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The Eyes Have It
Eyes obviously play a very important role in capturing a subject correctly for a portrait. If they are not just right, it will throw off the resemblance of the entire drawing to the original subject. The eyes show the emotion displayed by the subject, and are often the first thing people will look at when viewing a portrait. This article will give some hints on drawing the eye, and will be followed by a step by step tutorial of drawing an eye with graphite.
First, remember that all eyes have the same basic characteristics. These are illustrated in the image below.
The shape and size of eyes will vary from person to person. However, if you take all of these characteristics into account, you are well on your way to mastering the art of drawing eyes.
Notice in the picture the effect that highlights and shadows have on the eye. Eyes are moist, and highlights will develop where ever light hits that moisture. The brightest highlights occur on the ball of the eye, but there will also be highlights in the corner, along the lower lid, and in the white of the eye. Highlights in the eye are a necessity, they give the eyes life and warmth. Even if the photo you use for reference doesn't have them, I would suggest putting them in. You will be surprised at the difference.
Shadows are normally produced in the crease, under the upper and lower lash lines, and under the brow bone. Notice there are definite shadows in the white of the eye. These shadows are usually soft, but without those shadows, the eye will appear pasted on, and not have true depth.
The position of the eyeball will give the impression of different emotions. For example, if the eyeball is up, and more white shows below it, the person may appear sleepy, bored, or disinterested. When the eyeball is in the center, such as in the eye above, the person seems alert. If the eyeball is positioned downward, and more white shows above it, is gives the indication of surprise or fear. The lids of the subject will dictate how much of the whites show.
The shape of the eye will change dramatically depending on the position of your subjects head. However, you still need to take into account all the aspects of the eye, especially the fact that eyes are curved and have depth. Also, the actual color of the eye should dictate how dark you render the eye with graphite. Blue or green will be the lightest of the shades, with dark brown and black the darkest.
Next, follow the steps in the tutorial and learn to draw a basic eye. See Tutorial