How to Draw Realistic Eyes With Stephen Bauman

I love the way Stephen Bauman draws and if you want to know how to draw realistic eyes, he’s the man to show you. His classical training makes him a master draftsman, but there is one issue, he is too academic for many beginners.

That is why I decided to summarize his classes in plain English. This will help you to understand his videos and enjoy them more

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How to Draw a Realistic Eye Part 1

Even though your eyes are the most expressive part of your face, they are often the hardest part to draw correctly. The reason most people struggle is that we usually draw what we think an eye looks like, instead of how it is actually built.

By learning the actual geometry of the head and how light hits different surfaces, you can turn a flat-looking sketch into a drawing that looks solid and three-dimensional.

These are the most important things to know:

Understand the Eye Socket: The eye socket isn’t just a flat hole; it is a square shape with rounded corners that is tilted upward toward the middle of the face. Because the head is rounded, the inner corner of the socket is actually further forward than the outer edge.
The Eyeball is a Sphere: Think of the eyeball as a ball sitting inside the socket, surrounded by a cushion of fat. This round shape pushes against the eyelids and gives them their form.
Eyelids Have Thickness: Eyelids aren’t paper-thin. The top eyelid has a thin edge that faces downward, and the bottom eyelid has a thin edge that faces upward and often catches the light,.
The “White” of the Eye Isn’t White: The sclera (the white part) is rarely actually white in a drawing. Its shade depends on where the light is coming from and how bright it is.
The Cornea and Iris Work Together: The cornea is a clear, dome-shaped layer on top of the iris that usually catches a bright highlight. Artists often think of the iris as a bowl shape (concave) because of the way light hits it. Usually, the bright spot on the cornea is on the opposite side of the light pattern inside the iris.
Start with a Simple “Block-In”: Instead of drawing details like eyelashes or tiny lines in the iris right away, start by sketching the basic shapes and proportions,. This includes the corners of the eye, the tear duct, and the crease of the eyelid.
Keep the Drawing Flexible: It is important to keep your early lines light and soft. If you start with dark, heavy marks, you won’t be able to make changes easily as the drawing develops,.
Use Very Light Pressure: When starting, hold your pencil further back from the tip. This helps you avoid putting too much pressure on the paper, which can “scar” the page and make marks permanent.

If you have watched the video you now know how valuable this summary is. Let’s move on to part 2.

How to Draw a Realistic Eye Part 2

Here are the main points from the 2nd part of Stephen Bauman’s video:

Rank Your Edges: Not every line in a drawing should be sharp. For example, the crease above the eyelid should be sharper than the edges of the iris or the pupil,. Comparing these edges helps the drawing look more natural and pleasing to the eye.
Simplify Eyebrows and Lashes: Instead of trying to draw a thousand tiny hairs, squint your eyes and look at the eyebrow as one big, flat shape. The same goes for eyelashes; group them together and keep them soft so they don’t distract from the rest of the eye.
Build Dark Values Slowly: Start with the darkest parts of the drawing, but don’t make them super dark right away. By building them up slowly, you keep the “value scale” balanced, which eventually allows you to add subtle gray tones to the light areas,.
Use the Right Pencil for the Job: Use a variety of pencils ranging from 4H (very hard and light) to 2B (soft and dark),. Generally, use the softer pencils for dark areas and the harder pencils for light areas.
Highlights are the Paper: The brightest spots in the eye (the highlights) are usually just the white color of the paper itself.
Give Detail to Light Areas: When you get to the end of the drawing, don’t just smooth or blend everything together. The light areas need just as much structure and “form” as the dark areas to look real.
Save Subtle Details for the End: You will often notice tiny, subtle shapes in the light areas only after you have finished shading the rest of the eye,. Drawing is a slow, meditative process that requires patience to see these details,.
Don’t Rush the Knowledge: Don’t try to put everything you know about the eye into the drawing in the first ten minutes. If you do, the drawing might look like a stiff diagram instead of a realistic person. Use your knowledge at the right stage of the process for the best results.

The Drawing Techniques used in Parts 1 and 2:

Start with a “Block-In”: Begin by sketching the basic proportions, such as the corners of the eye socket, the tear duct, and the crease of the eyelid. Use the most limited information possible to keep the drawing recognizable but simple.
Hold the Pencil Correcty: Grip the pencil further back from the tip and balance your hand on the paper. This helps you avoid putting too much pressure on the pencil, which can “scar” the paper and make marks permanent.
Keep Early Lines Soft: Use light pressure and avoid dark, hard values at first. This keeps the drawing “flexible,” meaning you can easily change or erase things as you go.
Avoid Early Details: Do not try to draw individual eyelashes or tiny patterns in the iris right away, as this can make the drawing stiff and hard to correct.
Rank Your Edges: Decide which lines should be sharp and which should be soft. For example, the crease of the eyelid should be sharper than the edges of the iris or pupil.
Squint to Simplify Shapes: Squint your eyes to see eyebrows and eyelashes as big, flat “value shapes” instead of hundreds of tiny hairs.
Build Dark Values Slowly: Start shading the darkest parts of the eye first, but keep them relatively light in the beginning. Slowly build them up to their final darkness so you can maintain the right relationship between the light and dark areas.
Choose the Right Lead: Use a variety of pencils, specifically using hard leads (like 4H) for light areas and soft leads (like 2B) for the dark parts of the drawing.
Use the Paper for Highlights: Instead of using white paint or a pencil, use the actual white color of the paper to show the brightest highlights.
Draw Structure in the Light: When you get to the light areas, don’t just blend or smooth them out. Treat them with the same care as the dark areas, drawing the actual shapes and structures within the light.
Refine Subtle Details Last: Only at the very end should you add the most subtle details and tiny value shapes that you only notice after studying the eye for a long time.

How to Draw an Eye: Final Thoughts

The eyes are the most important features in a portrait and you must know how to draw them if you are ever going to draw a successful portrait. These 2 tutorials teach you everything you need to know.

Now if they inspire you to know more, Stephen has a complete portrait drawing course available, why not chec k it out?

Here are a few more posts you will find useful:

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How to Draw a realistic Eye. Pencil Drawing of an eye

Hi, I’m Kevin Hayler
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How to Draw Realistic Eyes With Stephen Bauman

How to Draw a Realistic Eye Part 1

How to Draw a Realistic Eye Part 2

The Drawing Techniques used in Parts 1 and 2:

How to Draw an Eye: Final Thoughts

Kevin Hayler

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