how to draw anime eye

by Glennie Eichmann 9 min read
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How do you draw anime eyes from the side?

Place the top lash-line about halfway between the top and bottom of the head. The upper and lower lash lines should form a roughly triangular shape...

How do you draw anime eyes crying?

Peak the eyebrows in the middle to give the eyes a sad look. If you like, you can draw a small crease next to the inner end of each eyebrow for a l...

Why is anime called anime?

Anime is a shortened form of the English word “animation.” The term anime is used in Japan to distinguish animated cartoons from illustrated cartoo...

How to draw sad eyes?

For a sad look draw the eyes squinted. Draw the bottom eyelids in a slight upside down arch. Draw the outer edges of the eyebrows lower down with less of an arch than normal or even in an upside down arch.

How to draw an angry look?

For an angry look draw the eyebrows down in a kind of inward wave shape. Draw the top eyelids down in an inward slope and draw the pupils slightly rolled up.

How to draw eyebrows?

For a normal expression draw the iris slightly covered by the top eyelid while just touching the bottom eyelid. Draw the eyebrows slightly above the eyes in a smooth curve. When drawing different expressions the eyebrow shape and positions and the positions of the pupils can be different. For drawing different kinds of eyebrows see: ...

How to draw a surprised look?

For a surprised look draw the eyes wide open with the eyebrows raised. The wider you draw the eyes and the farther you raise the eyebrows the more surprised the character will look.

What is the difference between realistic and realistic eye expressions?

One major difference between drawing realistic eye expressions is that in anime and manga the size of the pupil can be changed to create a more dramatic expression (really scared eye expression for example). Below is a breakdown of each expression.

Where are the anime eyes located?

Placing Anime or Manga Eyes on the Head. Real eyes are located in the middle of the head. Anime eyes are often draw much farther down the head. A good guide for drawing anime eyes is to draw a horizontal line through the middle of the head as shown in the above example and to draw the eyes below that.

Where to draw pupil reflections?

Draw the pupil in the middle of the iris. The positions of the reflections will depend on the the position of the viewer. There can be more than one reflection depending on how many light sources there are. In this case we have two. One for the main light source and one from a secondary light source.

What does it mean to draw anime eyes?

A basic understanding of the anatomy of the eye. Knowing common elements that make most eyes look like anime eyes. A step-by-step approach to drawing anime eyes while implementing these common elements. A quick note, before going further, I will use the term anime to mean both anime and manga for simplicity.

What is the drop shadow on the upper eyelid?

A drop shadow from the upper eyelid covers the iris and the sclera one third or sometimes half of the way down. (Confused about what iris and sclera are? Scroll up to the anatomy section of this article, or click here to be taken there).

What is the upper eyelid crease?

Upper eyelid crease. – The upper eyelid crease is a horizontal indent formed above the upper eyelid that appears in some people. Notably, it is prominently indicated in most anime eye drawings, and stylized into a curved line. It helps situate the anime eye drawing so it is a good idea to take notice of it.

What is the iris in the eye?

– the iris is a ring shaped membrane, with an adjustable circular opening (pupil) in the center. The iris is what people talk about when they talk about eye color. (Some people confuse it with the pupil, so here is a tip to remember it better: eye color = iris color)

Where is the lacrimal caruncle?

Lacrimal caruncle. – The lacrimal caruncle is the small, pink, spot at the inner corner of the eye (the corner closest to the nose). It contains both oil and sweat glands. We will mostly use lacrimal caruncle as a landmark when visualizing the eye, as it is rarely drawn when drawing anime eyes. 2 .

What are highlights in anime?

Highlights from at least 2 light sources. White or bright circles or ovals appearing in stylized anime eyes are representative of highlights on the surface of the eye. Note here that usually one highlight is dominant and is depicted larger, and the second subordinate and depicted smaller.

What is the stylizer called in anime?

Fortunately, we all have a stylizer machine called the brain! In anime, there is a spectrum of on one end, very large anime looking eyes, and some on the other end, that are pretty realistic with some stylization flare. I tend to like something in the middle, although a lot depends on the artwork itself.

What is the difference between anime eyes?

Female Anime Eye Specifics (Before You Start Drawing) Anime eyes are almost always drawn bigger and wider than real eyes. This is especially so for female characters who often have larger and wider eyes than their male counterparts.

How to draw female anime eyes?

Female anime eyes vertical placement. To place the eyes on the head vertically divide the head into two and draw them below the middle halfway point. Please note that real eyes are usually positioned directly on this line but in anime eyes tend to be drawn lower down on the head.

Where do you put your eyelashes in anime?

The first place you want to add the eyelashes to is the outer corners of the eye. Generally eyelashes (real eyelashes) sort of fan out around the eyelids so you can draw anime eyelashes in a similar way. Next add some smaller eyelashes at the inner corner of the eye.

Can you erase reflections in anime?

The shape and color of the reflection can depend on the shape and color of the light source. Usually in anime you can simply leave the reflection white and give it a very generalized shape like a circle or an oval.

Is it hard to draw anime eyes?

Though anime eyes are not that difficult to draw they do have a lot of variations based on different states, emotions and even personalities. For more on drawing all of these see the following tutorials:

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