How to Sketch a Simple Eye Step-by-step Drawing Tutorial

Learn how to sketch a simple eye with this step-by-step drawing tutorial. Create a realistic eye for beginners in this online drawing class.

Drawing and shading eyes in pencil can be easy with just a little bit of practice. Follow along in this art lesson to learn the basic steps of sketching an eye.

Pencil sketch of an eye on a sketch pad with drawing pencils.

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Materials
Video Tutorial
Transcript
Art Lesson
Variations
Tips and tricks
Directions
For More Practice
Frequently Asked Questions
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Many people find that facial features, like eyes, are one of the hardest things to draw. However, the whole process is not that difficult when you break it down.

From the eyebrow to the eyelashes and everything in between, sketching an eye is fairly simple. It may take a few tries to get right, so just keep practicing!

Materials

Paper - drawing or sketching will work best (I am using 5.5 by 8.5 sketchbook paper, 60lbs/89g/m)
Pencil - a soft pencil (6B, 7B, 8B, or 9B) and a hard pencil (HB, F, 2B, or 3B ) work well for this drawing, but you can use whatever you have on hand

Video Tutorial

Transcript

Read Transcript

Follow along with me as I sketch a simple eye step-by-step.

Start by drawing the basic shape of the eye. Leave that little dip on the inner edge.

Now I'm adding the edge to the outside of the lids, the upper and the lower lids both get an edge. This is important because it helps add volume and makes your eye look more real.

This line is where the eyelid folds back.

Just a little definition down below. I'm beginning to draw the iris in and now is a good time to look at your eye overall and make any changes to the shape it's a lot easier to make changes to it now rather than wait until you get into the shading and a lot of the detail.

So I've added a little rectangular highlight, you can actually add this anywhere in the eye. I like to add it where it crosses both the iris and the pupil.

Go ahead and add in some detail. When you're drawing an eye up close like this you can add really quite a bit of detail into the iris.

If you're drawing a figure or if you're drawing a portrait where it's not quite as close you don't need to add quite so much detail into this area.

Shade in the eye, making sure to leave that highlight white.

Start a little bit lighter and you can always go darker if you'd like to.

I'm going to darken that pupil, if you can't see it just draw it in again. But go over it a few times because you want that pupil to be really dark, it's going to be just about the darkest place in your drawing.

Now add some shading around the outside of the eye.

Starting up here with this fold. Start a little bit lighter and then work your way, make your your your shading darker as you work with it. It makes it easier to get nice easy soft transitions between your lights and darks.

Really take your time to get in to get the shading just right.

Just a little bit of an indication of the eyebrow up above. Of course, you could add more detail into it, but I'm going to concentrate more on the rest of the eye.

Add a little bit of shading below.

Again start your shading lighter and get darker as you work on it.

I'm using an 8B pencil here so it's a nice soft dark pencil however you could use any kind of pencil.

Add a little shading up on the eyebrow as the brow is going out.

Now I am going to make the iris a little bit darker. I like having a lot of nice contrast in my drawings.

You can always touch up with an eraser as you're working.

I'm brushing away my eraser dust with a clean paintbrush just to keep my drawing from smudging if I were to brush it off with my hand. This is the shadow that the upper eyelid is casting down on the eye.

A little tear duct there in the inner corner.

Now keep in mind that the eye is a sphere and so these, these outside corners get a little bit of shading as they recede backwards.

As well as shading from the skin that is around them. And just start lighter and make it darker as you work on it to get those nice soft transitions.

Now I'm going to switch to a, a 9B pencil it's a little bit softer and darker so I can make my eyelashes really nice and dark. The ones in the middle go straight up while the ones on the side on the outsides kind of swoop down. And the ones on the inner side, they kind of swoop down and up again. This would change with your point of view depending on which direction you're looking at the eye.

Keep them kind of irregular.

They come out at different directions and they're different lengths.

Then kind of follow the same idea on the bottom. There just aren't quite as many eyelashes on the bottom lid.

That is basically it. That's how to draw a simple eye. Thanks for watching.

Art Lesson

Sketch the basic shape of the eye, add lines for the edges of the lids and lines above and below. — Sketch the basic eye shape

Draw radiating lines out for texture in the iris. — Add lines for texture in the iris

Shade below the eyebrow and eye — Shade the upper eyelid

Add a tear duct and shade the eye below the upper lid. — Shade the eye below the upper lid

Draw in the iris, the pupil and a small highlight. — Draw in the iris, pupil and highlight

Shade in the iris and pupil. — Shade in the iris and pupil

Draw in the eyelashes. — Draw in the eyelashes

Sketch in the basic outline of the eye. Leave a little dip on the inner edge where the tear duct is.
Draw another line outside both the upper and lower lids for the edge of the eyelids. Add a line above the eye where the eyelid folds back and a few lines below the eye.
Draw in the iris, pupil, and a small highlight. You can put the highlight wherever you want in the eye but I like mine where it is crossing both the pupil and the iris.
Look at your overall drawing and make any adjustments to the shape before moving on to the detail and shading.
Within the iris, sketch in some short lines radiating out from the pupil. Shade in the eye, making sure to leave that highlight white.
Darken the pupil. It will be one of the darkest areas in your drawing.
Shade in the fold above the eye. Draw in a few lines for the eyebrow. Add a little bit of shading below the eyebrow and on the side.
Lightly shade in the shadow that the upper lid casts a slight shadow on the eye. Sketch in the tear duct in the inner corner.
The eye is a sphere so the outside gets a little bit of shading as the sides curve back.
Draw in the eyelashes on the upper and lower lids with a soft pencil. They come out at different directions and different lengths. Keep them a bit irregular.

Variations

Add watercolor or gouache paint to your sketch for a bit of color.
Draw an eye with a variety of colored pencils.
Sketch an eye with charcoal, pen and ink, soft pastels or oil pastels.
Sketch two eyes together.

Colored pencil sketches of eyes up close on drawing paper.

Tips and tricks

When shading, start a little bit lighter and gradually get darker. It makes it easier to get nice easy soft transitions between your lights and darks.
Take your time with all the steps.
If you're drawing eyes on a figure or portrait you don't need to add quite so much detail.
You can always touch up with an eraser as you're working.
Use a soft paintbrush to sweep away eraser dust so you don’t smudge your drawing.

Directions

A pencil drawing of an eye on a sketchbook with drawing pencils next to colored pencil drawing of eyes.

How to Sketch a Simple Eye Step-by-step Drawing Tutorial

Learn how to sketch a simple eye with this step-by-step drawing tutorial. Try creating a realistic eye for beginners in this online drawing class.

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Equipment

Paper - drawing or sketching will work best (I am using 5.5 by 8.5 sketchbook paper, 60lbs/89g/m)
Pencil - a soft pencil (6B, 7B, 8B, or 9B) and a hard pencil (HB, F, 2B, or 3B ) work well for this drawing, but you can use whatever you have on hand

Instructions

Sketch in the basic outline of the eye. Leave a little dip on the inner edge where the tear duct is.
Draw another line outside both the upper and lower lids for the edge of the eyelids. Add a line above the eye where the eyelid folds back and a few lines below the eye.
Draw in the iris, pupil, and a small highlight. You can put the highlight wherever you want in the eye but I like mine where it is crossing both the pupil and the iris.
Look at your overall drawing and make any adjustments to the shape before moving on to the detail and shading.
Within the iris, sketch in some short lines radiating out from the pupil. Shade in the eye, making sure to leave that highlight white.
Darken the pupil. It will be one of the darkest areas in your drawing.
Shade in the fold above the eye. Draw in a few lines for the eyebrow. Add a little bit of shading below the eyebrow and on the side.
Lightly shade in the shadow that the upper lid casts a slight shadow on the eye. Sketch in the tear duct in the inner corner.
The eye is a sphere so the outside gets a little bit of shading as the sides curve back.
Draw in the eyelashes on the upper and lower lids with a soft pencil. They come out at different directions and different lengths. Keep them a bit irregular.

Notes

When shading, start a little bit lighter and gradually get darker. It makes it easier to get nice easy soft transitions between your lights and darks.

Take your time with all the steps.

If you're drawing eyes on a figure or portrait you don't need to add quite so much detail.

You can always touch up with an eraser as you're working.

Use a soft paintbrush to sweep away eraser dust so you don’t smudge your drawing.

Sketches of eyes up close on a sketchbook with drawing pencils.

For More Practice

Draw your own eye while looking in a mirror.
Practice blind contour drawings of an eye. Do this by looking at a picture (or model) of an eye and slowly drawing the outside edge without lifting your pencil, but don’t look at your hand or drawing until you are done.
Practice gestural drawings of an eye. These should be quick, 30-second sketches. Aim to capture the overall drawing without spending too much time on one specific area.
Draw an animal’s eye. Think about how it is different from the human eye.
Large photo references of eyes can often be found in fashion or beauty magazines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you draw an eye for beginners?

Sketch in the basic outline of the eye. Leave a dip on the inner edge for the tear duct. Draw a line outside both the upper and lower lids for the edge of the eyelids. Add a line above the eye where the eyelid folds back and a few lines below the eye.

Draw in the iris, pupil, and a small highlight. Look at your overall drawing and make any adjustments to the shape before moving on to the detail and shading. Add some lines in the iris then shade in the eye, making sure to leave that highlight white. Darken the pupil.

How do you draw eyelashes?

Draw in the eyelashes on the upper and lower lids with a soft pencil. Add them one at a time starting at the edge go the lid and sketching out.

Push harder when you begin the stroke and then lighter as you go out to make them thicker at the base. They come out in different directions and different lengths. Keep them a bit irregular.

How do you shade an eye in a drawing?

Shade in the fold above the eye. Add a little bit of shading below the eyebrow and on the side. Lightly shade in the shadow that the upper lid casts a slight shadow on the eye.

The eye is a sphere so the outside gets a little bit of shading as the sides curve back. When shading, start a little bit lighter and gradually get darker. It makes it easier to get nice easy soft transitions between your lights and darks.