Learn How To Paint Eyes That Bring Your Portraits To Life

Learn How To Paint Eyes That Bring Your Portraits To Life

How many times have to tried to paint eyes, only to become frustrated and discouraged. There are many painting techniques and tricks that artists use to paint eyes and bring their portraits to life. Read how now, and at the end of this article you will learn how you can paint too!

One of the first things that you need to know when painting eyes are the features of the eye. In painting, the eye consists of the following 8 components:

The overall shape of the eye. The basic shape of nearly all human eyes is an almond or oval shape. You must get the shape of the eye correct or the painting can never resemble a true likeness.

The "white" of the eyeball. The inside and outside edges of the "white" eyeball should be shaded with gray. The paint brush will be drawn in a circular motion so the eye becomes round.

The iris is the portion of the eye that we say is blue, brown, or hazel. The iris can be many color variations. Most often the top of the iris will be behind the upper eye lid.

The pupil of the eye is the darkest most center portion of the eyeball. The pupil color is usually the color of the iris with a touch of black to darken it. The pupil needs to be painting very carefully and take a perfectly round shape.

The upper eyelid crease. A line drawn above the overall shape of the eye will indicate the indentation where the upper eyelid creases into the face.

Painting a lower eyelid is often forgotten, but very important. After you have painted the eyeball, use a flesh color and add the lower eyelid beneath the eye.

Eyelashes are one of the last features added to the portrait of the eye. Eyelashes are usually thicker and longer on the top lid. It is best if you draw very lightly a few eyelash shapes so you will know exactly where your painted lashes go.

The highlight or catch-light in the pupil area is an absolute must in completing a portrait. The highlight indicates wetness. Without highlights on the pupil / iris area and the lower lid, the eyes simply will not look alive.

When you are drawing or painting you need to include all 8 features that are listed here. Omitting any one of them and you risk creating a lifeless painting.

This article was originally published on Ezinearticles as Learn How To Paint Eyes That Bring Your Portraits To Life

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