How To Draw Realistic Eyes - Step by Step. Graphite Drawing. -

Thank you so much for clicking the thumbnail and being interested in my work. In this video I share with you my techniques and tips on how I draw an eye using Strathmore vellum paper. So be sure to watch it right through till the end because here and there I'll be slowing things down in real time so you can take a closer look. So let's dive in and take a look. So the first thing I do is get a centre point in the centre of my paper and then do the same on my reference image. It's scaled up to 9 inch by 6 inch which is half size of a 9 by 12 and from that point I'll just make the size of the iris as big as I want to do and it'll always be in that sort of centre within the paper then. But I didn't want to do the size of the eye too big because it's just an eye study and in reality when you're doing a portrait you'll never do it this big anyway but I just wanted to give you an idea of how I'm using the pencils on this rough or vellum paper from Strathmore. Just about this paper is it's got quite a tooth to it so if I try to draw this outline with a HB it will be too grainy so I've had to reduce the actual pencil to a 2H. Best to do the outline very lightly so it's easily erased then if you need to move it around a bit. So I'm just checking the alignment horizontal and vertical just to see if everything lines up correctly. I could say these are all guidelines really for when you start putting the under sort of drawing in so it's just basically just getting things into the correct position just move it around until it feels right. Don't overthink it just feel your way and just sense where these things need to go because you can easily move them but what I'll try and do is get as close as I can do to the reference image. Now the value system I'm using is a nine value system which is four lights, four darks and one mid-tone. I tend to put them above my drawing on my board if I can it just gives me a good idea then of the values and the relationship so it's really good idea to do one of those scales if you haven't done one already. Just starting off mapping out where things need to go just going over with the H pencil just finding where the shapes are, sculpturing the areas using this mono zero eraser which is an amazing tool to have. Now I use that mono zero just to rub out where the pupil is first and then go over again with the actual B pencil because I want to build it up with B pencils because it's the darkest area on that. They don't sit well when you actually put H pencils underneath, it seems to anyway, so I tend to use the B straight onto that then build it up so that's an 8B now going in there then I'm using the 4B around the edge just trying to get rid of that white paper a little bit because it's very sort of distracting when you're first starting. So just using the pencils and the mono zero eraser in conjunction to sort of sculpture the shapes. Great to get one of these in your kit if you can, Alara pencil 9B, quite soft so it makes it really dense in that black area. So the darkest point is the pupil so what I'm trying to establish here is darkest dark and the lightest light and then the mid-tone so the mid-tone is just the side of that corner of the eye there that's the mid-tone I'm putting now with HB and then I've got the darkest dark which is a pupil and then the highlight which is the lightest light. Now to smooth some of that grain so it makes it easier for me to actually put the details in the iris what I'm using now is a 4H just covering it over it makes it more glassified and smoother for when you put in those details in the iris. If you didn't do that it'd be quite grainy. Now I'm mapping it out now with the HB so I'm just finding where the shapes are within the iris and just flowing with it just take your time. Best not to have a time on these things as well because if you start clock watching you'll cause stress and tension because you'll be rushing things thinking you're taking too long. It takes as long as it takes that's my motto so just forget about time just enjoy being in the moment just focus on here and now. This is just a mapping out stage again it's not the detail stage that will come later it's just getting an idea of the values and things in the right place. Before I can start thinking about details is to make sure that the values are correct there's no good putting loads of detail in something if it's got to be changed so what I'm doing here is trying to work out other areas so that I can go back to the iris and put the details and try and finalize that then move on to the other areas but before I can do that I need to sort of map out where these eyelashes are. If you're enjoying this video why not subscribe it's absolutely free then you're sure not to miss any of my future videos. Blowing it down to real time now so you can actually see me I'm using the pencil a very very small sort of circles wiggles just trying to get a sort of texture while I'm doing it as well similar to pastels I don't just draw lines it's all feeling the texture and letting the pencil just move where it needs to move. All right back on the iris then so I'm trying to put a little bit more dark in there now it's a case of just keep working on different areas until it it comes together it's seeing the image as a whole not just working on one point and then moving on it's a case of trying to get a balance everywhere so one minute I'll probably be doing the eyelashes then next minute I might go back to the iris again or the pupil and then just keep going backwards and forwards until it actually becomes more of a value balance so what I'm doing is actually comparing one and the other. Right just blocking in these eyelashes now then going over with a darker colour it's a case of working on several areas at the same time just to get an idea of the balance. Blowing it down to real time now so you can just see how I'm doing these eyelashes so I'm keeping the pencil really sharp this is a 8B pencil I'm using because it's more or less as dark as the pupil some of this area on the eyelashes so they need to be quite dark but I'm building it up slowly by using HB then B and then now I'm going over now with the darker pencil so I'm using small movements to start with but then I might do an eyelash then go on to something else it's you've just got to let yourself go where you need to go just let be spontaneous and don't be fixed about where to work on next. I just want to take this opportunity to thank my Patreons again for your generous support each month I really appreciate it now this actual drawing will be on my Patreon step by step in real time so you can actually hear me and see me as I draw it so you can hear my decisions and why I do a certain thing at certain times. Now to find out more about my Patreon please check the description below for the link and you can find all the benefits you get by joining me on there. Now I'm using the H pencils a lot just to soften that texture or the tooth of the paper so it don't create so much grain so I'm sort of aware of that and how to soften that is to use these H pencils and then you can go on darker over the top so you sort of doing both really and it's just trying to create textures different textures in different places by using different grades of pencil but also being aware of what values are needed. A bit of real time here just showing you how I'm using this mono zero eraser just very finely just lifting off that graphite and then what I'll do then is use this mechanical pencil I'm just trying it out not really use this much but just giving it a go because you can get really fine details with this so I'm just playing with that and seeing what I like it but the only problem I had with it is that I've only got four B leads in and it is a HB lead so I couldn't really use it much because the 4B lead was too dark and it was creating too much of a grain. I'm going to invest in a few more of these mechanical pencils different leads because I think they'd be quite handy and introduce them to my graphite work so you've got to try these things you've got to try you know got to keep open try new things so yeah I'll be definitely ordering a few more of those. Now for the white of the eyes I'm just using a 9H here that actually makes the grain of the paper smooth it makes it more like the smooth paper creates like a glassy surface on it then it makes it easier then to go over then with detail so now I've used like a 2H there just going over just mapping out the vein in the actual white of the eyes and using the mono zero as well just to reshape it if I need to but creating that sort of smoother finish it makes it easier to put the details on top so it's a good tip to to be aware of it when you're using this vellum paper. Now I recommend getting one of these in your kit that's a kneadable eraser and what that does is actually change value very subtly by just dabbing on it so you can make a into a point and just ab over the area where you feel that you've gone too dark and by dabbing it it lifts it and changes the value into a lighter value really handy to have. I've left a list of all materials in the description below so if you want to check that out at the end. When you use a mono zero eraser to erase out it leaves little bits of graphite on your drawing now you've got to take those off and sometimes if you use your finger it makes a smudge so I tend to use this tool it's a rubber with actually with a brush at the end I find it very handy just to clean the surface off because if you put graphite over top of these bits it really makes a mess it creates speckles on your drawing. If you're enjoying this video why not give it a like and share it with your friends it will mean so much to me as this will help the channel to grow. For blending in the very subtle iris as it meets the white of the eyes I'm using a 9h there just to sort of blend it in and then using it on the white of the eyes as well it's surprising when you start using this 9h how it transfers the look of the picture right so it's just a case then now when you're putting these details in is just to keep aware of the values and how they compare with each other so if you look at one shade just see where the shade is similar on the actual reference image and then compare and then keep it the same so it's backwards and forwards just trying to get those values correct it's all about values and edges to get realism. Now to create the skin texture I've used H pencils which creates more of a a different feel to the graphite it's almost a slightly different shade somehow but it why does it creates more interest and it's easier to create the texture using the mono zero with the H pencils because they easily are rubbed out and there's no texture with it you can have too much texture if you go in there with B pencils and to build it up slowly with the H pencils you know the 4H, 2H, H and HB. Shadows you have to be careful with shadows because you look at it you think it's just a dark shadow but it's not there's actually very subtle light changes going off in the shadows so what I tend to do is try and subtly talk by just dabbing with the needed eraser you can make it into a point just by pinching it and then it creates quite subtle sort of details. I'd like to mention again that if you wanted to see this drawing a real-time video real-time audio as I draw it I discuss in depth my thoughts and process. Please check out the description below for the Patreon link. I hope you've enjoyed the video here's the finished drawing at the correct angle if you're interested in more my graphite work here's some links you might be interested in