Drawing Ears - Sketching Tutorial

Jacquelin Vanderwood July 15, 2004   1 To draw an ear, it has to be broken down it's sections into thirds as shown below. Looking closer at the construction of the ear, try to think in 3D. If you know how to draw a three dimensional box as an example, then breaking each section of the ear into a box-type piece will help you construct it and understand it better.    2 The basic ear construction is the same throughout mankind, however, there area a variety of shapes and sizes. Each persons ear is unique to them just as a fingerprint is to his or her identity. The generic ear is drawn with the same formation of tissues, etc.    3 Looking at an ear from different perspectives shows how incredibly complex it actually is. In this sketch we can see that the light comes from above and affords shadows in that direction. Notice from the rear view how the ear is connected to the head and does not lay flat.   4 We can see in more detail how the ear aligns to the head and hair. Notice the folds inside the ear. Look in a mirror and really look hard at how it is shaped.   5 No matter what angle we see the ear, it has the basic same construction. Depending on the source of light, this will determine where the shadows fall.   6 Here is a very simple line drawing that shows how to quickly sketch the ear.   7 No matter whose ear it is, it still retains the same construction. Allowing for genetics, there will be some ears which will have a very long lobe, or again others whose ears will actually be quite small in comparison to their heads or even quite large. Start to look at peoples ears. Draw 100 ears and you'll become a master. Get an anatomy book and see what's inside the ear and why it is shaped the way it is. This will help you to understand it even better. The best way to become an expert at drawing ears is draw them over and over again until it becomes second nature.   Copyright 1998-2004, Jacquelin Vanderwood, All Rights Reserved