Actually this method is the easiest way to draw just about anything...
It can be summed up into one word - 'KISS', or rather an acronym the navy came up with back in the 60's that stands for 'keep it simple, stupid'.
The theory behind it is that a simple plan usually works out better than a complicated one.
And for some reason, eyes are really complicated to draw. Yes, they should be simple. But they're not. If they were, the eyes we drew wouldn't look like almonds...
Oh yeah, I'm as guilty of almond eyes as anyone. Check out these lovely head drawings I did, back before I knew how to draw them properly.
There's a lot wrong with them. But almonds for eyes? Not a good look.
So I'm going to show you the stupid simple method I've developed for drawing eyes, which I demonstrate step by step in the Heads & Faces Workshop.
This should work for just about anyone, so get out your sketchbook and lets have a crack at it!
Step 1: We'll start out with a very basic shape for the eye and brow. So basic anyone could draw them. Seriously. I bet you won't even break a sweat.
Notice that these shapes each have only four corners. That's right, they're basically rectangles... rectangles that have been pushed out of shape.
The eye is a parallelogram and the eye brow, a trapezoid (but don't let those fancy shape names intimidate you).
Practice drawing these shapes a few times and once you feel like you've got a handle on them, move onto step 2.
Step 2: Now we'll add in a slightly more complicated, but still simple shape for the eyelashes.
This shape can be tricky to capture - but if we look at it closely, it's actually pretty easy to draw.
We've got an eye lash 'parallelogram' (aka slanted box) running along the top of the eye, another running along the outer eye, and one running along the bottom.
So really we've got a four sided eye lash shape running along each edge of the eye opening.
As for the eyebrow... well it pretty much stays the same except for one small tweak. Place an extra corner at the center of the bottom edge and drop it, just a bit.
That's it. Eye shape customizations completed. Lets move onto step 3.
Step 3: Add a pupil and an iris to the eye opening - along with a light reflection to create a shiny, wet appearance.
Things to look out for where drawing the pupil and iris - don't draw them right in the middle of the eye, instead place them closer to the top. The reason for this is because the top eyelid partially covers the upper eye.
Next, fill in the eyelashes with black, and add some extra strands to suggest a more hair-like appearance!
The trickiest part here is probably rendering the eyebrow hair. Some of the strands will sit closely together, while others are spread apart - but all should follow the direction of the eye brow's hair flow.
WARNING: avoid any uniform lines that are evenly spaced when it comes to drawing in those eyebrow furs! All hair should have a certain randomness to it, to capture a natural looking aesthetic.
Finely, describe the surrounding eye anatomy, such as the eye lids and socket with a few contours and some subtle rendering.
That's it.
The process is simple, but as always, practice it a few times to really master it.
Believe or not the other facial features, nose, mouth, ears, can also be drawn using a simple, easy to follow method as well - regardless of the view you're drawing them on.
And I cover all that and more in The Heads & Faces Workshop. There are still a few spots available for the October class too!
If you found this mini tutorial useful and you're ready to get into the more advanced stuff - Here's the full breakdown of what you'll learn, how it works and everything I've included for you in the Heads & Faces Workshop.
This is what you'll receive when you enroll in the Heads & Faces Workshop today:
LIVE demonstrations covering everything you'll ever need know to draw incredible heads and faces from your imagination.
Downloadable video recordings.
Access to resources including slides and diagrams for you to keep as reference
Access to our private Facebook Group where you can post homework, ask questions and get feedback
30 day money back guarantee if you feel I haven't delivered above and beyond
But I can only accept 10 students into each class - And over half of those spots are already taken. The Workshop begins next month on Saturday the 16th of October. It'll go for 4 weekends, and gives you 32 hours of LIVE in person training + feedback over 8 Sessions. Don't sweat it if you can't make it to every LIVE Session. I get it. Sometimes things don't line up, life gets in the way. Each session is recorded so that you can download and watch the replay. But make no mistake, the LIVE experience really is the biggest selling point of this Workshop. Think about it... When was the last time you made it through a pre-recorded online course, let alone did the actual work? When you book into the Heads & Faces Workshop, you'll be holding yourself accountable. You'll show up to the LIVE class, and while you're there we'll be learning how to draw heads together - putting that knowledge straight into action! You'll have something to show at the end of every session. A LIVE learning experience like this just can't be beaten. Not when it covers this much content, and gives you personalized feedback every step of the way. If you don't want to miss it, get in now. Enrollments will close soon! Look forward to seeing you there. -Clayton