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Newberry, The Eye, 2010, ink on paper, 6 x 8 inches

The Eye by Michael Newberry.

Stage One - Wrap the Lids

There is a theory that if you can master drawing an egg, you can draw anything. Indeed, knowing how to draw a sphere is an excellent foundation for drawing an eye.

When it comes to the eye, an intuitive and a good place to start is with a ball.

I am also using my self as the model, seen in a mirror.

In the beginning, I like to set the angle from the corner of the eye to the tear duct.

Here I start with the inner lower eyelid, gently following the shape of the eyeball.

Then do the same with the inner upper eyelid, though in real life it is not as clearly visible as the lower lid due to the eyelashes.

Next I begin the outer edge of the inner eyelid. Accenting the inner lids helps give a strong sense that the eyelids are thickly folded around the eyeball.

Here I completed the upper half of the upper eyelid. Notice how it doesn't extend to the top of the eye ball; this helps give the sense that the eyeball continues inside the head underneath the flap of the eyelid.

The last part of this stage is sketching in the iris. With a normal view, the upper lid overlaps the iris. 

Stage Two - Form, Shadow, and Light

I draw in the pupil next. You may notice that the pupil “sits” on the angled axis line, but this is purely coincidence. It would change if the eye were looking up or down.

Next I circled the highlight on the eye. This drawing is in ink, therefore I have to be careful with my lights as erasing is not an option.

Here I begin knocking in my core shadows, which help define the upper and lower lids and the eyeball/sclera. It is almost impossible to see the core shadow in the white of the eyeball, unless you really look for it!

I also marked a kind of shadow running horizontally around the eye ball, about 1/4 of the way down from the upper lid. In sculpture, this is the cast shadow of the eyelashes and upper lid, but in real life this is the reflection of the eyelashes. It really helps give the shimmering wet quality to an eye.

Note: The core shadow is usually where the shadow meets the light.

If you are unfamiliar with the core shadow, go to my tutorial at http://newberryworkshop.com/Tutorial/light/light.html  I can’t recommend strongly enough the importance of the core shadow and how it gives shape to form.

After I block in the core shadow, I begin drawing the mid-tones working my way around the whole eye.

To get more expression, it is important to include the areas around the eye--they help complete it.

Now I go over everything a few times, checking my core shadows, refining some lines, and giving nuance to mid-tones. It is a particularly fun place for me, because I begin to observe so much more detail in real life. If my foundation is solid in the drawing, I can continue to add countless details.

 

Okay, so here is the finished ink drawing.

I hope you enjoyed seeing in a fresh way.

Michael Newberry
Santa Monica, March 2010

P.S. You may enjoy viewing the time-lapse video of the image here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mPfho6eafY