Startart

Advanced Eyes
Okay, continuing on from my Drawing Eyes tutorial, this tutorial will cover more types of eyes, as well as inking and coloring eyes (both digital and real media).
Penciling Eyes
A good sketch is always a good place to start. Here you can see a number of eyes I've penciled. These are in all different styles, real, anime, comic book and so forth. My own styles or variations on popular styles. These were penciled using a Staedtler Mars pencil (F Lead), but any pencil or paint program you are comfortable with will do.

Inking Eyes
Here you can see the eyes after I've inked most of them. The last I left partly inked so you can see the process I use. First I outline the shapes, then fill in the dark areas, and last I do some shading with smaller lines. These examples were inked on paper using a 005 Micron pen, but again you can ink with whatever works best for you (but if you plan to color on paper make sure it's waterproof).

Inking & Coloring (Photoshop #1)
Here's that last eye finished up. First I finished the inking using photoshop (see the Digital 101 basic tutorial for how to put your lineart in a new layer and color under it).
  • Once the inking was finished I blocked in the basic color for the eye - a red/orange.
  • Then I added in some lighter color - using a pretty solid style of shading and stripes to fade it out.
  • Next I add some highlights with an even lighter color. Notice how I repeat that color around the edges of the white highlights to take the contrast down a bit.
  • Last I shade some of the white of the eye itself. (For how to setup your brushes see the Photoshop Brushes tutorial).

    Coloring (Colored Pencils)
    Here's another of the eyes, this time I'm using colored pencil and coloring it on paper. I use two brands of colored pencil for this: Prismacolor Thick Lead Art (a standard art pencil) and Col-Erase (a low cost very soft pencil).
  • First I shaded around the eye using Col-Erase Light Peach (one of the pencils I use most for colored pencil drawings and even sometimes to finish up marker drawings!)
  • Next I darken select areas around the eye using Prismacolor Peach and I shade the white of the eye using Col-Erase Blue
  • Now I start working on the Iris itself. For this I use more Col-Erase Blue
  • Now I finish up the Iris using Prismacolor True Blue, Prismacolor Spring Green, and Col-Erase Light Green. I blend it a little using a Prismacolor Colorless Blending Pencil (this doesn't come in most sets, but you can buy one for about $1).

    Soft/Glowing Coloring (Photoshop)
    Here's an example of the same eye I just colored with colored pencils, only this time I'm going for a soft, glowing, look using Photoshop.
  • As shown above, it's important to shade the white of the eye so I start there with a gray color.
  • The white of the eye doesn't have to be shaded in gray, so I adjust my shading to a blue color instead (using a "colorize" layer).
  • Now I start to work on the Iris (light colors to dark, a force of habit from paper since you can always go darker, but it's harder to go lighter). I think the eye will be green.
  • I paint in most of the eye a darker green now.
  • I use the "Dodge" tool, set to highlights to really make the eye glow.
  • To make it more interesting I "colorize" some of the eye blue. I finish the eye by adding some white highlights.

    Solid Coloring #1 (Photoshop)
    Yet another eye, and another look at coloring it! In this case going for a more solid look.
  • The inked image...
  • Adding some skin tone
  • Shading the white of the eye and coloring the Iris Blue.
  • On the finished image I've added more depth by using redder shadows around the eye and some highlights.

    Solid Coloring #2 (Photoshop)
    Here's that eye AGAIN... with another look at solid shading - there are many ways/styles to color something!
  • First off I color the Iris Blue
  • Next I removed some of my inked shading and instead shaded with a very solid "spiky" shape.
  • Then I shaded the white of the eye.
  • Last I added some skin color, but with less contrast than my last attempt (not as red). I also added in some white highlights.

    I hope that these looks at different styles of eyes and coloring are helpful!
  • » Back to list of Tutorials


    A part of Artlair.com
    Copyright © 2003 by Jessica Feinberg