How To Draw Eyes

Step 1: Positioning of the eye

To get the eyes in the right position on the face, start by drawing a face roughly in the shape of an upside-down egg, and then draw guidelines to divide the face into three sections. Draw the guidelines so they're curved to the bottom, and draw them faintly so they can be erased later. The top two sections should be roughly equal in size. The bottom section should be about half the size of the other two. The top line is where the eyebrows will be, with the eyes just below it. Draw another guideline vertically down the middle of the face.

Step 2: The shape of the eye

A short distance below the top guideline, draw four dots that will represent the inner and outer tips of the eyes. The length of each eye should be roughly equal to the distance between them. And each eye should also be roughly equal to the distance between the eye and the edge of the face. Draw another guideline across each eye between the two points. Then draw a circle that will be a guide to help you draw the roundness of the eyeball. Draw a curve between the two points to form the top edge of the eye. Then draw the bottom edge of the eye, starting a couple of millimetres below the top one at the inner point. Now shade the area between the two lines at the inner point of the eye, to represent the tear duct. Draw a line beneath the bottom edge of the eye, and another beneath the top edge, to form the eyelids. The top eyelid should be thicker than the bottom one.

Step 3: Drawing the eye

Within your guide circle, draw concentric circles to represent the iris and pupil. In this case the top of the iris is cut off by the top eyelid. Shade the pupil very dark, leaving a small white square to represent the reflection of light. Then shade the iris in as well. Draw the eyelashes on both eyelids, as short lines coming away from the centre of the face. The outer lashes on the top lid should be the longest. Erase the guidelines within the eye, and then finish it off with some shading to represent the shadows in the corners of the eyes. The second eye can now be drawn using the same methods as the first.

Step 4: Eyebrows

Draw the upward arch of the eyebrow resting on the top guideline. It should extend beyond the length of the eye at both the inner and outer points. Using short, upwards strokes, draw the hairs of the eyebrow along the arch. In this case it's a thin, feminine eyebrow. Draw the other eyebrow using the same method. You can now do some shading to suggest the contours around the eyes, and erase all the guidelines, to finish off your drawing of eyes.