It can be difficult to learn to draw eyes. It is arguably the most important facial feature and often the hardest to capture right due to its delicate nature. Eyes are the windows to a person's soul and the way you draw the eyes can convey different emotions and feelings.
To learn to draw eyes, you must study and observe many different shapes, colors, and types of eyes. Observe the way eyelids fold when eyes are closed and open. Look at the wrinkles around the eyes and how eyebrows and eyelashes accentuate the eyes. Notice how different expressions can change the shapes and size of the eyes.
When you learn to draw eyes, first step is to draw basic shapes of the eyes. What you want to achieve with the basic shapes is to set a foundation for your eyes and get the proportions of the eyes and iris correctly. The basic shape you will most likely use here will be an oval for the eye and a circle for your iris.
Once you've drawn the basic shapes of the eyes and iris, you will want to draw in the pupil. Keep in mind that your pupils should correspond with the direction of the eyes and the source of light.
Draw in the eyelashes and eyelids. To give a sense of depth to your eye, fill up the white part of the eyes with lines representing veins and shades. Make sure to use light strokes when you shade in the white parts of your eyes as you will want your pupils and iris to appear darker. Eyebrows will be the last part you will want to pencil in. Finally, add shadings around the eye and wrinkles to give it a realistic presentation and round out all the details.
While you draw the eyes, don't forget that the effect you are trying to achieve is a 3-D presentation of the eyes. Eyes are essentially orbs and not a perfect circle so keep that in mind.
Quick Tip #1: Breaking It Down
Break the subject you are drawing into simple basic shapes such as square, oval, oblong, triangle, and circle. It doesn't matter whether you are drawing an apple or a dragon. If you break your model down into basic shapes and use them as an outline, you are greatly simplifying the process of drawing. |
Quick Tip #2: Outside In
Draw from outside in. What I mean by this is you should always draw the outlines of your models first then cramp all the details within those outlines. Drawing facial features such as eyes, nose and mouth before setting facial line is a huge no-no. |
Quick Tip #3: Upside-Down
One exercise that will improve your drawing skills is drawing an upside-down image. This may seem a bit weird at first but try it! It'll develop and improve your visual mode. |
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