Eyes

Place and draw eyes as spherical forms within the skull, with consistent structure, alignment, gaze, and surface values across angles.

What it is

You place the eyes within the head by treating each eyeball as a sphere set into the skull. The lids wrap over the sphere, and their visible opening, curves, and corners change with perspective.

You simplify the eye area into repeatable forms: the eyeball, upper and lower lids, upper-lid shadow, brow plane, and socket. You can vary lid thickness, crease, and opening while keeping the sphere and skull placement consistent.

You align the irises and pupils to control gaze and expression. Both eyes follow the same target and perspective. You handle foreshortened views, partial closure, squinting, and upward or downward gazes while preserving structure. Surface values include the darker iris rim, upper-lid shadow, off-white eye surface, and a small bright highlight that follows the light direction.

Why it matters

Eye structure anchors the portrait and supports consistent expression and character likeness. Weak control can make eyes appear detached from the skull, point in different directions, flatten, or lose their intended expression.

You can check it when

• ✓Draw the eye in front, 3/4, and profile views as a form wrapping around a sphere inside the skull.
• ✓Tilt the head up, down, and sideways while keeping both eyes aligned, matched in scale, and aimed at the same point.
• ✓Compare multiple drawings of one character and check that eye placement, proportions, and general shape remain consistent.
• ✓Check that the eye surface is not pure white, the irises follow the eyeball's curvature, and highlights and shadows follow one light direction.

Related skills

• Primitive forms in any rotation (boxes, cylinders, spheres and modified spheres, cones, pyramids)
• Curved forms (circles, ellipse degree and minor-axis alignment, cylinders, cones)
• Head construction (skull, head planes, Loomis-style or equivalent)
• Head in any position (rotation, tilt, perspective)
• The light family (halftones, highlights, speculars, reflected light, terminator)
• Wet surfaces
• Expression