How to draw eyes. Step by step drawing tutorial.

How to draw eyes. Step-by-step drawing guide.

One of the most important things when learning how to draw characters is drawing the eyes. Eyes can reflect a character's personality, age, and character. In this tutorial, I will discuss step by step how to draw eyes using my own method. During the drawing process, I will use a reference photo found on "pixabay.com ".

Link to photo: https://pixabay.com/photos/eyes-woman-female-close-up-4803146/

Remember that every illustrator has their own way of drawing. You don't have to draw exactly like me. You can just as well discover your own ways and techniques of drawing. But before we start, let's take a look at the structure of the eye and the most common mistakes made when drawing eyes.

Structure of the eye

A – Sclera (white of the eye)  

B – Medial canthus  

C – Iris  

D – Pupil (area)

E – Crease (upper eyelid crease)  

F – Upper eyelid  

G – Eyebrow  

H – Catchlight (specular highlight)  

I – Lateral canthus  

J – Limbus (iris border)  

K – Lower eyelid  

L – Tear trough (under‑eye fold)

Note: This illustration is for reference purposes only. Minor simplifications or inaccuracies compared to detailed eye anatomy may be present.

Mistakes when drawing eyes

How to draw eyes.

To draw eyes, we will need the following tools: an HB pencil for the initial sketch, along with 2B, 4B, and 6B/7B/8B grade pencils for shading and details. You'll need a pencil sharpener; however, if your pencil lead breaks frequently, I highly recommend investing in a sturdy crank sharpener (or an electric one). You will also need a single, thick sheet of smooth paper to serve as a backing sheet on your drawing surface. For erasing, you will need three types: a kneaded eraser for subtle lightening, a standard rubber eraser (like the common orange one that leaves crumbs) for vigorous erasing, and the built-in eraser on your pencil for small, precise corrections. You will also need some regular printer paper for testing values. Optionally, you can use sanding paper to shape the pencil lead to a specific point. Remember, if you don't have all of these tools, don't worry. A successful drawing depends on skill and observation, not just on the equipment.

Using an HB pencil, start by drawing a straight horizontal line. Then divide this line into three equal sections. Why three equal sections? This is due to the distance between the eyes; the distance between one eye and the other is equal to the length of one eye (although there are exceptions). This will help us maintain the proportions. I sharpened the contrast a little in the graphics program, but remember to draw the guide lines and sketch gently.

In the next step, let's draw simple shapes that will be the shapes of facial features, such as eyes, eyebrows, or nose.

For convenience, you can draw a line running from one corner of the eye to the other. Then, using a few lines, draw the eyebrows, eyelids, and the eye inside the rectangle, making them more similar to the original photo but still simplified.

Repeat the above steps for the other side of the face and nose.

Once the placement and shape of the elements have been planned, you can gently rub the initial sketch with an eraser and gently apply the final outline. Remember to gently mark the light reflections on the eyes or other elements with a pencil, if any. Without light reflections, the eyes will not look lifelike. However, if you shade the area of light reflections too heavily, it may be difficult to erase the pencil and achieve a sufficiently white area.

Now I will use a 2B pencil to apply the first shadows. I apply the first shadows gently, avoiding the eyebrows and the brightest areas for now. I also shade a darker circle (limbus) around the iris.

In this step, we will use a 4B pencil. At this stage, I will use 2B and 4B pencils to create chiaroscuro and add subtle shading with a 2B pencil in the brightest areas, omitting light reflections. If you want to achieve a more realistic effect, remember to hide the outline by shading. In photos and objects that you see every day, there are no outlines.

Now I will start using an 8B pencil for the darkest areas. I will draw the eyebrows and eyelashes with a 4B pencil. Using a 2B, 4B, and 8B pencil, I will also deepen the shadows in the drawing. Pay attention to how the eyelashes look in the photo. You don't have to draw the eyelashes or eyebrows identically to the reference, hair by hair. However, try to maintain a similar structure and arrangement. Hair and eyelashes are not perfectly straight, sometimes they can cross each other or be arranged a little unevenly, but remember to keep them in the right direction. It is best to draw hair by starting the line at the starting point and lifting the pencil at the end so that the line is naturally shaded. Don't draw eyelashes right next to the eyeball – leave a little space between them and the eye.

In your drawings (not necessarily in this particular one), you can use a trick that involves stronger shading on the sides and corners of the page and lighter shading in the center. This will naturally draw the viewer's gaze to the center of the composition.

What if I made a mistake? Or what if my drawing didn't turn out well?

Small mistakes in drawings are also necessary because they prove the authenticity of the work. Besides, what is the point of drawing identically without any deviations from the original when you can just take a photo? However, if you are not satisfied with the original, you can always redraw it. 😊