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Introduction

My first tutorial of this year!

I'm really happy about my other two tutorials that were well received, I hope this one helps you. I'll try to make frequent tutorials <33

 

This tutorial is based on my experience and what I take into account when making eyes. But I always experiment, and it's good to take tips from various artists to keep improving the technique.

 

For this occasion, I made 2 versions! One of them is what not to do, and the other is the version I suggest as more harmonious.

 

I want to clarify before continuing that this is a personal opinion and these are subjective tips; I don't intend to offend anyone, especially if you use the techniques I say I don't consider adequate. Ultimately, it's a personal opinion and what works for me <3

 

Without further ado, let's begin!

1st Version and Some Mistakes

I wanted to take the opportunity to make a banner for my new OC, Nyx.

As you can see in this version, I used a grayscale.

 

Grayscale TIP: It's a technique that could work if you have no idea what color to add and don't want to get stuck in the process. It also helps you get an idea of the direction of the light.

 

 

The Problem with the "Dirty" Finish

Before starting, I want to pause for a moment to analyze why this example is not suitable if we are looking for 'bright eyes'. Although this is just a sketch, there are fundamental errors I want to highlight.

The first is that the color feels dirty. We have very heavy black lines and overly strong browns that don't let the illustration breathe.

Also, even if the intention is a sunrise or sunset, the character doesn't feel under that light, but rather appears 'burnt'. This happens when we use layer mode tools without control, especially if you're just starting out.

The Danger of Layer Modes

A very common beginner's mistake is to overuse layers like Multiply, Color Dodge, or Glow Dodge. Don't get me wrong: they are incredible tools, but if you choose a very dark color to multiply or a very saturated one to dodge, the result is that feeling of a dirty, poorly integrated drawing.

 

Tutorials should be taken with a grain of salt: someone with a strong foundation in color theory can make those modes work, but if you want your drawings to have life and not look 'stained', you need to learn to integrate tones more smoothly.

The Circle Theory: Anatomy of the Iris

Now let's talk about why the eye lacks depth. The mistake here was adding highlights and shadows without a logical sense, which ends up flattening the gaze. To prevent this from happening, you need to understand the iris as a circumference.

Imagine a circle, and in the center, the pupil is another circle. Everything you do should revolve around that center. If you understand that the iris has depth at the edges and in the center, you'll know exactly where to place the shadow of the eyelashes and where to highlight the sparkle to truly bring the eye to life.

 

TIP: Think of the iris as a circle, and everything revolves around its center. The iris needs to have life for this bright eyes tutorial, and color is fundamental.

Also understand that the eye has depth.

Once you've incorporated this concept, you can create thousands of ways to make bright eyes!

Like the example below, you can change the pupil's shape, add lights, and play with shapes.

 

 

Coloring Tutorial Example

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Correcting (2nd Version) + Materials Used

Here's a new version. Starting with some errors I wanted to take the opportunity to correct, like the eye and some parts of the hair. Although this was more for me, haha, now we'll move on to color.

 

At this point, I started with the color, which the grayscale version can do. In my case, I already had the palette since it's an OC.

TIP: When painting, always start by looking at the canvas generally, and then the details. This way, it will help you get an overall vision of how it will look in the end.

For this part, I decided to implement a slightly dark color as a shadow, as if it were the eyelashes and hair. As you can see, it's not always necessary to use very dark colors, reaching black, to create this type of eye. Sometimes less is more.

 

I also added colors that respect the palette I'm using, a slightly saturated color but not throughout the entire eye. It already looks a bit more lively, although some details are still missing.

What's the difference for you compared to the previous one?

It's always said that black is bad in drawings, but I don't want to tell you that, as everything depends on how colors are used. In the previous example, to try to make a bright eye, the logical thing is to think about adding a very dark color and then highlights. And honestly, it could be a good option if you know about colors.

 

There isn't just one way to do it, but I'll show you this other option.

Instead of adding a dark color like before, I preferred to use a light color. The color of the eyelashes also affects the "harmony"; it's not a dark color but a bit lighter than in the previous example.

 

 

TIP: To color faster instead of using the lasso or magic wand tool, there's a more precise tool in the community. The user is k96, and their lasso tool is much more precise and faster.

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Here I already wanted to add some highlights, a white and a lilac color, and it adds more life to the iris

Tip: If you want this effect, use the "add glow" layer and then blur it a bit and lower the opacity from 85 downwards. It gives you a result as if it were receiving sunlight, and as you can see, it adds color.

As a final touch, I gave it that rainbow effect and used the "add glow" layer.

YYR Prism Halo Tools

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SOIPEN

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