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Interested in learning how to draw realistic eyes? I don't blame you! The ‘windows to the soul’ are a captivating subjectmatter. In this tutorial, I'll demonstrate the process of drawing a realistic eye, and illuminate some of the knowledge and skills we mustacquire to draw this compelling subject matter convincingly.
Supplies:
I'll be using Staedtler Mars Lumograph graphite pencils (HB, 2B, 4B) on Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Paper.
F R E E D O W N L O A D
Download the eye reference photo and eye drawing infographic at the end of this article!
A F T E R T H I S L E S S O N:
Don't miss these eye drawing lessons:
- Video Series: Most Common Eye Drawing Mistakes (and how to fix or avoid them!)
- How to Draw Realistic Eyebrows: Step by Step Tutorial
- How to Draw Eyelashes: Step by Step Tutorial [Video]
- 8 Tips for Drawing More Realistic Eyelashes
Or, transform your eye drawings in my in-depth course:
You may also be interested in these tutorials on drawing the other facial features:
- How to Draw Realistic Lips
- How to Draw an Ear on Toned Paper
Animated GIF of the tutorial steps
Preparing for Drawing:
Analyzing the Visible Anatomy of the Eye
To draw this subject matter convincingly, not only do youneed an excellent understanding of the drawing process (which you can start learning in myfree Mini-Course), but additional layers of knowledge pertaining to the anatomy and structure of the eye, as well. I cover essential eye anatomy and how to construct the eye in my Eye Drawing Intensive. (It's fascinating to learn, and simply studying eye anatomy will completely transform what you see when you observe an eye!)
Here are some of the anatomical terms that I will beusing throughout this tutorial:
Though this is not a complete list of the features of the eye, these are the ones that are most visible in this pose.
Before we begin, it’s advisable to firstanalyze the structure of the eye in it’s current pose by drawing a structural diagram. This allows you to determine:
- What features of the eye can you see?
- Which ones are obscured?
- Where are the important overlaps? (No idea what overlaps are? Watch Lesson 4 of my free Mini-Course!)
- What areasdo youneed to focus on or emphasize in order for the eye to read asa convincingly three-dimensional form?
A structural diagram can answer all ofthese questions and more. Discover my 7-step process of constructing the eye from the inside out in my Eye Drawing Intensive!
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Analyzing the Structure of the Eye
What I look for and notice while observing the eye in thispose:
- This is not a straight-on view of the face or the eye. The model's head is turned about 3/4 to her right, but she is looking directly at us, causing an uneven distribution of the white of the eye on both sides of the iris. This allows us to see a larger portion of the inside of the top eyelid than we would see in a straight-on view. I have exaggerated this slightly in my structural sketch, though this is very subtle on the model, and manifests as a deep shadow.
- The model's head is also tilted down. This allows us to see the entire top plane of the lower eyelid, and is going to be an important element to emphasize in my drawing in order to create the proper perspective, and the illusion that the eye is looking out from under the brow ridge.
(Not indicating that each eyelid has two planes is one of the most common mistakes that decrease the realism of an eye drawing! Discover the most common eye drawing mistakes, and how to fix or avoid them, in this free video series.)
Finally, whenever we draw an eye, we need to remember that the eyeball is a sphere, so the features of the eye need to be drawn in a way thatemphasizes that they are curving around a sphere.
As you learn more about this subject matter, you will beable to conduct this analysis visually instead of on paper. However, even whenit’s not essential, drawing a structural diagram is an excellent exercise thatalways helps me notice more than when I conduct my analysisvisually.
Download a high-resolution
infographic of this tutorial here!
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 1: Starting the Eye Drawing
There are two ways in which I tend to begin eye drawings:
Method 1 for Starting an Eye Drawing: Working from the outside in
When working from the outside in, I start by creating anenvelope, or a general shape around the entire eye socket area. I thendivide up this general shape into smaller, more specific sections (the eyebrow,the eye shape, and the shadow shapes). For a more detailed tutorial on using the Envelope method tostart a drawing, watch Lesson 2 of my free Mini-Course.
Method 2 for Starting an Eye Drawing: Working from theinside out
When working from the inside out, I begin with the innermostshape of the eye. This means that I’m indicating the lines that define the part ofthe eyeball that I can see. Notice that the bottom line that I'm drawing is Line A in the image below as opposed to Line B. Line B may be more evident since it is emphasized by the eyelashes, but inconvenient to start with since I would have to leave the correct amount of room for both the eyeball and the top plane of the lower eyelid.
Looking at my initial pencil marks below, notice that I’m not drawing a curved almond shape, which isthe shape normally considered to be an ‘eye shape’. Instead, I’m looking forangle changes that I can indicate.
There are at least three angle changes inboth the top line and the bottom line. Indicating these, and keeping them inmind throughout my drawing, will help me represent this particular eye, and add asense of realism to my drawing. The more specific we can get, the morerealistic our drawing will seem.
Finally, notice the axis line that I drew to help me establish thecorrect tilt of the eye.
How to Draw Realistic Eyes: Step 1
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 2: Completing the Block-In
Whichever way I begin my drawing, the goal is to get to thispoint.
In this image I have completed my block-in (also known as a linedrawing or blueprint). This stage is all about proportions, and I’m looking at the heightsand widths of absolutely everything!
My lines are less angular and more curved here: this happens naturally as I add more lines and specify the form, which is why it's so important to start out with distinct angles.
A few important notes at this stage:
- Look at the shape of the iris: Is it a perfect circle?Not at all! The iris is rarely a perfect circle. Notice (A) the angle change at the top left, (B) the flatter areaat the bottom, and (C) that the visible portion of the iris iswider than it is tall. If you want realism and naturalism, these specifics are necessary.
- Pay close attention to how much of theiris is covered by the top eyelid. Showing more or less of the iris can greatlychange the expression of the eye.
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 3: Filling in the Shadow Shapes
Next, I lightly fill in the areas of the eye that are in shadow. Reflectingon this stage, I could have also filled in the left-handside of the sclera (the white of the eye).
Though what I am technically doing here is shading, the purposeof this step has more to do with checking my proportions than beginning theshading process.
Filling in the shadow shapes with a flat, relatively evenvalue helps me to see where I have drawn incorrect proportions, and,subsequently, to correct them.
A note about proportions:
Looking at the following infographic (which you can downloada full-size version of below), you can see that I continue adjusting myproportions until the very end of my drawing!
Download the full-size infographic here!
This is why it is so important to embrace the ProportionStage of the drawing process – because while we tend to give it our utmost attention atthe beginning, we need to 'keep an eye' (*wink!*) on proportions throughout the rest of ourdrawing as well.
Stay tuned for an upcoming course on developing your eye,hand, and the skills needed to draw accurately (and with little to no anxiety!
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 4: Analyzing & Establishing the Value Structure
After I have lightly filled in my shadow shapes and adjustedmy proportions, I turn my attention to shading, or rendering. My first priorityis to establish my value structure: to determine where my light, half-tone anddark values are.
Determining the Value Extremes
Where are the darkest values in the scene?
The pupil and the upper eyelid area. Notice that where thepupil meets the upper eyelid, we can’t distinctly see where one begins and theother ends. If I can’t see a separation, I’m not going to create it in mydrawing. In fact, separating them would only detract from the realism in this scenario.
Where are the lightest values in the scene?
The lightest values are the highlights that are found on theborder between the pupil and the iris, in the lacrimal caruncle (corner of theeye closest to the nose), and in the far corner of the eye.
Notice that even the lightest part of the white of the eyeis darker than these highlights!!
Though the sclera is referred to as the ‘white of the eye’,because it’s a sphere it is rarely completely white. It usually has a gradation and a range of values – hereespecially, since half of it is in shadow.
Once I have determined the lightest and darkest valuesin the eye, I begin establishing them in my drawing, knowing that the rest ofthe values are going to be somewhere between these two extremes.
Another important aspect of this step is placing the pupilof the eye.
When doing so, I look closely at how much of the iris I cansee on all sides of the pupil, and specifically where and how much of the pupilis covered by the upper eyelid. Changing this would, again, affect theexpression of the eye.
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 5: Building up the Shadows
I am starting to build up the shadows in my drawing.
Notice my approach to drawing the eyebrow: I am not drawing individual hairs, or even thinking about drawing hair! Instead, I am drawing the general values of the area. The best way to approach drawing the eyebrowsis to squint at them, notice how much detail is lost, and to mass in the valuesthat you see when you squint.
At the very end of the drawing, you can indicate a few strayhairs, and that will be enough to create a naturalistic illusion of hair. Remember to work from general to specific, and resist the urge to draw individual hairs this early on in the process!
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 6: Edges
As I continue to build up the shadows, I start to payclose attention to the edge qualities throughout the eye. Unfamiliar with theconcept of Edges? Watch Lesson 6 of my free Mini-Course for a detailed video onthis essential concept!
I determine where the sharpest and softest edges are in thescene, and make sure to indicate them in my drawing. I then have twoextremes to compare the rest of my edges to.
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 7: Focusing on Nuances and Details
I’ve continued building up my values, and my drawing isstarting to look quite realistic! As I gain confidence in my overall value relationships, Istart focusing on smaller nuances in value and edge quality. More specifically,I am considering how to use subtle values and edges …
- to reinforce the structure of the eye that I illustrated atthe beginning of this tutorial, and
- to continuously improve, or make more specific, theproportions in my drawing
Nuances that I’m paying attention to at this point:
1) The gradation below the eyelashes on the lower eyelid.
Notice the subtle gradation present in the front plane ofthe bottom eyelid (the plane that is facing us - see the image below). It was essential that I drewin this gradation before drawing the eyelashes over top! The form underneath ismuch more important to create a sense of depth, dimension, and realism.
Wouldthis area look realistic with the gradation but no eyelashes? Absolutely. Howabout with the eyelashes but no gradation? Nope. The eyelashes are the ‘icingon the cake’, and are one of the last elements to consider when drawing an eye.This is a trap that many students fall into! Resist the urge to begin drawing ineyelashes and eyebrow hairs until the end of your drawing, when the eye as awhole is already looking realistic and dimensional.
2) The counterchange, or reversal of values, in the sclera.
Looking at the top plane of the bottom eyelid: notice thattowards the left, the top plane appears lighter than the sclera, and towardsthe right, the top plane appears darker than the sclera. (See image below.) This reversal of values is called 'counterchange', and is a beautifulmoment that I absolutely want toemphasize in my drawing.
3) Implied, gestural lines connecting shadows.
Look how the line of the shadow below the tear duct/lacrimal caruncle area is picked up by the shadowindicating the bottom of the front plane of the lower eyelid. (See image below).
How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Step 8: Refining and Finishing
How to Draw Realistic Eyes: The Finished Eye Drawing
Comparing the previous stage of my drawing to this one, thefirst thing that you’ll probably notice is how much I darkened my shadows. Onlyafter several ‘passes’ of incrementally darkening my values did I feelconfident enough to create a pitch black value where the ‘darkest dark’ valuesof my image are, and to sharpen certain edges.
You may also notice that I adjusted a few proportions!Mainly, I noticed that I had left a little bit too much room between the irisof the eye and the top of the lower eyelid. And yes, even though mydrawing was well on its way to being finished, I took the time to adjust thatproportion.
Furthermore, I slightly defined the inner corner of the eye.Though the lacrimal caruncle and tearduct are in shadow and are not particularly clear, I created theslightest bit more definition to add some extra depth and create the illusionthat the eyeball protrudes further out than the corner of the eye.
A Few Final Notes on How to Draw Realistic Eyes
Let’s talk about the three areas of detail that manybeginners get hung up on when learning how to draw realistic eyes: eyelashes, eyebrows,and the fibres that radiate out from the pupil to the edges of the iris. (So, most of the minute details!)
The biggest mistake concerning these areas of detail is thatstudents often address them too early. To create a realistic drawing, we needto address the whole before we address the individual parts.
It may also be liberating to know that we don’t actually need to create absurd degrees of detail inthese areas to create a realistic drawing!
On the reference of the eye that I’m drawing, are anyeyelashes even visible on the top eyelid? Barely! They are almost completely inshadow. If I zoom in closely, I can see just barely make out a few partialones. That’s it!
How about the fibres in the iris? Again, if I zoom in I cansee them. However, if you are drawing a model from life, are you going to seethe fibres from where you are sitting? Probably not.
My point is: try not to get hung up on these details.Instead, focus on the larger value relationships and gradations that youcan see. Then, if you have time in front of the model, if your drawingislarge enough, if you can see that level of detail, and if your goal ishyperrealism, you can work on adding some of the finer details to yourimage.
This concludes the tutorial, but don't miss these ...
Next Steps
1)Continue learning how to draw realistic eyes in this free video series!
2) Download these free resources
The best way to improve your eye drawings is, unsurprisingly, to practice. Why not download a reference photo of the eye from this tutorial, the infographic to remind you of the steps, and start learning how to draw realistic eyes today.
Downloadable Resources
3) Ready to transform your eye drawings? Learn more about my Eye Drawing Intensive:
Happy Drawing!
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