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The
Eyes Have It
Article 6
See
Eye Drawing Tutorial
Eyes
obviously play a very important role in capturing a
subject correctly for a portrait. If they are not just
right, it will throw off the resemblance of the entire
drawing to the original subject. The eyes show the emotion
displayed by the subject, and are often the first thing
people will look at when viewing a portrait. This article
will give some hints on drawing the eye, and will be
followed by a step by step tutorial of drawing an eye
with graphite.
First,
remember that all eyes have the same basic characteristics.
These are illustrated in the image below.
The
shape and size of eyes will vary from person to person.
However, if you take all of these characteristics into
account, you are well on your way to mastering the art
of drawing eyes.
Notice
in the picture the effect that highlights and shadows
have on the eye. Eyes are moist, and highlights will
develop where ever light hits that moisture. The brightest
highlights occur on the ball of the eye, but there will
also be highlights in the corner, along the lower lid,
and in the white of the eye. Highlights in the eye are
a necessity, they give the eyes life and warmth. Even
if the photo you use for reference doesn't have them,
I would suggest putting them in. You will be surprised
at the difference.
Shadows
are normally produced in the crease, under the upper
and lower lash lines, and under the brow bone. Notice
there are definite shadows in the white of the eye.
These shadows are usually soft, but without those shadows,
the eye will appear pasted on, and not have true depth.
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Eye
without highlights. |
Original
Eye |
Eye
white without shadow. |
The
position of the eyeball will give the impression of
different emotions. For example, if the eyeball is up,
and more white shows below it, the person may appear
sleepy, bored, or disinterested. When the eyeball is
in the center, such as in the eye above, the person
seems alert. If the eyeball is positioned downward,
and more white shows above it, is gives the indication
of surprise or fear. The lids of the subject will dictate
how much of the whites show.
The
shape of the eye will change dramatically depending
on the position of your subjects head. However, you
still need to take into account all the aspects of the
eye, especially the fact that eyes are curved and have
depth. Also, the actual color of the eye should dictate
how dark you render the eye with graphite. Blue or green
will be the lightest of the shades, with dark brown
and black the darkest.
Next,
follow the steps in the tutorial and learn to draw a
basic eye. See Tutorial
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