How to Draw Manga Eyes

A person's eyes are said to be one of his most expressive features or, as the expression goes, "the windows to the soul." Manga characters' eyes can vary from slanted lines to represent squinting to the innocent, wide-eyed look of small children. Studying the eyes of a real person can help you notice features accurately before you start to draw. Read on to learn more.

Things You'll Need

• Mirror
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Drafting or other table
• Collection of manga books
• Ink pens or markers
• Paper

Instructions

Research Eye Shapes Before You Draw

1. Use a mirror to look at your own eyes. Observe the general shape of your eyes, the eyelids and the eyelashes. Knowing the correct anatomy of the eye will help you be able to draw manga eyes that look realistic.

2. Read a variety of manga stories to see what type of eyes different kinds of characters have. Older manga characters, for example, often have squinty eyes that are no more than slanted lines. Manga-ka, or manga artists, tend to draw children's eyes without eyelashes, creating a rounder look.

3. Utilize a drafting table or another flat surface where you can comfortably spread out your work. Have your paper and pencils within easy reach.

4. Practice drawing basic geometric shapes upon which manga eyes are based. They include circles, ovals, squares, rectangles, pie shapes (a quarter-circle) and hexagons. Once you have mastered these shapes, you can start to see how eyes are created out of these outlines.

Draw Realistic Manga Eyes

1. Start by drawing the shape of the eye. Most of the time, this is almond shaped.

2. Draw a circle inside the middle of the eye shape you have chosen. This is the iris or colored part of the eye.

3. Make a smaller circle inside the iris. This will become the pupil.

4. Add eyelashes to your manga character's eyes. Eyelashes are drawn curved away from both the top and bottom of the eye. They are longer in the middle than on the inner and outer corners of the eyes.

5. Draw a small glare mark in the eyes to denote the reflection of light. This can be in the iris, the pupil or partly inside both parts of the eyes. Use your eraser to eliminate lines that pass through the glare mark, so that it is completely white or empty.

6. Sketch the eyelids and brow bones once you have finished the rough draft of the complete eye. Experiment with different kinds of eyebrows.

7. Color in the iris and pupil using either black or colored ink.

Tips & Warnings

• It is easier to learn to draw manga eyes that look straight on before progressing to eyes that are looking sideways. The basic eye shape changes when you draw a side view, making it harder for a novice to accurately replicate the shape.