Learn How To Draw Eyes - Pencil Portraits Tips For The Beginner
By: Jackie Strong
Want to learn how to draw eyes? Want to learn how to do pencil portraits? For the beginner learning to draw pencil portraits it is important not to get into bad habits and one of the biggest mistakes new artists make especially in the early days, is drawing what they think they see rather than what they really see. For those wanting to learn to draw, pencil portraits is a very popular subject and also one of the most difficult without some guidance at least. Apart from the general basic structure of the face getting the eyes right can prove difficult. As this is a very important part of learning pencil portraits we are going to focus on how to draw eyes in this article.How To Draw Eyes:
The eyes reflect so many things and emotions. We have all seen someone's eyes sparkle with happiness and excitement, but they can also show great sadness so, when learning to draw pencil portraits you need to practise hard to get the right effects for the eyes.
There are a number of small but very important sections that make up the human eye however, here are some of the basic guidelines that will help you to learn how to draw eyes correctly.
Complexity And Parts
Just like ears, the eyes are complex too in regard to form. Thus, you have to be patient when drawing it. Take the necessary time to study the eyes and try to make them as realistic as you can. Take note of the important portions of the eye. Here are some of them:
- eyebrows
- eyeball
- eyelids
- eyelashes
- pupil
- iris
- surrounding bone structure
Bone Structure
For the gross structure of the eye, make sure that the eyeball is sitting deep inside of the eye socket. Also, make sure that the eye socket would have a protruding rim on its top. This is where the eyebrow would be placed. You could simply trace your finger around the socket to get a good idea of what shape it should be. It's within the perimeters of this some what rectangular shape where you would be drawing the main eye.
Eyeball
You should give the eyeball a spherical and large appearance. At its front would be an egg shaped protruding bulge. This is where the lens would be located. Atop the eyeball, you can find the eyelids. It is stretched over the top potion of the eyeball.
In drawing, the most important part of the eyeball would be the white portion of the eye. In reality, these do not really have a pure white colour. They also have shadows in them. So, remember that the shape you are aiming for would be a sphere. So, try to make a sphere that has some shading for it to become a realistic eyeball.
Eyelids
For the eyelids, it was said that it is stretched above the eyeball. Thus, the eyeball curvature would be the one to give the lids their shape. You should understand and memorize this factor. It is also vital that you exactly capture the eyelid line shape. Observe that they generally follow the eyeball curvature. Take note that every time eyelids are retracted, they have a clearly visible crease that should be accurately rendered
- eyeball
- eyelids
- eyelashes
- pupil
- iris
- surrounding bone structure
Bone Structure
For the gross structure of the eye, make sure that the eyeball is sitting deep inside of the eye socket. Also, make sure that the eye socket would have a protruding rim on its top. This is where the eyebrow would be placed. You could simply trace your finger around the socket to get a good idea of what shape it should be. It's within the perimeters of this some what rectangular shape where you would be drawing the main eye.
Eyeball
You should give the eyeball a spherical and large appearance. At its front would be an egg shaped protruding bulge. This is where the lens would be located. Atop the eyeball, you can find the eyelids. It is stretched over the top potion of the eyeball.
In drawing, the most important part of the eyeball would be the white portion of the eye. In reality, these do not really have a pure white colour. They also have shadows in them. So, remember that the shape you are aiming for would be a sphere. So, try to make a sphere that has some shading for it to become a realistic eyeball.
Eyelids
For the eyelids, it was said that it is stretched above the eyeball. Thus, the eyeball curvature would be the one to give the lids their shape. You should understand and memorize this factor. It is also vital that you exactly capture the eyelid line shape. Observe that they generally follow the eyeball curvature. Take note that every time eyelids are retracted, they have a clearly visible crease that should be accurately rendered
Lastly, see the odd little shape situated on the inside corner of your eye where the lower and upper eyelids join. Make sure that you draw this shape as how you have had seen it with your subject.
Eyelashes
When learning how to draw eyes remember to make sure that eyelashes are sprouting out from the eyelids and not anywhere else from the eye. These usually grow in clumps. Thus, draw them that way. Spend some time how they grow and the direction they are going. Take note that there is a difference in size for eyelashes at the bottom lid compared to the upper lid. The ones on the upper lid are larger. Since they come from a clump, they are also usually entangled.
LAST NOTE: Study your own eyes and keep trying until you get the shape you're after. Remember the odd little curves at the inner corner of the eyes. Study it until your happy with your picture. Learning how to draw eyes isn't easy but it can be achieved with lot's of practise and it is a very rewarding hobby.
Eyelashes
When learning how to draw eyes remember to make sure that eyelashes are sprouting out from the eyelids and not anywhere else from the eye. These usually grow in clumps. Thus, draw them that way. Spend some time how they grow and the direction they are going. Take note that there is a difference in size for eyelashes at the bottom lid compared to the upper lid. The ones on the upper lid are larger. Since they come from a clump, they are also usually entangled.
LAST NOTE: Study your own eyes and keep trying until you get the shape you're after. Remember the odd little curves at the inner corner of the eyes. Study it until your happy with your picture. Learning how to draw eyes isn't easy but it can be achieved with lot's of practise and it is a very rewarding hobby.
