• Home
  • About
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Tattooing
  • Color Theory
  • Recipes
Get Inspired!
Get Inspired!
Drawing

20 Amazing Eye Drawing Tutorials & Ideas

Ian
16 Comments
November 18, 2018
5 Mins read
Untitled design
FacebookTweetPin

Eyes can be difficult to draw well, but you can make it easier. As with any piece of detailed drawing, the key is breaking the image down into simple shapes. It can seem a huge task, but Don’t fret, it isn’t really. Just break the whole process down into simple parts.

First look past the eye, try to see the shapes and tones. It is these that will create depth, realism and emotion in your drawings. All of us need inspiration at times. My first piece of advice would be to collect as many sketches and drawings of different eyes as you can. Create a scrapbook with examples and notes about the different images.

Table of Contents

  • Ideas And Inspiration
  • Drawing Tips
  • Breaking Down The Image
  • Shading
  • Detailing

Ideas And Inspiration

Here are 20 amazing eye drawing ideas for inspiration, with some ideas to try and help you and some talk of the lessons I have learnt myself. There are lots of example sketches below and you can learn lessons from all of them. Everyone approaches drawing in a slightly different way but there are lessons that will give you better results.

Practice as always is another key to improving your eye drawing. Practice drawing lots of different examples. Try altering the expression on any face simply by using the shape of the eyes.

Don’t concentrate on perfection. Focus on observation and improvement. In time you will create depth and emotion within each eye that you once found impossible.

 
img_5597
Original image found here

Drawing Tips

You can see from the series of sketches above that the final drawing seems complex and very detailed. Instead of looking at the whole image, start to break it down into any basic shapes you can actually see. I was once told by an old art teacher to turn the picture I was trying to paint upside down to try and see beyond the image itself. It worked remarkably well for me, it may do for you too.

#2 HB Wood-Cased Pencils – Set of 12
$8.99
img_5600
Original image found here

Breaking Down The Image

You can start to draw your eye anywhere, but here you can see the overall shape of the opening is used to begin the drawing. This is just a preparatory sketch so don’t worry about mistakes. When you are happy with the curves that form the shape of the opening, look at how the circular shape of the iris fits into those curves.

Next you can begin to create some depth by emphasizing the curvature of the eye with light shading. You may see the vague shape of the pupil. Its dark colour means that reflections will often dominate the central area. These can be quite random in shape, so pick out those shapes and look at the way the lines of colour radiate across the iris. Pick out the darkest areas first and as you work you can gradually overlay more areas of shading.

img_5593
Original image found here

Shading

Build up the shading to create the shape of the eye. Look for shadows and any reflections, the lip of the eyelid and eyen the curvature of the eyeball itself will both add shadows. Introduce the curves and lines of any folds of skin around the eye. This will give you chance to experiment with expression too. Always look at how the light and shadow creates shape within the eye. Doing this will give you real depth of expression.

Lastly, you can add the eye-lashes. Remember that you can add any final shading around the eye. If you imagine a ball sat in a shallow hole, wherever the light source is the shape is created by the shadows. Use those shadows, they are your friends.

img_5609
Original image found here

Detailing

You can see that at times that I have used a very sharp pencil to emphasise the shape of certain parts of the image, like the eye-lashes. As the picture develops I often use a much rounder (more blunt) pencil tip. I do this to soften the image and create depth – using different pencil grades can help with this.

In general I start with a fairly sharp HB grade and use a 3B to emphasise the darkest areas. I would recommend using a very sharp HB for detail like the eye-lashes. Then use a much rounder tip HB and 2B to soften the image. This will help you create the gradient of tones within the shaded areas.

img_5599
Original image found here

You will be amazed at how subtle differences in shape and tone can help you create expressive eyes.

Look at and practice drawing different eyes from all the reference material you have collected. You will begin to see how those shapes can help you create more lifelike and expressive drawings. Doing this will bring your artwork to life. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and time spent here can make any drawing a pleasure.

Dont Forget to look at our other fantastic tutorials on how to draw faces, noses, hair and more.

Scroll down for more eye drawing ideas and inspiration.
Browse our selection of art related tutorials, ideas, and inspiration.

img_5596
Original image found here
img_5607
Original image found here
 
img_5606
Original image found here
 
 
img_5608
Original image found here
 
Original image found here 
 
Original image found here
 
Original image found here
 
Original image found here
 
Original image found here
 
Original image found here
 
Original image found here
 

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases.

Through this website, you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of Brighter Craft. We have no control over the nature, content, and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

Shares
Written by

Ian

Ian is one of the founders and lead art writer at BrighterCraft. A self-taught artist and tattoo artist, he uses his knowledge to provide you with the best painting, drawing, and tattoo articles.
16 Comments
  1. Suprita Sarkar

    December 18, 2018 4:42 pm

    So nice

    Reply
  2. Prachi yadav

    June 26, 2020 1:19 pm

    Thanks , it helped a lot , would be looking forward for more of these articles .

    Reply
  3. Zara Mirza

    July 8, 2020 4:21 pm

    So nice and great amazing drawings

    Reply
  4. Kai

    July 12, 2020 3:58 pm

    I’m not very good at getting the shape of the eye, any tips?

    Reply
    1. Riham Ahmed

      April 15, 2021 11:48 pm

      If you don’t know how, copy it off a computer it’s easier

      Reply
  5. lex

    December 11, 2020 4:18 am

    I`m not very good at drawing but looking at the steps makes me really confident that I can get better thanks for this .

    Reply
  6. Praharshitha.V

    January 4, 2021 8:34 pm

    Really helpful for a middle-aged artist like me to improve my drawing. Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  7. Maggie cotant

    January 25, 2021 11:23 am

    Thank you so much for sharing you talent. I am a mosaic artist. I could never draw or paint so until I tried this medium @ age 31, I thought I was not “creative” in this way. To my shock, I could make things out of smalti & broken pieces of anything that I could NEVER draw. Still-there are times when the trained eye of an artist who understands the intricacies of how to make an eye or a hand come alive takes my work to a new level & gives my clients so much more of what they were telling me they wanted. It is delightful to me that someone working in “2 dimensions” gives my, by default, “3 dimensional work” depth it was lacking & brings my piece to life! It takes just the right person to “teach” me, tho. I can make a mosaic quilt look as if it’s rippling-it’s the human features where I get lost. Thank goodness the Universe gives us all such nuanced gifts-&, for artists like you, a willingness to patiently share. How can ANYONE not understand that art is vital to humanity. Love & thanks. The divine in me sees the divine in you.

    Reply
  8. Julie Bolex

    June 5, 2021 6:59 pm

    beautiful

    Reply
  9. Bobbi

    December 2, 2021 2:34 am

    Hi

    Reply
    1. Emily

      December 4, 2021 11:21 am

      hi

      Reply
  10. Anita

    April 29, 2022 7:08 pm

    I need to paint an eye on the right side of a profile looking sideways. I would like to know how to do that thanks

    Reply
  11. Doreen

    May 24, 2022 4:26 am

    I find it interesting to see. i love tutorials like this. thanks for that.

    Reply
    1. Emily

      May 26, 2022 4:11 pm

      Thanks a lot, Much appreciated

      Reply
  12. M.Qais

    November 1, 2022 10:34 am

    Amazing … looks so realistic …. you are really genius and got 100 out of 100 marks…

    Reply
    1. Emily

      November 7, 2022 2:28 pm

      wow, thanks, Compliments like that don’t come around too often, much appreciated

      Reply
Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post

35 Plant Tattoo Ideas & Inspiration

Next Post

15 Delicious Thanksgiving Side Dishes To Wow The Family

Recent Posts
  • 25 Easy Tropical Fruit Drawing Ideas for Your Sketchbook
  • 25 Easy Aesthetic Doodles You Can Sketch Anytime
  • 20 Easy Vintage Aesthetic Sketch Ideas for Old-School Charm
  • 25 Simple and Cute Sketch Ideas for Lazy Days
  • 30 Elegant Nature Coloring Pages for Adults
You might also like
My Post copy-23 copy 2
Drawing

How To Draw A Mandala (Beginner Friendly)

10 Mins read
December 11, 2018
My Post copy-23 copy
Drawing

40 Free & Easy Animal Sketch Drawing Information & Ideas

5 Mins read
November 25, 2018
My Post-7
Drawing

Amazing Hair Drawing Ideas & Inspiration

3 Mins read
January 1, 2019
Get Inspired!
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
Get Inspired!
  • Home
  • About
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Tattooing
  • Color Theory
  • Recipes