5. Paint custom hair on the top layer covering the upper face area (rows 0-10 on a 32×32 grid).

What about the Draw Over/Under toggle?

The face icon below the canvas preview is the Draw Over/Under toggle. When set to:

• Draw Under: Your paint appears behind the Mii's preset facial features. Use this for skin tones.
• Draw Over: Your paint appears on top of the preset facial features. Use this when you want to replace or cover the preset features with custom designs.

This is separate from the two paint layers (top/bottom, toggled with ZR on a selection). The three systems together — two layers × Draw Over/Under — give you a surprising amount of control.

Common scenarios

"I want my character to have a completely different hairstyle." Set the Mii Maker hair to None, then paint the entire hair design onto the face canvas using the top layer.

"I want to add highlights to the existing hair." You can paint highlights on the face canvas, but they won't extend onto the preset hairstyle outside the face oval. The effect works best for bangs and forehead-level details.

"Paint is covering features I want to keep." Switch from Draw Over to Draw Under mode. If that doesn't help, you may have painted on the wrong layer — select the offending element and press ZR to toggle its layer.