The eyes are the window to the soul. So, if you need steps showing how to draw eyes for beginners, keep reading! For eyes to convey the emotions you want them to, it’s crucial to learn how to sketch them for any future characters or portraits you want to create. Before exploring the types of stylizing, learning how to draw realistic eyes, in particular, will help you understand their foundational anatomy— rules bound to be broken to your liking as you find your artistic style.
Drawing An Eye For Beginners
If you’re a beginner at art, you should ensure you have some basic supplies for your art journey. A simple piece of paper or a new sketchbook is excellent, along with whatever pencil you’re comfortable with (I like mechanical pencils for light but buildable lines, but go with whatever type of pencil feels suitable for you).
Besides supplies, it’s essential to have the right mindset. Do not be discouraged or compare your drawings to your favorite artists’ work. Instead, focus on wanting to learn something new without expecting it to be anything other than a good and relaxing outlet for you. And please always keep your old sketches (even if you don’t think they look good). These will serve as motivation and inspiration once you look back and see your improvement over time!
Now, let’s move on to five easy steps that’ll help you draw realistic eyes step by step!
1. Draw A Circle
The number one tip for beginners to draw a realistic eye is to break down the subject into simple shapes. Doing this will make sure you avoid the tendency to focus on the details too early on. In addition, this approach ensures you’re not overwhelmed and that your drawing is not too large and runs off the page.
Begin with a lightly drawn circle regardless of the eye’s angle. Remember, it doesn’t matter how different the eye looks in certain angles; at its core, it’s always an eyeball!
2. Outline The Eye Shape
Once you draw the circle as a base, it is essential to consider what eye shape you are going for. How you sketch out the next couple of lines will determine the entire look. Start with the tear duct, then let the top line slide gradually across the circle. The bottom line will be curvier and determine how round or almond-shaped the eyes will be.
3. Draw The Eyelids
The next step to learning how to draw eyes for beginners is to focus on the top line that will naturally divide the eyeball into three parts, meaning it will slowly curve across it from a slightly upwards line to a straight-across and then back down to the corner of the eye. Once you’ve drawn that, you indicate how the top eyelid will go, including how the skin on the brow bone sits on the eyelid, creating different looks, such as hooded eyes.
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4. Draw The Eyebrow Arch
When it comes to the skin around the eye, it not only determines how the eyelid sits but also how the eyebrow wraps around it. For the most part, you can determine the space the eyebrow will take up by identifying specific markers. For example, the tear duct indicates the beginning of the brow; the pupil cues the brow’s arch, and the eye’s outer corner signals its tail.
Keep in mind that the arch of the brow will depend on the kind of look you’re going for. For example, some eyebrows emphasize hooded eyes by having a minimal arc. In contrast, the more arched eyebrows lift the eyes a bit. Small changes like that will drastically change the kind of eyes you are drawing.
5. Add Depth With Some Shading
Lastly, add some depth by shading to bring it to life! Doing so means adding darker spots in the areas where they naturally appear. For example, the pupil should be dark and darken the creases formed by the eyelids to indicate skin folding.
It is also essential to consider where the light source would be: so, if the light comes from an angle, make sure that places where the light hits are brighter by making the shading darker in areas where the light would not hit.
How To Draw Two Perfect Eyes
Great! Now that you know the steps in drawing a realistic eye, you might ask yourself: Okay, but how do I guarantee the other one is just as accurate?
The best way to do this is by adding an additional circle in between them to act as an imaginary eye inside. I have illustrated this technique in one of my Instagram posts. This technique will help evenly space out both eyes and give you a reference as you mirror all the steps you did for the first eye to the other one.
All in all, remember how beneficial it can be to look up references for different eyes to get a sense of their shape and other characteristics. Doing so will show that eyes can range from round to almond-shaped. The slightest alterations can create a different kind of eye. If you need help finding references, check out my Pinterest pins for inspiration!
It is also excellent to practice drawing eyes from several angles. It will significantly benefit you when drawing faces in general. For future reference, come back to remember how to draw realistic eyes step by step, or check out my class for more information.
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