Simple technique to draw eyes - Semirealistic and animated

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Anaberu

Anaberu

TUTORIAL VIDEO

The video tutorial has subtitles in Spanish, English and Portuguese.

Introduction

This tutorial will be your best way to start improving your art, especially if you are a beginner. I will teach you how to draw what eyes look like in 3 different views: front, 3/4 and side, shapes that will help you draw any type of eye, 5 common but basic expressions so you can give more emotion to your characters, direction that will have the look; all this from three parallel lines and 3 circles.

I'll also show you quickly in the coloring video tutorial and share the brushes I use. I also recommend you watch the video tutorial where I explain step by step how to draw an eye.

The eyes that I will explain are focused on semi-realistic art and somewhat focused on the anime eye so that you can better apply the shape of the eye depending on the direction.

 

To give a brief introduction about the eyes we will start from the shape of the basic eye, as we already know it is almost rounded because when we see it from a side view the lens of the eye protrudes. It is important to start from this point so that you can then simplify through simple figures, starting from the simple will help you understand broad features.

That is why I want to share with you the way that has helped me improve my drawings little by little.

Before starting I will give you a brief explanation of the parts of an eye.

Parts of an eye in brief features:

a. the sclera is the whitish part.

b. Iris is the color part.

c. The pupil is in the center, it is the dark part that can change size. Note that in a side view the lens protrudes from the eyeball, but the pupil is not stuck in front of the lens.

d. what surrounds the eyeball are the eyelids. Some (most) people have upper and lower eyelid creases.

and. the eyelashes are located on the outside of the eyelid and not on the inside.

F. The internal part is the tear duct, it is located in the internal part, I interpret this part as a fixed point when opening or closing the eye. And the angle of the eye on the outside.

I know. The eye above is a loose interpretation of the typical eye, but it's good to know how it works first so you can easily simplify it in your artwork. So I'm going to show you a simple way how you can draw eyes from 3 different views. You will love the technique and make the job easier.

THREE POINTS OF VIEW

Front view

Let's draw a look looking forward.

 

We establish some parallel lines to establish the bearing of 3 circles: one internal and two others at the ends.

To make the process faster we are going to use the “symmetry ruler” and I will draw it in the middle of the second circle. To establish the directionality of the ruler we move the cursor up.

Note: the position of the iris varies from person to person, expression and direction of the eye. An entire circle (iris) is not usually seen in the eye, it is hidden by the aforementioned.

Eyelashes are not born from the inside of the eyelid, they are born from the outside.

Eyebrows:

a. To draw the eyebrows I like to use this structure that shows a successful way of the bone that protects the eye.

b. From the external part I draw 3 figures as shown in the image and fill in imagining the directionality that the eyebrows will have.

Three-quarter 3/4 view

For a three-quarter view, we are going to use the same structure as the front view, only we are going to move the end circle until it is in the middle of the other.

Small dots are first established as guides: the small mark represents the tear duct and the ones higher up are the angles.

As the direction changes, the view of the eye will also change, that is, the part of the tear duct will be seen more and its shape will be rounded a little.

 

As for the next eye: we are going to leave the circular shape of our structure to represent the sclera. For the eyelid we are going to form a small triangle.

Note: the circular shape allows me to mold in a more accurate way to the eye.

This structure helps me a lot to guide me in drawing the eyebrows. Try it!

Vista lateral

It is the simplest way. Remember that the lens of the eye protrudes from the sclera and the pupil is inside. This figure represents the fossa of the eyeball (anatomy), it is useful to establish the angle of the eye.

This structure allows me to establish guide points, for example; the angle of the eye

Here the shape of the eyebrow would vary to draw, we are not going to use the external contour of this figure.

EYE SHAPE - SIMPLE FIGURES

I usually use the circular shape to draw any type of animated or seminary eye.

 

I will explain the following:

We can use round shapes, polygons, and even a mix of the two.

 

First form:

 

For the rounded shape it will be used to represent a female eye, it is more delicate without any edges.

1. We establish a center and draw the tear duct below the corner of the eye.

2. Let's edge the circle without forgetting to create the inner part of the eyelid.

3, 4. When it comes to more animated cartoons it's best to draw the iris and pupil in an incomplete circle, well this will depend on your character's expression.

5. The lashes are more conspicuous at the ends to make it simpler.

6. We draw some lines from the corners: tear, upper eyelid and the corner of the eye to guide us in the shape of the eyebrow.

second form

For the human eye we can use, not by law, a shape with sharp edges and much more elongated. EYE! This does not mean that it is applied only to draw male eyes, we can use it for women as well.

 

1. We establish guide points.

2. When drawing the angle of the eye it should be done a little inwards and not to the extreme, this is because the eye is a little squinted. In this example I only drew the lower inner eyelid more clearly because the upper one would not show much because: one, the eye is a bit closed, and two because the eyelid is drooping giving it a more tired look.

3. We apply geometric figures.

4. The tabs are almost horizontal. I want to clarify that the lower lashes can be made as small triangles.

third form

We can also make a combination of pointed and rounded figures.

The steps are similar to the other cases.

At point (3) we can make another type of tabs making our drawing more interesting.

fourth form

 

When we use figures to simplify a complex structure things are much simpler. In this case, for example, the angle of the eye is extremely higher than a normal eye. That's the fun of cartoons! We can experiment.

 

fifth form

 

We can vary the angle of the eye and the vertices of the eyelid. When it comes to anime-like eyes, the circumference rule will be broken a bit, just like the eyebrow, but I'll show you later that it has a utility when drawing expressions with your character.

• As you can see, the part of the tear duct and the angle can vary.

• The eyebrows will vary according to your style.

• Here the corners are pointed but that doesn't mean that it can be a masculine eye, I think that the shape of the slightly curved eyelashes gives a more feminine touch to the eye.

sixth form

 

Let's play again with the angles of the eye and the corners of the eyelid.

By the direction of the eyelashes you could simplify the shape of a male eye, how they can see are more horizontal. And as for the lower eyelashes, you have to add them yes or yes, we don't want our character to have a bare eye.

5 Common but Basic Expressions

The typical phrase “the eyes are the reflection of the soul” is superfluous, but he is right. With our eyes we can express how our mood is, they are also essential to represent them in our drawings.

Happy

Happiness

 

Let's add what we learned previously.

• We are going to use the three circumferences and divide them in half.

• Note: you can transform the brush into a useful ruler, you just have to place the brush at the point where you want it to start and add the letter “shift”, drag the tip of the brush and you will see that it becomes a straight line. Try it!

• We only move the external circle in its third part.

 

1. The eyelid of a smile will be more horizontal as indicated by the arrow. Also, it becomes more noticeable.

2. The position of the eyebrows also change, they are a little higher.

Sad

Sadness.

 

1. In this sketch I want to show you something less elaborate, because the first strokes to represent should be that: just figures that help us orient ourselves.

2. In my case I like to draw the eyebrows first to give it that sad look. The eyebrows are inclined downwards.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: The eyelids work in conjunction with the eyebrows and the eye. Don't ever forget this! It will give your character more life in their expressions. Thus it will push the eyelid down making the eye and expression look downcast.

 

Annoyed

Anger.

 

What the angry expression will do is sharpen the eye.

1. We draw the expression of the eyebrows tilted down and the center. The points represent the tear duct and the angle of the eye as a reference.

2. Eyebrow and eyelid work together, that is: the eyebrow will push the eyelid causing the shape of the eye to change.

3. To give more intensity to the look we are going to bring the iris a little together, this happens when we see at a certain distance.

 

 

4. We add the tabs.

5. We add the frown lines and mark the lower eyelid.

Surprised

Surprise

 

• The iris will be seen in its entirety because the eyelids are pulled up by the eyebrows.

• To give it more expression, the lower eyelid will also be affected downwards.

 

Sonmoliento

State of drowsiness.

 

It is an extra expression. It is a state in which the person is wanting to sleep or just gets up from a brief or heavy sleep. It is a curious expression that I would like to teach you to express in a more anime-style type of eye.

1. The angle of the eye and the lacrimal are too far from the midline.

 

2. When closing the eye I take into account the tear duct and the angle of the eye; they are fixed points so that the eyelid has movement.

3. When we squint without making a forced expression, the upper eyelid line will look a little wider. This is good to know so that the initial eye shape is not lost.

4. If we want a more closed eye, the fixed part would be the angle of the eye (this is how I understand it and I can explain it to you). You can draw the eyebrows in a curved way.

 

Extra

Disbelieving expression.

 

I want to show you here how the eyebrows play an important role in expressions, since they work together with the eyelids.

1. One eyebrow half straight and the other curved will give us an interesting expression.

2. As one eyebrow pulls the eyelid down the eye makes it smaller, while the upward curved eyebrow pulls the eyelid making the eye look large.

 

Important note

I recommend you practice the sphere so that you can correctly define the iris, because as you can see:

a. By applying reference lines to guide us in the direction of gaze, the iris is not round when the direction changes.

b. we can see that even something weird looks.

How to apply the technique to the face?

Alright, now you know how to draw an eye, but how do I apply it to a full face?

The shape I use is the one you see at the bottom, I want you to keep in mind the guidelines for a semi-realistic face.

The first sketch is a front view, the next a 3/4 view and the last a side view.

If your character's eyes are livelier or larger, you can use these ratios.

Use of references

You can practice using the great references.

1. Select a clear image or one that can differentiate what we want to learn.

2. Draw 3 lines (as I showed you earlier in the tutorial). But, use the angles of the eyes as a baseline.

NOTE:

crtl z and crtl v to save you the trouble of measuring again, then in the layer of the new pasted line you are going to select it by pressing the shortcut "crtl + T", then when moving the line you are going to press the "shift" key and You will see that it moves in a vertical or horizontal plane as you want.

3. Draw 3 circles.

4. We complete with the eyebrows

5. And we redraw the shape of the eyes. Do it by understanding each stroke so you can understand and learn.

Practice makes a master. The more you practice, the faster you will understand it and you will even be able to design your own drawing techniques.

Colorized - video

I will explain quickly and easily how I color the eyes in the video.

I recommend you to watch this tutorial, it will help you to color in a faster way thanks to the tools that ClipStudioPaint has.

Coloring brushes

And last but not least: the magnificent airbrush.

End

Thanks for following this far. These techniques have been useful to me and I wanted to share with you the knowledge I have in drawing eyes.

Do not forget to play with the shapes and expressions of the look, they will give your characters a thousand extra points.

Any questions or suggestions are welcome in the comments section.

 

See you in a next tutorial.

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