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How are they alike, and how are they different?

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The eye is the window to the soul. Because eyes express so many emotions, it is important to get them right. To begin your study, follow these steps to draw a basic eye shape. (This is a generalized eye – drawing this will help you learn about the structures of the human eye.)

circle and guiding lines

Start with a circle and guiding lines.

The eye is a sphere about the size of a golf ball or table tennis ball, but the majority of it is hidden by the structures of the skull that support and protect it. Guiding lines are used to estimate the position of the upper and lower lids. The top crease of the eye is actually the top of the eyeball that is covered in skin, and the bottom of the eyeball can be felt just above the cheekbone.

connected guiding lines

Connect the guiding lines.

The next step is to connect the guiding lines to create the tear duct and outer corner of the eye. There is a slight overlap where the upper and lower lids meet at the outside corner of the eye, and the tear duct causes a little drop at the inside corner of the eye.

Added eyebrow and the iris

Add in the eyebrow and the iris.

Rough in a simple eyebrow that is slightly longer than the eye. Usually, eyebrows are larger by the nose and then taper towards the outside of the eye. Many people also have an arch in the middle of their eyebrows. The iris is the circle of color in a person's eye. It typically is large enough to just touch the upper and lower lid when a person's eye is relaxed.

pupil

Add in the pupil and fill it in.

The pupil is the black portion of a person's eye. It is usually towards the top of the iris when a person is resting, and the top of the pupil will be slightly covered by the top lid. When you fill it in, make sure to leave a little white spot. This shows reflection and makes your drawing more realistic.

details and erase excess lines

Add in details and erase excess lines.

Finish your drawing by adding shading around the outside of the eyeball. Create a pattern in the iris and add lashes and texture to the brow. Shade any areas that overlap.

Now that you have drawn a basic eye, look at the following images and draw some different eyes. Click on the images to make them larger while you work. Look at the captions for hints and helps when it comes to drawing these different eyes.

When working with babies and young children, remember that they tend to have chubby faces (depending on their age). This causes their upper lid to be less obvious than in older people. It is often easier to create portraits of young children because their features are not as defined as older people’s.

Older people tend to have more defined upper lids, and their skin is looser, which causes more overlaps. They also tend to have a lot more wrinkles on their skin. This can often be implied, which means that you do not have to draw every line and wrinkle, but just enough to show that the person has creases in their skin.

Men typically have a more defined brow bone than women, which causes deeper shadows in the upper portion of their eyes. They also tend to have thicker eyebrows, which can make their upper eye seem smaller than women’s, but this varies by culture.