How To Draw A Eye For Beginners
Drawing an eye is one of the most rewarding art challenges a beginner can take on. Whether you’re tackling a portrait, creating artwork from a photo or freehand sketching, it’s so satisfying to draw a realistic eye that’s worthy of admiration. If you’re feeling a bit nervous about getting started, don’t be. With a few simple tricks up your sleeve and a bit of practice, you can develop an incredible eye for drawing eyes.
To begin, you’ll need a few simple materials including an eraser, pencils, and a ruler for starters. Next, find a reference image to get a sense of what you’re going for. It’s important to focus primarily on one eye at a time, as having too much reference in the same image can be overwhelming.
For each eye, start off with a basic circle shape. Focus on getting the placement right and the size before delving into too much detail. Then, sketch out the outline of the upper and lower lid and divide it into equal parts in order to create the iris. A simple, yet effective trick when drawing an iris is to start with the lightest color in the middle of the eye and work your way outwards, gradually adding darker colors.
After that, give the eye more depth by sketching in eyebrow ridges, eyebrow hairs and eyelashes. Draw longer lash lines for male eyes, which tend to be larger, and shorter lash lines for female eyes, which are typically smaller. Don’t worry if your lines aren’t perfect in the early stages, because these will be refined later on.
When it comes to the pupil, you’ll want to draw it as large and dark as possible, as this is what really gives the eye its depth and soul. Try to draw the pupil around the same size as the iris, and you should also pay close attention to the placement. Give the pupil a slightly rounded edge, too.
Finally, you can add the highlight to the eye. The highlight is the lightest part of the eye, and it helps to give the eye an extra spark of life. Place the highlight near the center or lower part of the eye and make it as white and shiny as possible.
Now that you have the basic anatomy and structure of the eye down, it’s time to add some additional details such as freckles, veins, and flecks. You can also use tones and shading to create a realistic effect. All of these elements can help to bring your eye drawing to life, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Finally, and most importantly, don’t forget to erase any mistakes and refine those lines! Make sure the eye looks even, and it’s shaped correctly before you consider your drawing complete. Keep practicing and you’ll soon have the knack of creating stunning eye drawings.
Colors and Shading
Adding color and shading to your eye drawings is the key to making them look realistic. When thinking about eye color, think about the overall tone. Light blues, greens and hazels have hues that range from light to dark and have an iridescent quality. Darker eyes such as browns and blacks tend to be smoother and more uniform in color.
Shading is also essential when highlighting the structure of the eye. Work from light to dark by blending together shadows and whites for the most realistic effect. Additionally, the use of hatching and cross-hatching can create life-like shadows. Don’t forget about the tear duct and inner corners of the eye, as these will help to give the eye more dimension.
Drawing Eyebrows
Having a good grasp on eyebrow sketching is important when drawing realistic eyes. Work with light and angled strokes to imitate the texture of real brows, and be sure to pay attention to their length, shape, and overall thickness. Additionally, creating gradient tones is a great way of adding depth to your drawings.
Experimentation
Creating a great eye drawing doesn’t have to be serious—have some fun with it! Experimentation is key when it comes to improving your skills, so don’t be afraid to break the rules and use your imagination. Whether you’re creating a cartoon-style eye, realism or anything in between, make sure to focus on the details.
Finally, once your eye drawing is complete, take a step back and analyze your work. Look at it from different angles, and take a closer look at the areas where you want to fix up. Eyes can be extremely tricky, so don’t be discouraged if the first one doesn’t turn out perfectly. Chances are if you put in the practice and focus on the details, you’ll soon be drawing life-like eyes with ease.
