How to Draw the Eye: Shapes, Structures, & Shading (A Step-by-Step Guide), by Michael John Nolan on YouTube. 18 min 31 s.
- Video length
- 18 min 31 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Lightly draw a circle for the eyeball, then add a horizontal curve through the middle for the upper and lower lid line.
Place the iris as a circle centered on the lid line, and mark the pupil in its center. Check both against your reference.
Shape the upper lid with a thicker curve and add the lower lid, tear duct and a soft crease above the eye.
Block in the dark pupil and iris edge, then shade the iris with thin lines that radiate from the pupil.
Decide the light direction and shade the eyeball as a sphere. Keep the highlight area clean and lighten the side away from the light.
Shade the upper lid, crease and lash line with a darker pencil, then add individual lashes that follow the lid curve.
Soften shadows with a blending stump or tissue. Lift small highlights with a kneaded eraser, especially on the wet eye and lower lid.
Refine the iris detail, add a soft shadow under the upper lid, and check the pupil, highlight and lid shapes before finishing.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the first outline very light so you can adjust the lid and iris shapes without erasing dark marks.
Use one clear light source, otherwise the eyeball will look flat and the highlights will fight each other.
Leave the main highlight white from the start; adding white pencil over dark graphite rarely looks clean.
Questions
Do I need special pencils for this?
No. An HB pencil is enough to start, and a 2B or 4B pencil helps with darker lashes and pupils. A kneaded eraser is useful for lifting highlights.
How do I stop the eye looking flat?
Shade the eyeball like a sphere and keep one light direction. A soft shadow under the upper lid and a small highlight on the iris add depth.
Should I draw the iris before the eyelids?
Draw the eyeball and lid line first, then place the iris. This helps you check that the iris sits correctly under the upper lid.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
