How to Sketch Human Eyes

Sketching human eyes is not as complicated as you think.

Advanced knowledge of anatomy is not necessary to get proper dimensions of an eye. Steady observation of the eye and practice will help you to develop your skills and accurately determine placement of each line and shadow. Sketching different types of eyes, from young to old and every shape, will help you further develop your ability to draw the human eye. Wrinkles and expressions are key to drawing people and drawing likenesses of them, so eyes are a very important element to master.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Pencil sharpener
• Smooth bristol vellum
• Photograph or live model
• Cotton swabs
• Kneaded eraser

Instructions

1. Lightly outline the shape of the eye. You may start wherever feels comfortable. Outline the iris and the pupil into the shape you see. No eye is completely round, so keep in mind where each part of the eye is ending and draw accordingly.

2. Scribble some lead onto another piece of paper. Take a cotton swab and softly rub the lead. Rub the swab onto the outer iris, blending inward into the pupil. Sharpen your pencil and add the tiny lines you see surrounding the pupil. Blend them in slightly so that they are not too sharp; you don't need to copy the lines exactly as you see them, just enough to give a general idea and detail.

3. Softly erase the inner edge of the iris. Use a new cotton swab to blend the outer iris into the erased area in a circular motion going around the iris.

4. Use the same cotton swab to smudge shadows softly onto the outer and inner corners of the whites of the eyes.

5. Sketch irregular tiny circles where you see the light reflecting in the eyes and erase inside the circles. Anywhere you see shine, it will appear white; make sure you erase tiny shiny areas and shade around them. You may also see shine in the inner corner of the eye, in the tear ducts.

6. Add shadows to the inner iris, leaving a bit in the middle of the ring lighter to add depth.

7. Sharpen your pencil and shade in the outer iris; the darkest dark should be almost the color of the pupil. Blend inward very slightly, using the cotton swab.

8. Use the last cotton swab to shade in the shadows above the eyelid.

9. Sharpen your pencil and add lashes starting from the inside of the lid and curving outward; lashes should never be straight.

Tips & Warnings

• Anywhere you shade, the area will appear to recede. Anywhere you leave light, the area will appear to pop out.

• It is important to know how values differ; with a pencil, brown eyes should be shaded in much darker than blue eyes, which would show more detail of the iris. Green eyes would have similar value to blue.

• Do not shade larger areas directly with the pencil; use the cotton swab or a blender instead, for soft shadows.

References

• Only Pencil Drawing Tutorials: Drawing the Human Eye