You’ll notice that how much of the iris is exposed can drastically change the emotion the character is showing. Near the middle of the top, draw a small circle for the pupil and surround that with a larger half circle for the iris. This line shouldn’t be as long as the one on top. Then, draw a second curved line (a bit thinner this time) underneath to represent the bottom eyelashes. The overall concept is pretty much the same, but you’ll see the differences.įirst, draw your curved eyelash line as you did for the female eye. Draw a second, must smaller oval on the opposite side of the eye, covering the area where the iris meets the white of the eye. Make a small oval near the top of the eye, covering mainly the iris, but also a bit of the pupil. This next part is something very common among manga and anime character eyes.įor the interested, these reflections are called “ catchlights” in both film and photography. If you’re tired of drawing ovals, too bad… There are more coming. Then, draw yet another oval around pupil to represent the iris (the colored part of the eye). Inside this first oval, you’ll want to draw another smaller oval that is slightly overlapped on the top by the eyelashes. When the inking starts, there’s no going back.

This is why you are pressing so lightly with the pencil. If for whatever reason you aren’t happy with it thus far, just gently erase and start again. Now you should have something that is starting to resemble an eye.

Leave one side of the oval open (this will be filled in later during the coloring process). From here you will want to draw a large oval shape underneath, roughly the same width and the first line you made. Start by drawing a curved line (remember to press lightly) where the top of the eyelid and the eyelashes will sit. Let’s start off with a basic female manga eye first.

Guide to drawing anime pdf