Drawing-Eyes For Realistic Dog PortraitsThe Eyes Are The Focal Point Of Your Dog-Portrait. Drawing-eyes realistically is very important because the first thing most people zero in on when viewing any portrait is the eyes. For dog portraits, drawing-eyes correctly is possibly the most important step. The eyes of different dog breeds are similar. But the shape of the eye lid and the area directly surrounding the eye can be very different. Even the eye color differs in some breeds. To start with, look at this illustration and familiarize yourself with the parts of the dog's eye.
You will see examples of drawing-eyes from different angles. Which ever breed you are drawing follow the steps to create a beautiful eye. The first example is a frontal view of a Weimaraner. Begin as always with your accurate outline. Keep your pencil lines very light in this area (the grid lines have been removed so that you can see the eyes better).
Remember that when drawing-eyes from the front, a dog's eye is perfectly round. Use your circles template to draw the iris. The reflection in the eye is not always round. You will draw the eye lid around the iris. Sometimes the eye lid will cover part of the iris. If it does, carefully erase the part of the iris that is over-lapped by the eye lid. Add the darker tones. Add the full and 3/4 tones to the eyes. Refer to your original. Don't over do it. You can always make them darker if you have to.
The other lighter tones will be added as you go along. With a new tortillion, blend the pupil. Now that your tortillion has picked up some graphite, shade the iris. See your original for the tone you need. Continue to shade and blend the entire eye area. Blending the darker tones into the lighter ones. Even if your dog has white above or below his eye, shade it lightly. Never just leave it white. Make sure everything is soft and smooth. No harsh dividing lines between tones. With your kneaded eraser, begin to add the highlights by removing graphite from the lighter areas. Remove any shading from the reflection. Look for one of those thin areas of light just above the eye ball. Side Note: When drawing-eyes the reflection may not always be in the pupil. Sometimes it is in the iris and sometimes it's half in the pupli and half in the iris. Your original may even show more than one reflection. Add some highlights to the iris with the eraser. The lower half will usually be a little lighter than the top. Continue with the tortillion and the eraser until you are satisfied that the eyes look like the original. Everything must be smooth and natural.
Look where the highlights are in this Weimaraner. The reflection in the pupil is obvious. There is also a thin area of reflected light just below each eye ball. It's subtle but it's there. This adds depth to the eyes. Someone once said that the ..."Eyes are the mirror of the soul". Drawing-eyes correctly can really portray the mood of the dog you are drawing. Stay with the eyes unitl you get them right. Make sure there are no visible grid lines. Either erase them as you go or shade and blend them in.
Drawing-eyes realistically will give your dog-portrait life.
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