The Eye Indepth - Drawing Tutorial

Jacquelin Vanderwood June 15, 2004   1 Drawing the eye can be made fairly simple if you follow some rules. The first thing that you need to think about when drawing a human eye is that there is a bone structure that surrounds that eye. That bone structure will designate the shape of the eye. Study a skull and see how the proportions signify the shape. To get practice drawing eyes, try drawing the ones I have sketched for this lesson starting in step 2.   2 Here we have a child's eye...innocent, dreamy, inquisitive. Could be male or female.   3 Here is a female eye rather contemplative and alluring. Notice how the lid covers half of the eye. The eyebrow is the frame in which the eye is set and plays a very important role in the mood of the eye and face.   4 This eye is a sad eye, deep inset and hiding within a droopy lid. Notice the eyebrow is in the shape of an arc.   5 In this sketch, the eye shows fear. The lower lid comes up and hides half of the eye. The brow is scrunched down upon the eye.   6 This eye sketch shows a contemplative quality as if the owner is dreaming of other worlds. The majority of the eye is showing but there is a glassy quality to it.   7 A soul searching eye, a thinker. We are looking at the eye from above and so the main body of the eye is hidden but still suggestive.   8 Here's an eye with an attitude and it's a male eye. Male eyebrows, in general, fall closer to the eye than does a female's.   9 Here's a partial sketch of a face and eye from a side view. Notice how the shape of the eye is indicative of the skull's eye socket.  Practice drawing all of the eyes above and then either use a mirror or use photos to continue until you are an expert in eye anatomy.     Copyright 1998-2004, Jacquelin Vanderwood, All Rights Reserved