Human eyes are one of the most important features of the face. one must learn how to draw eyes because When it comes to drawing a portrait, it must be drawn carefully. In this blog I have given step by step pictorial illustration and also Video tutorial at the end.
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Material required:
- Drawing Paper
- HB pencil
- 2B pencil
- 4B pencil
- 6B Pencil
- Kneaded eraser (click here)
- Mono zero type eraser (optional) (click here)
- Soft paint brush
Basic Structure of eyes
Before we begin to draw. Let’s understand the high level structure of the human eyes. The shape of eyes varies from person to person but the basic formation of each eyes remains the same.
we should focus on below points from drawing perspective.
- Upper eyelid
- Lower eyelid
- Iris and Pupil
- Tear duct
- Eye lashes
- Eyeball
Step 1: Draw outline step by step
Follow the below step by step illustration for drawing outline of eyes (front view).
The bigger circle indicates the eyeball. It is also a guiding circle for drawing eyes. In Reality eyeball is spherical in shape, but since we are drawing on a 2D plane, we draw a circle instead of a sphere. We can make this circle look like a sphere by shading it.
In the centre of the guiding circle draw a smaller construction circle, which indicates the iris of the eyes.
Tip: Use an HB pencil to draw these construction lines.
In this step, we can decide how much portion of the iris should be visible based on the reference picture. Draw the outline for the upper eyelid, lower eyelid and tear duct.
Tip: The position of the tear duct is generally lower than the centre of the pupil.
Inside the iris draw another small circle at the centre for pupil of the eyes. While drawing the pupil, also draw the outline for reflection.
To understand better see the size ratio of iris and eyeball. see above image
Once the construction line is completely drawn and if it’s too dark, then roll the kneaded eraser on the outline and make it light. Also erase the unwanted line completely.
Step 2: Add details and shade to the iris
Pupils appear to be the darkest part of the eyes and it’s very reflective in nature. Pupil of the eyes becomes smaller in bright light however it enlarges in dark or when intensity of light is low.
I believe shading layer by layer is the best practice and I too prefer it personally. Now, start with an HB pencil, shade the first layer of the iris with touching the pupil and the portion where there is reflection. After applying the first layer of the shade, blend it with blending stump or soft paper. While blending apply gentle pressure in the shading layer.
Tip: Use a soft brush to remove excess graphite from the tooth of the paper.
Apply two or three more similar layers of shade with HB pencil. then use 2B, 4B, 6B and 9B pencil.
Tip: Shade the pupil directly with 6B or 8B pencil
See step by step illustration in the below images for shading iris.
HB, 6B and 8B pencils can used
2B and 4B pencil can used
4B, 4B mechanical pencil and 6B pencils can be used
4B mechanical pencil, HB pencil if required, 6B and 8B pencils can be used.
Step 3: Add details & shade to rest of the eyes and highlights
After completing iris, start shading the eye ball with HB pencil. Also shade the upper eyelid and lower eyelid. Use different grades of pencil based on the darker value in the reference picture. Drawing eyelashes correctly and cleanly is very important for eyes. It makes the eye look beautiful. Hence use the lighter grade (HB) pencil first then use darker grade (4B or 6B )pencil.
Tip: Now start drawing eyelashes with HB pencil. After that use 4B or 6B pencil. Because its very easy to correct the eyelashes if drawn with HB pencil.
See below images to understand better.
HB pencil used
In this HB Pencil used, But 2B pencil can also be used
HB and 4B pencil are used.
HB, 4B mechanical pencil and White gel pen are used
Watch full video tutorial for better understanding.
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It seems like this eye has got a lot to say.. Just wondering how a whole portrait would be like… 😍😍😍 You are genius…👌
Ya it’s amazing portrait. And very simply you explain how to draw the important part of face I.e. ‘EYE’
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Keep working ,remarkable job!