What Are Eyes?
The human eye is an ■■■■■ that reacts to light and allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth.
Easy way to draw eyes:
I love to draw, and one of the hardest things for me to draw is facial features, like an eye.
This is a tutorial on how to draw the eye below. It is fairly simple but may take a few tries to get right, so keep trying!
You will need:
2 Different kinds of pencils. A dark 6B or 8B, and a lighter HB An eraser Paper flat surface, like a table or clipboard to draw on.Also, don’t forget to rate!
Step 1: Outline
Okay, to start, draw the basic almond-shaped outline of the eye. Try to make the inner corner (next to the nose) lower than the outer corner. P.S, I’m very sorry the pictures hard to see, my scanner made it very light.
Step 2: Inner Circle
Now draw the inner circle of the eye.
Step 3: Pupil and Highlight
Draw the highlight first, then the pupil under it. Make sure the pupil is in the center of the circle.
Step 4: Fill in the Pupil
Use your dark 6B or 8B to fill it in. You want it as close to black as possible.
Step 5: Upper and Lower Eyelid
Draw the crease of the upper eyelid, and the bottom one too. I’m not sure if its called the lower eyelid, but its the line under the eye.
Step 6: Begin Drawing the Eyelashes
Draw a few eyelashes to show where you will later draw in larger clumps of lashes. Kinda like a basic outline. Sort of.
Step 7: Darken a Few Things Up
Darken the inner circle in the eye, the outline of the eye, and draw a line in the inner corner (as shown in the picture)
Step 8: Lines and Lashes
Start filling in some more lashes, and add some lines inside the inner circle of the eye.
Step 9: Lines Lines Lines
Fill in some more lines lightly inside the circle
Step 10: Lines Lines...
Add even more lines! But this time uses the darker pencil to make darker lines.
Step 11: Adding Some Depth
Okay, shade in the inside outer edge of the inner circle of the eye ( yes, that is a lot of words ). Use the darker pencil. This will add a lot of depth and roundness to the eye.
Step 12: More Depth
Alright, do what you did in the last step to the pupil. Also, add some more lines (depending on the lightness of the color of the eye) to make it a little darker in some areas.
Step 13: Lashes!
Now, really fill in the lashes with your darker pencil. If drawing a male eye, make the lashes a little lighter than if drawing a female eye. In this instance, I am drawing a female eye.If u need to Shade inside the eye, and it helps to smudge it with your fingertip or a tortillon.
How To Draw Anime Eyes
Female Anime Eye Specifics (Before You Start Drawing)
Anime eyes are almost always drawn bigger and wider than real eyes. This is especially so for female characters who often have larger and wider eyes than their male counterparts.
One thing that really sets female anime eyes apart from the male is more prominent eyelashes (longer, thicker, and more of them). This is not always the case but it does tend to be so.
Be sure to make light lines for the line drawing part of the tutorial (if drawing on paper) as you will need to do some erasing through the different steps. You can go over your drawing with a more solid line once you are done.
1 – Draw the Outer Shape of the Eye
Start the drawing with the outer shape of the eye. In this case the eyelids/eyelashes.
2 – Draw the Shape of the Iris
Draw the iris vertically stretched (compared to a real eye). Basically an oval with the top and bottom are hidden by the eyelids.
3 – Draw the Pupil
Inside the iris draw the pupil tracing the shape of the iris but smaller.
4 – Indicate Dark Area at Top of Iris
Make a line towards the upper half of the eye that will indicate the darker area partially created by the shadow and the eyelashes reflecting in the eyes.
You can erase the line overlapping the pupil in the next step. The reason for drawing it all the way through like that is to make sure that both sides match up and that you have a nice and smooth curve.
5 – Draw the Primary Reflection
Draw the main reflection area from the main light source such as an indoor light bulb, a fire, or the sun. You can erase the area of the pupil and shadow that is overlapped by the reflection.
The shape and color of the reflection can depend on the shape and color of the light source. Usually, in anime, you can simply leave the reflection white and give it a very generalized shape like a circle or an oval.
6 – Draw the Secondary Reflection
This reflection will usually come from the light of the main light source bouncing off of a surface and will be smaller than the primary reflection.
Again erase the part of the pupil overlapped by the reflection.
7 – Shade The Different Area of the Eye
Finally, you can shade the different areas drawn in the previous step. If drawing on paper simply leave the reflections white.
Shade the eyelids which are also technically part of the eyelashes black. Shade the pupil black as well.
Finally, shade the iris grey or any color you want the eyes to have.
8 – Add the Outer Top Eyelid Eyelashes
It should be noted that you could stop at step seven of this tutorial and have a perfectly normal anime eye but since the tutorial focuses on female eyes we will add some eyelashes.
The first place you want to add the eyelashes to is the outer corners of the eye. Generally, eyelashes (real eyelashes) sort of fan out around the eyelids so you can draw anime eyelashes in a similar way.
Next, add some smaller eyelashes at the inner corner of the eye.
Since the eyelashes are fairly small you can also shade them as you draw them.
There is no need to add any in the middle as these usually tend to point forward and therefore visually sort of just merge into one shape.
9 – Add the Bottom Eyelashes
Finally, add some tiny eyelashes at the outer and inner bottom corners of the eye to have a finished drawing of a female anime eye.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How to draw a realistic eye?
Eyes are a beautiful subject to draw—a lot of different materials are combined in them, and they look like precious gems hidden in our own bodies. They’re also quite challenging to draw, but it doesn’t mean you can’t do it!
What You Will Need:
- Sheet of paper
- HB pencil
- 2B pencil
- 4B pencil
- 5B pencil
- 7B or 8B pencil
- Blending stump
- Eraser (preferably kneaded)
- Pencil sharpener
Step 01
Take the HB pencil and sketch a rough oval very lightly. The line should be barely visible.
Step 02
Cross the oval with two curves that will make the eyelids.
Step 03
The eyelids have a certain thickness, so add rims to them.
Step 04
Draw the round iris, the pupil in the middle, the shape of the reflection, and the corners of the eye.
Step 05
The eyebrow is a frame for the eye, so don’t forget about it! Draw it with straight lines to achieve a natural shape.
Step 06
Before we shade the eye, we must understand the 3D form of it. You can work it out by drawing directing lines.
2. How to draw cartoon eyes?
Step 001: Gather Your Materials
To draw an eye, you will need…
paper - pencil - at least two shades of your preferred color - ruler - optional: pen and thin Sharpie.
Step 002: Draw a Guide
To make drawing an eye as easy as possible, you may want to draw a rectangle with room for the eyes so that they are identical. I have an issue with making my eye drawings symmetrical, but I find it much easier to do when I have a guide to assist me. You can use a ruler for this or anything with a straight edge.
Step 003: Outline of the Eye
A cartoon eye has a basic shape that is actually quite simple to draw. To draw the basic outline, draw a circle. Then, add curved lines to both sides of the circle to make an eye shape. Erase the lines from the circle that is left in the middle. Now, we can move onto the pupil, shines, and iris.
Step 004: The Pupil, Shines, and Iris
Inside the eye, draw a large circle towards the top to make the iris or the colorful part. Then, draw a circle about a third of the size of the iris for the shine. Finally, draw a smaller circle beneath the shine for the pupil.
Step 005: Adding the Eyelashes
Next, you have to add eyelashes. To do this, add a curved “tail” to the eye, which is like a cattail that you can make with mascara. Then, add a few eyelashes to the top of the eye and the bottom. Add a few lines for parts of the face such as the eyelid for a more realistic touch.
3. How to draw closed eyes?
A portrait with both eyes closed is a beautiful way to express sensuality and seduction. By following these 8 steps, you will learn how to draw closed eyes that look realistic.
Equipment used to draw closed eyes
- HB Pencil
- 2B Pencil
- Kneading rubber
- Drawing paper
1: Determine eye size and distance
The basis for a realistic drawing are harmonious proportions. In frontal perspective – as we use it in this tutorial – the distance between the two eyes is one eye width. Depending on the person, the distance between the eyes of a real person differs a little bit, but as an orientation this “one eye distance” works perfectly.
Use a ruler to draw a fine horizontal line on your paper. Divide the total length of the line into 3 sections of equal length. The two outer marks represent the outer corners of the eyes, the inner marks the inner corners of the eyes.
2: Angle and shape of the closed eyes
Next, draw two circles freehand over the 1st and 2nd line, and over the 3rd and 4th lines. Don’t worry. It does not have to be perfectly round.
Erase the horizontal helpline from step 1
Now look at your reference image and draw a new construction line through the center of the circle. This line will give the eye its shape and determine the curve of the lashes. For most people, it is common that the inner corner of the eye is a little lower than the outer one.
3: Draw the eyelids of closed eyes
Now give the new support line a swing that will mark the course of the upper and lower eyelids. It is important that the eyelid line roughly crosses the points of intersection of the support line with the circle in order to maintain the correct angle.
When you are finished drawing both eyelids you can erase the construction line from step 3.
4: Draw the eyebrows
With a small distance above the circles, you can now draw in the eyebrows. The shape of the eyebrows is also based on your reference motif. We have chosen a classic curve and drawn it with a fine border.
5: Drawing closed eyes means mastering shading
To draw the fine curves and curves of the eyeballs, nose and eyebrows, you need to be able to draw soft shades. For this, we use the HB pencil and a kneaded eraser.
However, before you start shading, make sure you erased all supporting lines so that they are not visible anymore. It helps if you did not apply much pressure when drawing these lines.
Next, draw shadows on the bridge of the nose, the eyelids (getting darker towards the outside), and the cheeks. You can do this in layers and alternately soften the newly drawn area with a blending stump to achieve a smoother, more even result.
6: Finishing the eyebrows
If you are satisfied with the shades, you can draw over the eyelid with a 2B pencil and then proceed to draw the eyebrows.
7: How to draw closed eyes – Draw wrinkles
To make the eyes look more real, you can add small wrinkles above the eyelid and draw the eyelid fold. Draw several diagonal lines from the eyelid towards the outer corner of the eye. A ■■■■■■ pencil is recommended for very fine lines.
In order to harmonize these wrinkles with the rest of the shading, you should blend the area. Either use a blending stump and wipe several times or use an HB pencil and shade the area around the eyelid again.
Next, take your kneaded eraser and erase very fine lines in the same diagonal direction. These light lines should be implied where the light hits the eyes.
8: Draw lashes
If you want to learn how to draw closed eyes that look realistic you should pay special attention to the lashes. Start with a few individual lashes, which you spread over the length of the eyelid. Draw the outer and inner lashes a little shorter and the ones in the middle a little longer.
Then take your 2B pencil and fill up the lashes a little more to make them look fuller. Last but not least, you can also darken the eyelid a little where the lashes originate. After all, the little hair cast a shadow here too, which should be marked.