Drawing a Realistic Eye in Charcoal with Structure and Anatomy

In today's lesson, Ben will walk you through how to draw the eye using charcoal pencils and smooth newsprint. One of the most important features on the face, the eye conforms rigidly to the underlying forms of the skull. Join us as Ben takes us from a blank page, to a fully constructed and rendered eye.

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About Ben Young:
Senior Watts Atelier Instructor
Ben Young has been at Watts Atelier for the past 25 years. He has worked as a freelance illustrator, fine artist and conceptual designer. Clients include Sony Entertainment, Reflexive Entertainment, Upper Deck and Blizzard.

Helpful drawing terms:

Lay-in: The first stage of a drawing or painting and primarily concerned with location, angles and placement. It is usually done very lightly and noncommittally, allowing for subsequent layers of information to be added. The lay-in covers the framework and basic proportions.

Structure/Structural Drawing: The concept of creating three-dimensionality in a drawing through form. Often when a drawing is regarded as "structural" it feels like it has 3 dimensions to it. Structural Drawings are not limited to primitive forms (cylinders, cubes etc) but are often created through the use of more complex overlapping forms or anatomical nuances. To achieve a structural drawing an artist must think in three dimensional terms, not only in flat shapes.

Keystone shape (when drawing eyes): The area in between the eyes (glabella) that appears like a keystone (inverted triangular wedge). Refer to the Asaro head and look between the eyes to see an example.

Comparative Measurement: Estimating your measurements by making very accurate visual assessments or guesses of the scale or size of what you are seeing by comparing your decisions to other decisions. This technique relies heavily on judging angles, vertical lines or plumb lines, and negative and positive shapes to navigate the figure or head.

Plumb Line: A straight vertical line. In drawing, you'll hold your arm up to your reference or model and drop a plumb line off of any particular place you'd like. With this vertical line, you can see where other parts intersect with the line. This is a measuring tool that helps us make sure the drawing stays as close as possible to the reference. For example, you might use a plumb line against the side of the head to see where the neck, shoulders, hips or feet line up in relation to it.