Eyes are a very important and evocative feature of the face! People will notice any problems or flaws in your drawing of the eye, so special care needs to be taken.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...41d45ed4aa.jpg
First off, I want to show the depth of the eye, I've overlayed some red "contour lines" on the eye sketch in the illustration above.
As you can see, the eye is set in, starting with the eyebrow. Then, the upper lid comes out a bit. The contour then dips in to allow for the thickness of the upper eyelid.
The eyeball itself is rounded. Then, the contour juts out because of the thickness of the edge of the lower lid.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...239a81e45c.JPG
Now, this looks pretty creepy. But I am trying to show the basic shape of the eye - an "almond" shape. The red line shows that there is an angle to the shape of the eye. The top of the eye has its widest point to the right, the bottom of the eye has its widest point more towards the center, or left. The red line is going through the widest areas of the upper and lower parts of the eye, to show this angle.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...53093ace40.JPG
It is important to discuss the thickness of the eyelid some more, because this is a detail many newbie artists overlook. There is a definite thickness there. You can't ignore it, the eye won't look realistic if you do. You'll see in this illustration that a little bit of the upper eyelid thickness is showing in the corner of the eye as well.
However, be sure not to overdo the rendering of the thickness of the eyelid. It isn't necessary to make a harsh line across the whole border of the lower eyelid. Break up the lines, keep them soft, and often just "suggest" the thickness of the eyelid. If you draw the thickness of the eyelid with dark or thick lines, the person will look like they have been crying, or have really red, dry eyes. It just won't look very good.
Also notice the green mark in the illustration above. That is where the tear duct thingie is. People will notice if you don't draw that too. You just need to suggest it
- you don't need to draw it in great detail.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...47fd0dd320.JPG
Here are some of the more subtle angles to the top lid. Sure, the eye is a basic almond shape, but if you look at the eye closely, you'll see that there is a certain amount of an "angular" quality to it, especially in the top lid.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...442e3953db.JPG
Yes, these illustrations are more than a bit unusual. But they are so easy to make with Photoshop!
The blue circle above shows how the iris is round. A common newbie mistake is to not make the iris really round enough. But it is round. Just because some of the iris is obscured by the eyelids doesn't mean that it shouldn't still keep that basic round shape.
Also, notice how much of the iris is hidden by the eyelid. About one-third (sometimes more) of the upper iris is hidden under the upper lid. Sometimes a bit of the lower edge of the iris is hidden too. If you try to show almost all of the iris when you draw the eye, the person will look like they are opening their eyes really wide. Or they'll look like they've been drinking too much Pepsi and are very hyper.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...37cf62eec4.JPG
Well, these illustrations just get creepier and creepier!
Using Photoshop, I took the blue circle and had Photoshop "contract" the size of the blue circle until it was the size of the pupil. Then I made it a lime green. As you can see, the smaller circle lines up right over the pupil. I had it centered just right! It is completely concentric - completely centered inside the iris. That's the way it is supposed to be.
A common newbie mistake is to just draw the pupil in there, but not worry if it is centered. But it HAS to be centered completely - not lopsided, or off to one side a little. Also, notice that the pupil is also very round. You must make it round, and you must make it centered inside the iris.
I am sorry, I just had to emphasize that. This whole pupil/iris thing is a common mistake I have seen too many times!
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...166eab0ae5.JPG
Here I want to explain how to shade and make the eye more realistic. I have a simple "formula" to do this. (There are always exceptions to this "formula", of course.)
First, I draw a darkened area (seen in purple above) over the iris. The pupil is even darker, and - as always, is ROUND!
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...0560a5a506.JPG
I then add a highlight, like the pale pink highlight I added above. (Or, if I am drawing in pencil or ink, I leave this area open, to allow for the highlight.) The highlight will be placed on either side of the eye, depending on where the main light source is coming from.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...08802c2bb6.JPG
Lastly, as seen by the addition of the paler purple in the illustration above, I finish coloring in the iris with a paler color.
Blend these tones together, and if you like, add a suggestion of the little iris "lines" (but don't overdo that, or else the iris will look like a wagon wheel, with little spokes coming out of the pupil!). Needless to say, when you are drawing the eyes in color, replace this hideous purple color with the actual color of the eye!
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...0354542969.JPG
Another thing you must not forget to do is to shade the eyeball itself. The eyelid has some thickness. This will cast a shadow on the white of the eye, and the iris. Also, the eyeball itself is round, liike a sphere. So a shadow is needed to suggest the eyeball's roundness.
The corners of the eye will also be more in shadow. Make the shadow subtle, and soft (as seen by the blue shadowing in the illustration above).
Don't forget to add this shadow, or else the eye will look flat and unrealistic. Also, when making a color portrait, remember that the white of the eye isn't really white. It is usually a very, very pale peach, or pale greyish-peach. The highlight of the eye is often the a little lighter than the whites of the eye—but it doesn't have to be a pure white either.
And I can't forget to tell you about the eyelashes! As you can see from these illustrations, you don't need to overdo eyelashes. You can make them feather out, and just "suggest" them on the lower lid. If you overdo the eyelashes, they can easily start to look really creepy. Like a tarantula landed on the eye. Just be careful, and have a light touch when adding eyelashes. In fact, I sometimes don't really draw eyelashes at all, especially on smaller sketches. I kind of give the illusion of "eyeliner", and that seems to pass as "eyelashes"!
A step-by-step diagram on how to draw the eye.
- Draw the outline in first. Notice that the shape of the iris is round on the sides (it is a round circle) but its top is obscured by the upper eyelid, and a little bit of the bottom of the iris is obscured by the bottom of the eyelid.
- After you get the shape correct, start to draw in the light outline of the lower eyelid thickness. Draw in the pupil (which is round) and indicate where the highlight on the eye will be.
- Then start to add shading and detail. Keep the indication of the lower lid light and subtle. Make a few subtle lines to indicate the eyelashes.The upper lid will cast a gentle shadow on the
- eyeball, so add shading to indicate the roundness of the eyeball. .
A quick step-by-step of the eyebrow:
- The hair of the eyebrow grows in different directions. Look at your own eyebrows in the mirror!
- First step is to draw in the outline of the eyebrow.
- Then draw a line that indicates the "brow-line". This line is often a shadow in the eyebrow. It shows where the brow "dips" in towards the eye socket. Add some shading to this brow-line shadow.
- Then start shading the rest of the eyebrow. This part of the eyebrow is on the upper part of the brow-line, which is jutting out a little more. It will be a little lighter.
- Then, start to darken the eyebrow, and add more details and hairs to the eyebrow.
http://www.w6w.net/upload/11-06-2005...48079a3975.JPG
Lastly, the eye from the side:
First off, it's important to know that the eye from the side is pretty much a "triangle" shape.
Also notice that the eye is set in from where the eyebrow is. See the blue outlined illustration on the picture on the right. See (as highlighted by the pale orange line) that the eye is tilted at a slant. Notice the thickness of the lower eyelid (highlighted in yellow).
Another important detail is that the iris (highlighted in purple) is now an oval, and no longer a circle. This is because it is being seen from the side. Whenever the eye is seen from an angle, it'll not longer be round, but an ellipsis. As will the pupil.
Notice once again the blue outline that follows the contours of the eye in profile. See how the line "dips in" to allow for the thickness of the eyelids - both top and bottom eyelids. Also notice that the eyeball is rounded. And, see how the pupil is an almost flat disk shape, recessed in a bit inside the eye.
مقتبس من موقع http://www.portrait-artist.org/
