In this article, we’ll go into detail about how to draw eyes. Note: at the beginning, draw everything with light lines to make it easier to correct various mistakes and errors. The auxiliary drawings on the left are drawn with clear lines for clarity.
Table of Contents
How to Draw Eyes Step by Step
Step 1
The normal human eye is shaped like an ellipse.
Step 2 – How to Draw Eyes
To mark the corners of the eyes, the initial contour of the eye is made more straight in the upper left and lower right parts.
Step 3
The outer corner can be slightly raised above the center line of the eye (this is optional).
Step 4 – How to Draw Eyes
The area of the upper inner part of the eye is often slightly concave (also optional).
Step 5
Now add some lashes to the contour of the eye at the top outer part.
Step 6 – How to Draw Eyes
Sketch shorter lashes on the lower outer part of the eye. Draw a light line parallel to the one on which you just drew the lower lashes. This will accentuate the thickness of the lower eyelid. Take away the bottom inner part of the eye line. This will make the image look lighter and more natural.
Step 7
After determining the direction of your gaze, draw the contours of the iris and pupil. Underline the contours of the inner corner of the eye.
Step 8 – How to Draw Eyes
Shade the pupil (darker) and the iris (lighter). The tones depend on the actual color of the eye.
Step 9
Add a shadow on the iris on either side of the pupil. There can also be a shadow on the whites (just under the eyelid), but it should be very light, and in small drawings it may not be depicted at all.
Step 10 – How to Draw Eyes
Give volume to the upper eyelid. This can be done with a narrow or wide line parallel to the border of the upper eyelid. Make the line where the upper eyelashes are located bolder. Add a flare to the pupil with an elastic band.
Important Tips on How to Draw Eyes
- The hair of the eyebrows grows in the direction of the nose.
- At the top of the brow arch, the hairs start to grow downwards, mixing with the lower hairs, whose growth is directed upwards.
- Bright light stimulates the circular fibers of the iris and narrows the pupil. In darkness, the pupil enlarges.
- The cornea resembles a mound on the eyeball. A small depression on the border of this mound on the eye can be shaded slightly. This will give more volume to the eye.
- Note that the lower eyelid takes the shape of the eyeball.
- A white spot at the very bottom of the eye near the lower eyelid indicates excess fluid in the eye. This is common in eyes that express sadness or in the eyes of a person who is crying.
- When looking at an object close by, the pupil is small; when looking at a distant object, the pupil enlarges, (In bright light, the eyelids are covered for accommodation).
- The upper lashes are bent upwards and the lower lashes are bent downwards, so they are not intertwined when the eye is closed.
- However, the upper eyelashes at the base also point downward, and then they curl upward. Therefore, a scallop is often seen here.
- The lower the upper eyelid is lowered, the darker the shadow on the iris.
- The eye looking down is depicted in the shape of an ellipse. The eyeball rotates downward when the lens is directed toward the observed object.
- The lashes usually grow two or three together. That’s why they often touch each other.
- Drawing the pupil can add vibrancy and sparkle to it. Try not to draw shadows from the eyelid or lashes on the iris or pupil if you want the eye to shine as much as possible.
- The eye is the most important part of the face, reflecting a person’s thoughts. There are eight areas that change depending on thoughts and moods: three of these are the large areas around the eye (A, B and C), where the skin moves; the other five are groups of horizontal bands that move up and down, bend and tilt. These five groups are depicted in the diagram as columns of numbers. Although the distance from the eyebrow to the eye is different for each person, the number 3 in each column shows a normal awake state. Try contracting the muscles around your eyes in front of a mirror. Study how the control areas change.
Drawing eyes is just one step on the way to painting a portrait. Take advantage of our other lessons on drawing a person.
