If you have ever wondered how to draw a woman in a dress, there are two obvious tasks you need to accomplish.
First, you need to draw the figure of the woman. Then of course, you need to know the parts of the dress in order to draw that. Easy enough, right?
So, why not add an extra element of challenge and draw the woman in motion?
That is what we’ll aim to do with this lesson. We will see how to draw a lady in a dress, spinning around in a field of grass, and as with my other drawing tutorials, this one comes with step-by-step directions and images for beginners.
First things first. Let’s get a little more familiar with what we will be drawing.
What to Look for in the Woman and the Dress
I do not claim to be a fashion expert, and I am certainly not one to know all the characteristics and fine details of a woman’s dress without having a resource to help me.
For that reason, I found this photo of a woman wearing a dress that we can use as a reference. This will help in the next step when trying to draw the woman’s figure in motion. It will help even more later on when we need to draw the twirling dress.
Before we begin drawing, let me point out just a few noteworthy things from the photo to keep in mind. Since the woman is twirling, you can notice her figure leaning back. Also, you can tell she is twisting to her right. Her torso is slightly more turned than her lower half. She is also using her left arm to bring her dress along for the spin. Since the woman is in motion, you notice her hair and the bottom part of the dress trailing along.
The dress has lace along the bodice and along the edges of the shoulder straps. There appears to be a knot in the back where pieces of the garment are tied together. The upper half of the dress is form-fitting, while the lower half is loose and free-flowing. There is a flower pattern on this dress that you can choose to draw if you want, but I left it out of this tutorial.
Materials Used for This Drawing
Affiliate Disclaimer: The links below are affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if a purchase is made through one of these links. Learn more here.
Besides my drawing paper, the only materials I used for this were a mechanical pencil with 2B lead and a kneaded eraser. Just remember to sketch your guidelines lighter than how they appear in these images.
How to Draw a Woman in a Dress Video Tutorial
Hopefully you are now ready to draw along with this tutorial! You can watch the video for a summary of the steps and read more detailed steps below, along with viewing the illustrations for each step.
How to Draw the Figure of the Woman
In the following steps, we will draw the basic shapes of the woman’s head, body, legs, and arm. Then we will add details such as hair, facial features, fingers, and joints.
Draw the Woman’s Head and Torso
Let’s start by seeing how to draw the woman’s figure. Begin by sketching the shapes for the head and the neck. Remember that we want her to lean back slightly, so draw the shapes at a slight tilt as opposed to an exact vertical position.
Next, sketch the shape of the body between the neck and the waist. Again, the woman is leaning back a little. Make sure to show the arch in the curvature of her back. Notice how the small of her back is in close alignment with the center of the neck?
Complete the torso by drawing the shape for the pelvic region.
Draw the Woman’s Legs and Arm
Sketch the shape of the upper thigh that tapers toward the knee. Draw a round circle for the knee joint.
Complete the woman’s left leg by drawing a cylinder shape for the calf that tapers at the ankle. Then sketch a basic shape for the foot. Remember that this foot will not be flat on the ground.
Repeat a similar process for the woman’s right leg. Keep in mind that the woman is spinning. Her right leg is the leg she is pivoting on, so her foot will be flat on the ground and pointing forward from her point of view.
Now it is time to sketch guidelines for the arm. Make a round shape for the shoulder. Then sketch the rest of the upper arm and the forearm. The lady’s arm is extended straight for the most part, so there should not be a noticeable bend at the elbow. Sketch the basic shapes for the hand in such a way that it appears to be holding on to fabric.
Draw the Hair and Facial Features
Okay, we are attempting to draw a girl in a dress with long, flowing hair. Let’s sketch a rough outline for that hair. Since the hair is in motion from the spin, draw it trailing behind her rather than flat against her back.
Next, sketch some guidelines that will help to place the facial features. Draw the line for the eyes about halfway between the top of the head and the bottom of the chin. Draw the other lines as shown below. Make sure that your facial guidelines are placed properly.
Use the guidelines and the reference photo to draw the eyes, eyebrows, nose, smiling mouth, and any other facial details you wish. Remember that you do not have to stick to the reference photo or my drawing exactly. You are the artist, so it’s up to you. If you wish, you can change the woman’s appearance simply by making the facial features look different from what you see here. I would still make sure she is smiling, since she conveys a happy mood by spinning around.
Sketch in the flowing sections of hair. Make a few strands flow away from the mass along the outer perimeter to make it look more natural.
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Add Details to the Arm and Legs
For the upper arm, use your kneaded eraser to get rid of the shoulder and elbow joint guidelines. Draw lines indicating the muscle connecting the upper and lower arm.
Complete the arm by erasing the guidelines within the forearm and drawing the thumb and fingers as seen below.
Draw a few details to define the lady’s feet, including her ankles. Don’t forget to make some loose lines to represent blades of grass.
How to Draw the Dress
In the remaining steps, we will draw the outline of the dress. Then we will add folds and other details to the top and bottom of the dress.
Draw the Basic Outline of the Dress
Now that we have drawn a girl, it is time to see, step by step, how to draw a dress for her. Begin by sketching lines for the shoulder strap and the part of the bodice of the dress under her armpit. Also sketch in where her dress is tied in the back and hanging from a knot.
Now form the skirt part of the dress. Make sure it is curved at the bottom to help with the appearance of a dress in motion.
Draw Details on the Bodice of the Woman’s Dress
Go back up to the top part of the dress. Draw some lace that follows the curvature of the woman’s figure and that borders the shoulder strap.
Complete the bodice of the dress by drawing a few spiral folds. Also make sure to draw the visible seams of the dress shown below with the blue arrows.
Draw Folds and Seams on the Lower Portion of the Woman’s Dress
Before finishing the lower half of the dress, use your kneaded eraser to erase those guidelines we used to draw the woman’s legs. You can leave a small guideline in place to show the bend of the knee that will press against the dress.
Now let’s finish the dress off by drawing a few different folds that will make it look like an actual dress. Begin by drawing some pipe folds from the woman’s waist that lead to where she is holding the fabric between her thumb and finger.
This woman is spinning in a clockwise direction. As she spins to her right, the bottom of the dress from her left side is clashing against the part from her right side that hasn’t moved yet. Draw a few folds to represent this clash, as seen below with the green arrow. Draw the hemline along the bottom of the dress shown with the blue arrow.
Complete the dress by completing the hemline and the folds in the fabric that flow in the direction of the spin. Complete the underside of the dress (as seen on the right side of this drawing) in the same manner.
If you were following along and drawing with me while reading this, you should have something similar to the drawing below.
Conclusion
That concludes this tutorial on how to draw a woman in a beautiful dress! Not only that, but completing this tutorial means you were able to draw a moving woman in a dress, a bigger challenge than drawing a woman standing still.
If you made it this far, congratulations! Now you can apply what you learned from this tutorial as you draw other people.
Of course, if you wanted to take it a bit further with additional details, like the dress pattern and shading, that is your choice. My goal here was to just show you the basics for getting started. As you can see, it’s not all that difficult a process. If you can draw the figure of a woman and if you can draw the parts of a dress, you have all you need to draw a woman in a dress!
It’s no big secret how difficult it can be to draw a smile. So in today’s tutorial, we are going to learn how to sketch lips and teeth.
It’s hard enough to just sketch teeth so they look like normal teeth. If you are trying to draw teeth that look exactly like those of a specific person, then you are talking about a whole other level of challenge!
Then, of course, you must draw lips that match the lips of your subject’s face.
I remember my early days of drawing portraits for commissions. There was more than one occasion when I had to make corrections to the teeth in order to make a better resemblance of the person I was drawing.
Lips are easier, but they can also look off if the teeth are not right.
Teeth and lips play a huge role in creating a recognizable likeness of an individual, so you want to make sure you draw them correctly. Although they can be tricky to draw, I’ll show you how you can sketch them better and more accurately with some simple observations.
Get Familiar with the Teeth You Will Sketch
Before we begin, it’s helpful to know the names of the teeth to which we’ll be referring. I’ll quickly review them with you now. The four teeth in the middle of your mouth on the top are called incisors. The four teeth directly below them are also called incisors. Then you have two canines on top and two smaller canines on the bottom. After the canines, the next two teeth are premolars (8 total). The remaining teeth are molars. Here’s a diagram of the teeth labeled with these names and some alternate ones.
Teeth look very different from person to person. You will want a reference photo when trying to draw the teeth of a particular person, and this is especially true for beginners. We’ll use the following reference photo for our sketching practice.
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For this demonstration, I used a 2B pencil and some drawing paper. This will be a basic sketch of teeth, so the materials are also basic. Use whatever pencil and paper you have on hand. If you want to turn this sketch into a more realistic drawing, you can incorporate a few more pencils for a bigger variety of values.
How to Sketch Lips and Teeth Video Tutorial
You can also watch the video version of this tutorial below. Watch it once all the way through to get a sense of the overall process. Then watch a second time and draw along with me, pausing as needed.
Sketch the Top Six Front Teeth
Begin with a line to represent the lower edge of the top lip.
Now, to make sure the top teeth are not too far away from or too close to the top lip, I’m placing this horizontal guideline. I’m just looking at my reference photo to see about how far down from the top lip the gumline is.
I’m starting by sketching the two front teeth, or incisors. There are a few basic things to look for that can help you when drawing teeth. As you draw the lines that make up each tooth, compare the length and angle of each edge to the reference. Also, check that the shape of each tooth you draw matches the tooth in the reference as closely as possible.
Next I’ll sketch the two smaller teeth beside the two front teeth. These are also called incisors. Notice how the tops of the first incisors I drew go all the way up to our horizontal guideline. These smaller incisors get close, but they don’t actually come up as far as the bigger ones.
The next two teeth are called canines. These are longer teeth than the previous two, and they pretty much come all the way up to our guideline, on the same level as the two bigger incisors. Now, another thing to pay attention to while sketching teeth is the amount of space you are putting between each tooth, both above and below the gumline.
Sketch the Bottom Six Front Teeth
Now, I’ll sketch the smaller teeth on the bottom. These four bottom teeth in front are also incisors. For these teeth, I’m not sketching a guideline as I did for the top, since the gumline for them is mostly under the lower lip. Parts of the gumline do show above the lip, and it is revealed to us with these little triangle shapes.
Next, we’ll draw the other two bottom incisors in a similar manner. As you sketch each tooth, check to see where, for example, a vertical edge of a bottom tooth should align with a top tooth. If you have to make adjustments, that’s okay too. It’s better to do so early on before sketching too many teeth incorrectly.
After that, it’s on to the canine teeth at the bottom. These canines should be much shorter than the canines at the top. The curve of the bottom lip reminds us to draw them shorter. Also, notice how these teeth do not line up perfectly under the upper canines. They are much closer to the center of the mouth under the smaller incisors.
Sketch the Left Side of the Mouth
Before we go on to drawing more teeth, I’m going to better define this tip along the lower edge of the top lip.
Okay, the teeth beyond the canines are the premolars. I’ll sketch the two at the top on our left side first. Now, since we are getting farther away from the front teeth, we should keep foreshortening in mind. That simply means we should draw the teeth smaller as they appear to get farther away from us.
When drawing the premolars on the bottom, pay attention to the lower lip and how it will eventually connect to the corner of the mouth. Considering how close the bottom of the top teeth are to where the lower lip will be, that doesn’t leave much room for drawing the lower premolars. Just sketch a few lines to indicate them.
Let’s connect the upper lip and lower lip here at the corner of the mouth. Don’t make the mistake of drawing teeth too close to the corner of the mouth. Allow some space for the tissue that join the lips together.
Sketch the Right Side of the Mouth
On our reference photo, we can see some ridges above the gumline. You can sketch these curved lines above each tooth, following the same contour of the teeth. If any of your lines going up become hidden behind the top lip, just plan where the arch would naturally come down if the lip were not in the way.
Sketch these premolars in this corner just like you did the other ones. Factor in that you will have less and less room to draw the teeth as the top and bottom lips converge at the corner. Also remember that they are going farther back into the mouth. Therefore, these corner teeth should appear smaller than the front teeth.
Sketch a line to connect the top lip to the bottom at the corner of the mouth. As you sketch this line, be aware of the space you are leaving between the gumline and the lower edge of the top lip. Look at the reference and make comparisons to the length of the surrounding teeth to decide if you should make adjustments.
Sketch the Lips Around the Teeth
The lips play a role in helping to enhance the appearance of the teeth. This is because the lips are naturally paired together with the teeth when you draw someone smiling. Just as teeth play a role in establishing the likeness of an individual, so do the lips. Let’s sketch the outline of the top lip first.
Sketch the outline of the bottom lip next. The bottom lip is generally thicker than the top lip. Using the reference photo, I can make visual comparisons between the thickness of the lips and the size of the teeth. Making observations like this throughout the drawing can help me confirm if my proportions are correct.
Shade the Inside of the Mouth
Now that the outline of the mouth is complete, we can add a little shading. We’ll start with the inside of the mouth. Use a sharp pencil and dark pencil marks. Fill in the negative space created by the shape of the teeth. Be careful not to shade over the edges of the teeth. Doing so will distort their shape.
Next, outline the gumline. Doing this will help to establish more form on the gums when we shade them. Be careful with your tracing so you don’t change the shape of the individual teeth. Don’t forget to trace the gumline for the bottom teeth too!
Start shading the corner of the mouth. Before you shade any teeth, focus on shading where the top and bottom lip meet at the corner. Trace over your outlines and place some tones.
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Shade the Upper Gums
Next, begin shading the upper portion of the gums. Shade above the curved ridges sketched earlier. Keep your pencil tones between these ridges and the top lip. This part of the gums will have a slightly darker value than gums closer to the teeth.
Now, lightly shade the portion of the gums just above the teeth. The darker tones above this area, along with the light values we are now applying and the outlining of the gumline we did earlier, all help to create some dimensionality to the gums, helping them to appear less flat.
Let’s not forget to shade under the top lip. Make a thin line of shading just under the lip. It’s important to remember this because when light shines on the top lip, the underside of the lip casts a shadow on the gums. The thickness of this shadow depends on the angle of the light.
Shade the Lower Gums
Although we don’t see nearly as much of the bottom gums as we do the top, we don’t want to neglect them. Shade the little triangular patches of visible gum between the bottom teeth. Keeping the middle of each triangular section a lighter value than the gumline will, again, give the gums form.
Underline the top line of the bottom lip. This is to better define the edge when we shade later.
Shade the Teeth
Now that the gums are shaded, let’s shade the teeth. Start at the corners of the mouth. Remember that these teeth are receding into the background, so they will have slightly more shading on them than the front teeth. Also, be careful to not put too much shading on the teeth. They should still appear white compared to the gums.
Now, let’s shade the rest of the teeth. I’m using a very light touch. I want to use lighter values than I did for the teeth at the corners of the mouth. All that is needed is light shading along an edge or two of each tooth. A little shading helps to make the teeth look more three-dimensional.
Shade the Lips
Okay, the teeth and gums are shaded, so now let’s do some work to the top lip. We’re going to just put some preliminary shading here first. I like to leave a little rim of reflected light along the bottom edge of the top lip, and I want to have more shading at the corners than I do in the middle.
I’m just building up another layer of values on the top lip. Again, I want to preserve some reflected light along the bottom edge. This helps to create an appearance of a curved surface on the lip.
For the bottom lip, I will do basically the same as what I did for the top. I’ll start with a base layer of tones. I’ll leave some reflected light, this time along the top edge of the lip. The bottom lip usually has more highlight in the middle than the top lip does.
We can go back now to put some darker values at the corner of the bottom lip. It’s a good idea to use a few curved strokes to aid in shaping the surface. We’ll do the same thing to the other side. It doesn’t hurt to go back to the top lip if necessary to maintain a consistency between the values of the top and bottom lip.
You don’t want to put as much shading in the center where the highlight is, but a few vertical strokes help to develop some texture.
How to Sketch Better Teeth and Lips from Observation
This tutorial is meant to be a basic one to get you started. Your accuracy from pure observation will improve over time the more you practice.
To help you improve, I recommend finding pictures of mouths showing the teeth and lips and sketching them as often as possible. Find pictures of mouths that are smiling, laughing, or angry for example.
Alternatively, you don’t have to draw mouths or teeth all the time. Just the regular habit of sketching what you see will sharpen your observational skills, even if you are drawing other things. Then when you come back periodically to sketching teeth and lips, you will soon discover that you can sketch them much better.
If you want a more guaranteed method of drawing teeth and lips accurately, you can try this tutorial on how to draw the mouth using a grid. Whatever methods or techniques you use, don’t forget to practice regularly. Keep at it, and you will soon enough sketch lips and teeth effortlessly!
Many artists have a tendency to oversimplify the ear or cover it up with elaborate hairstyles in an effort to avoid drawing it. But the ear itself is nowhere near as complex as it seems. Covering the ear up or oversimplifying also means that the artist is missing out on an opportunity for growth. That’s why in this tutorial, we’re going to take things one step further. We’re going to draw an ear with piercings!
Please work alongside me throughout this tutorial. Take your time and work at your own pace, but try and do each step as you read through it. As with my other drawing tutorials, don’t be afraid to stop and take your time with any section. Work through each step as best as you can and then move on to the next. I will guide you with tips, advice, and a detailed explanation of the process.
Note: I would like to thank artist Noble McCredy for contributing his drawings and tips for this tutorial!
Use a Reference Photo of Ear Piercings
In this tutorial, I will show you how to draw ear piercings by using the following photo as a reference:
The shiny metal next to the smooth skin gives us an interesting range of textures. Keep reading to learn how to recreate these textures in a realistic manner.
Materials Used for This Drawing
Here is a list of the materials used for this drawing.
If you don’t have some of these materials, that’s okay. You can still make do with a regular pencil and eraser, as long as you just get started!
If you wish to purchase any of these materials, they can be found at your local art store, or you can buy them using the links below.
Affiliate Disclaimer: The links below are affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if a purchase is made through one of these links. Learn more here.
The block-in is probably the most important stage in any drawing. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a quick sketch or a master work, the block-in will ultimately determine the final result of the drawing. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the more challenging and, some would argue, least exciting aspects of any drawing. In fact, you might be thinking it would be fine to skip this step altogether.
Don’t.
Take the time required to do the block-in and do it well. This is an essential step and any mistakes made here will carry on throughout the rest of the drawing. A good measure to use at this stage is this: do you like what you see? If you do, great. If not, try and figure out what it is that you don’t like. Don’t expect it to suddenly become better in a later stage of the drawing because everything else you do is only going to be built upon what you have done in this stage.
Sketch Out the Largest Overall Shape
A good practice to get into when drawing almost anything is to start with the largest shapes. Again, I know it’s tempting to just choose a point and start sketching, but in art it’s often best to work from large to small.
Looking at the reference image, think about what the largest shape is. The shape that encompasses everything you want to draw. I’m not just talking about the shape of the ear. I’m talking about the simplest shape that both the ear and the earrings create. Once you think you’ve got a good idea as to what that largest shape is, start sketching.
Begin by using a 5mm graphite stick to lightly sketch out the largest form. If you do not have something similar, just use your softest pencil — HB, H, 2H, etc. are all good choices — or simply work as lightly as you can with what you have available. Hold the tool between your thumb and forefinger and, drawing from your elbow, sketch out the largest shape using a series of straight lines.
TIP: Using straight lines will make it easier to simplify this large shape. Draw from point to point, almost like connect the dots, along the outermost edges of the shape. We can always come back later and make it nice and curvy.
This shape encompasses everything that will be contained within the drawing. This means the earrings as well as the ear itself. The shape represents the outermost boundaries of the image, and from here on out, everything you draw should be contained within.
If, in future steps, you find yourself drawing outside this initial shape, take a moment to reevaluate your proportions. Everything should fit within this shape. Take your time. Compare angles and proportions regularly.
Draw an Ear
Now that we’ve established our largest shape, we can begin sketching the ear itself. Still use a soft graphite or light touch and still draw from the elbow. Take your time here. Try to make broad sweeping lines, not little repeating hash marks. Even if it isn’t completely accurate, a single line will always appear more confident than a series of hesitant strokes.
At this point, we can feel free to erase anything that we feel isn’t working in order to retry it and get it just right. Throughout this stage you can continue to make adjustments both to the ear itself and to the largest shape we’ve already drawn. Use the process of sketching the ear within the largest shape to make adjustments to your proportions.
TIP: At this stage, erasing is free. Don’t rush. Even step away from the drawing for a few minutes and come back with fresh eyes. Erase what needs to be fixed and make those changes while you still can.
Regularly compare your image to the reference. Find various specific points on the ear and compare them relative to each other. How far away are they? What internal shapes or patterns do they make? Do they line up with any other important features of the ear? These questions will help you refine your proportions and get a more accurate sketch.
Draw Piercings on the Ear by Blocking-In
Now that we have our ear nicely sketched out, we can start blocking-in the earrings themselves. Draw a simple ellipse to figure out the placement and proportions of each ear piercing. This will also help you to establish the perspective of the shape.
Once you’re satisfied, we can begin sketching out the larger shapes of the earrings themselves. Keep it as simple as possible at this stage. Lines and cylinders only.
Don’t worry about the fact that not all the earrings are perfect ellipses. At this point, simplifying the form is far more important, and it will help you find placement and proportions more accurately.
As you draw the final block-in for the ear piercings, notice how they are simplified to such a degree that some individual shapes are combined into one larger shape. At this stage the details don’t matter. Get the larger shapes right and the details will follow.
TIP: When working with any complex form, ignore the detail to start with. Try to find the biggest shapes and the simple geometric forms (cylinder, sphere, cube) that make up more complex objects.
Draw Basic Shadows Around the Ear Piercings
Now that our sketch is complete and we’re happy with it, we can begin to lay in some of the basic shadows.
TIP: This is the point of no return. If you’re not happy with the sketch, keep refining it until you are. From here on out, it’s going to become more and more difficult to fix any early mistakes.
Though we’ve blocked-in our earrings at this stage, we’re not going to worry too much about them for now, especially when it comes to laying in the shadow shapes. We’ll deal with the shadows on the earrings in more detail in a future step. First, we have one of the most important elements when it comes to defining the form of your subject.
Apply Core Shadows
The core shadows will be some of the darkest shadows in the drawing. They occur at the point where the form begins to turn away from the light.
At this stage, we’re still using our 5mm graphite stick, though we’re allowing the values to build up a great deal more. This is only partially done by applying greater pressure. Be careful about pressing too hard. You may build up a much darker value far faster than you want. Instead, go over the shadow area multiple times, layering in darker values bit by bit.
For now, think about the form. Think about the direction of the light. Where the form begins to turn away from the light is where we will put our core shadows.
To draw my core shadows, I usually make sure that I have a flat side on whatever tool I’m using. To get a flat side, you can find a rough surface, concrete, wood, or sandpaper, and shave the graphite down on one side.
Once you have a flat edge to your graphite, take hold of the pencil gently between your thumb and forefinger and, using your whole arm, fill in the core shadows.
The core shadow itself can range from soft and wide where the form turns gently, to thin and sharp where the form turns more quickly away from the light. Keep in mind that the core shadow should never be completely sharp or hard edged. It can come close, but there should always be a little softness to it.
Create Shadow Shapes on the Ear
Having established our core shadows, we can begin filling in our shadow shapes. There are a couple of different ways to approach this. One method is to begin by softly outlining the larger shapes of the shadows themselves wherever you see them. However, if you feel confident enough, you can start by filling in the areas directly.
If you choose to outline the shadow shapes first, try to avoid making hard lines or sharp edges. The one exception to this rule is in the case of cast shadows.
Cast shadows are like core shadows in that they are among the darkest areas of value in the drawing. Cast shadows also helps to describe an object’s form as they will bend and curve along whatever surface they are cast upon. Generally speaking, cast shadows will have a much sharper edge.
To draw shadows shapes, switch from the 5mm graphite stick to the 2B pencil. Still holding the pencil between your thumb and forefinger, and drawing from your elbow as much as possible, begin carefully establishing the shadow shape using the method of your choice.
Do your best to use a uniform value at this stage. For now, ignore any variations in value that you see. It should be dark, but still lighter than the core shadows. This would also be a good time to darken your core shadows if you feel they are still too light. Feel free to lightly fill in the shadow shapes on the earrings if you choose, but we will be tackling the earrings in greater detail in the next step.
Draw Shadows and Details on the Ear Piercings
Now that we have our basic shadows in place, we can return to working on the earrings themselves. In this section, we will finish blocking in any details and establish the value range of the metal piercings. At the completion of this section, all important elements of the piercings will be in place.
Refine the Earrings
In the early stages of this tutorial, we simply established the largest shapes of the earrings, their placement, and proportions. Now it is time to refine those larger shapes. During this time, switch back and forth between your 2B and mechanical pencil as needed.
Broadly speaking, use your mechanical pencil whenever you need to draw details and basic shadow on the ear piercings, and switch to a 2B when you need to emphasize the darker values a bit more.
Just like with the ear, begin by finding the core shadows and darkening them to a greater degree. Fill in the shadow shapes as best as you can as well. Pay special attention to the nature of the material. Notice how the metal transitions much more quickly from dark to light and has a greater contrast between dark and light than the ear does.
Once you established your basic shadow shapes, begin carefully filling in the details. Remember to work from large to small.
In the image above, you can clearly see the steps that are used. The earrings at the top of the ear are virtually complete. At the middle of the ear, you can see how the largest shapes are broken into smaller shapes, ready for details. Finally, at the bottom and left side of the ear, you can see the earrings virtually unchanged from the previous steps.
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At this stage, we are only concerned with the secondary shapes and how the light affects them. Focus on how the larger shapes we’ve already established break down into smaller shapes. Then think about how the light and dark values apply to them.
At this point we’re simply repeating steps already taken. There are quite a few piercings and a lot of detail to consider. Remember to take your time.
Refine the Values
At this point in the drawing, almost every important element and relationship is in place. From here on out, the changes that we make will be relatively minor. No more major changes, no more additions. You wanted to draw an ear? Well at this point you’ve essentially done so. From here on out, it’s all about refinement and the process of taking the drawing to completion.
At this point, frustration can set in. Especially if we didn’t spend as much time getting our proportions and relationships right in the beginning. This is where those things will really start to matter.
I know all too well the feeling of looking at a drawing that has reached this stage and feeling like a failure. There’s a little voice inside your head that says “Don’t bother finishing this. You can do better if you just start over.” While there are some circumstances where a drawing is beyond redemption, we are much more likely to think it’s true than for it to actually be true.
For now, ignore that voice. Especially if you’re just beginning to learn how to draw. Ignore it. Shut it out completely. Finishing a drawing is a skill in its own right and is every bit as important as anything we’ve done so far. So finish it, evaluate it honestly, and then draw some more.
Apply Occlusion Shadows
Occlusion shadows are easily overlooked or easily simplified. But they are among the most important shadows in any drawing, right up there with the core shadows when it comes to describing form.
Occlusion shadows occur where the form overlaps itself or where two planes come together creating a crease or crevice. If you want to see an example of occlusion shadows in real life, then simply hold your hand flat and straight under a harsh light.
You can still see all the little creases of your knuckles, right? Even though it’s under direct light. This is because as your skin folds together there are places where it’s so close together that even direct light can’t fully penetrate it and we see a shadow.
Occlusion shadows can be a bit tricky. Not that the technique is difficult, but simply because of the mindset required. It can be tempting to just outline everything, but you must resist that temptation.
Occlusion shadows occur where two planes in the form either overlap or come very close together creating a crease or crevice. Look for such locations.
At this point, we’re still using a 2B pencil. Drawing from your elbow and shoulder carefully, use your pencil to darken any areas where forms overlap. Draw in this manner for both the ear and the piercings wherever two forms overlap or come in close contact.
TIP: Use your best judgment when it comes to adding occlusion shadows. If you feel like the image would look better if there were a nice thick black line in a place where there wouldn’t naturally be one, give it a try. Exaggeration and stylization are all tools in the artist’s toolbox. The degree to which you use them is determined by what your ultimate goals for the drawing are.
Reinforce the Dark Values
We continue to refine our drawing by reinforcing our dark values. This is where we get to go crazy adding all kinds of variations to the dark values. Take time to layer in all the really dark darks, work to add texture to the ear by showing the different values and shades that play across it.
Still using a 2B pencil, begin to add variation to the darker values. Once again, I would say that you should draw values on the ear and the piercings in whichever way is most comfortable. Try to avoid shading with the point of the pencil directly, but other than that use whatever technique you find works the best for you.
Start by looking for the darkest areas and filling them in. If needed, reinforce some of the core shadows at this stage as well. Proceed slowing and don’t press too hard. It’s all about looking for the variations in values and gradually layering in those darks.
TIP: Be careful not to fill in areas of reflected light. The reflected light being the softer shadow on the inside of the core shadows. Most noticeable in this image at the top curve and inner curves of the ear. The combination of cast shadow and reflected light are some of the strongest contributors to the illusion of form.
Fill in the Midtones
Now using your lightest pencil (such as an HB) or lightest touch, begin filling in the half-tones. Do this as lightly and carefully as possible. However, since almost all the remaining white space is midtone, feel free to fill it with a light uniform value in the same way you filled in your shadow shapes. Just remember that your lightest darks should still be darker than your darkest lights.
Once you’ve filled in your base midtones, you can begin working on some of the darker midtones. Give careful consideration to the forms. Ask yourself “Which way is the form turning?” and try to shade by making strokes parallel to the form. This will serve to reinforce its three-dimensionality as all your pencil strokes will be moving in the same direction as the form itself.
Beginning artists tend to think of the eraser only as a tool for getting rid of mistakes. This could not be further from the truth. The eraser is as much a tool of creation as the pencil is. You just have to know how to use it.
In this instance, we’re going to use our eraser to give our image highlights. Take your eraser and carefully knock back some of the midtones wherever you see highlights. Be careful not to erase too much. The highlights should be placed strategically, wherever you feel they will create the most contrast to bring out the form.
TIP: The highlights should be softer on the ear and harder on the earrings. Remember, different materials reflect light in different ways.
The Final Refinement
At this stage, we could call the image done. However, usually at this point, we as artists have been staring at the same piece of paper for so long that we almost don’t even see it anymore. Do yourself a favor at this stage and walk away for a few hours. This will allow you to come back and look at it again with fresh eyes, and fresh eyes will allow you to see things that you would not otherwise see.
Now is the time to double check everything. Make sure your darks are as dark as you want them and your highlights and midtones are as light as you want them. Reinforce shapes or shading that may have gotten smudged or has faded over time.
If some areas seem a bit harsh or hard edged and you want to add some soft edges or smooth transitions, use a blending tool such as a blending stump, tortillion, or tissue to carefully smudge those areas of the drawing. Do this with caution. Not everything needs to be smooth, and a nice balance of smooth and hard transitions will add contrast and create visual interest in the image.
Refine until you’re happy. Check the reference constantly. Just be aware that at some point you’ll have to take that last most difficult step and, for better or worse, call it done.
Conclusion
We’ve come a long way together and I hope you’ve learned as much from this experience as I have, but our journey is not over. As artists, we must continue to push ourselves forward at every opportunity and draw constantly.
To truly learn to draw ear piercings, you cannot simply do this tutorial once. Do it twice, three times, four times. Take what you’ve learned and try to apply it without the tutorial. Draw people from other reference photographs that may have piercings, or draw ears from your imagination.
Drawing is a skill that you must constantly develop. Never stop learning. Get better at drawing ear piercings by drawing them over and over again. To put it simply, never stop drawing.
Note: I would like to thank artist Noble McCredy for contributing his drawings and tips for this tutorial!
Have you ever wanted to know how to draw an army man giving a salute?
It does not have to be Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or any other patriotic holiday for us to have a reason to honor our troops!
Drawing something relating to military life could be a nice gesture or way to recognize a special veteran in your life. Keep this in mind any time you are searching for ideas about what to draw.
In this tutorial, you will learn an easy way to draw an army man saluting.
Use a Reference Photo of an Army Man
Below is a reference photo that will come in handy. It definitely came in handy for me. Even though I myself am an Army veteran, it has been nearly 20 years since I last wore a set of fatigues, also known at the time as BDU’s (or Battle Dress Uniforms). I have since learned that there have been a lot of changes! As of 2004, they were called ACU’s (or Army Combat Uniforms) and looked like this:
Now I have learned that they have changed again. Since 2019, soldiers have been wearing a new uniform with a pattern called OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern).
So even though the reference photo for this tutorial has an outdated uniform, that’s okay! We will still use the reference to draw the soldier and the basic shape of the uniform. As for the camouflage pattern, I will show you how to draw it in a more generic style that can still be representative of a soldier’s uniform. This way, you will always be able to draw a camo pattern, even when the current uniform changes to something different.
Materials Used for This Drawing
Here is a list of the materials I am using for this drawing.
If you don’t have some of these materials, that’s okay. You can still make do with a regular pencil and eraser, as long as you just get started!
If you wish to purchase any of these materials, they can be found at your local art store, or you can buy them using the links below.
Affiliate Disclaimer: The links below are affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if a purchase is made through one of these links. Learn more here.
I will begin this tutorial by showing you some basic shapes you can draw by freehand. We will use these shapes as guidelines for the head, neck, body, and arm. To ensure you draw these guidelines in the proper shape, size, and position on your paper, you can use a grid as you draw along with me. If you do so, here are a few more materials that will help you transfer the grid and the image onto your drawing paper:
The grid template and gridded reference photo are available to all my newsletter subscribers. You can sign up and grab a copy of each by clicking the link below!
Draw the basic shape for the head. As you can tell from the photo, this is not a direct frontal view but rather a quarter-turn view. Account for this as you sketch the head shape by planning for the side of the face on one side and the back of the head on the other.
Next, draw the contour outline of the neck and the collar. Make the front of the neck come down just below the chin area. The collar will be just about as wide as the head.
Draw the basic shape for the torso below the base of the collar. This shape can be roughly compared to a square shape but with a slight bend downward for the left shoulder. Then begin sketching the outline of the soldier’s left sleeve.
Now let’s begin to sketch the shape of the saluting arm. A salute is formed with the upper arm parallel to the ground. To draw the outline of the upper sleeve, extend the line from the upper shoulder to the soldier’s right (our left). For the bottom of the sleeve, draw a diagonal line from the lower part of the visible torso toward where the elbow will be.
Before drawing the forearm, sketch a straight guideline to ensure the angle of the forearm will position the hand between the middle and top of the head.
Now we can sketch the outline of the forearm, including the cuff of the uniform and the contour of the hand. A salute is formed with the fingers of the hand extended and meeting the eyebrow. Draw the fingers overlapping the head outline so the fingertips can touch the area where the corner of the eyebrow will be.
Draw Guidelines to Place Facial Features
Before we draw the eyes, nose, and other facial features, let’s mark some basic guidelines to help us place these features on the face of the army man. Begin with a vertical line down the center of the head that follows the curvature of how the head is formed. Again, since the face is turned, your guideline going down the center of the face should reflect the direction the soldier is facing.
Draw a horizontal guideline for the eyes roughly halfway between the top of the head and the chin. Since the soldier’s chin is slightly up, notice the upward curvature of the eye guideline as the head is tilted back. Then, approximately halfway between this eye guideline and the chin, draw another horizontal guideline with a similar curve. This line shows us where to draw the base of the nose.
Along the eye guideline, sketch four very short marks to represent the corners of the eyes. Normally, if we look at a face directly from the front, we see that the eyes are equal in width. However, the turn of the head gives us some foreshortening that makes the farther eye appear slightly smaller than the closer eye. The turn of the head also makes the farther eye appear closer to the bridge of the nose.
Under the guideline for the nose, sketch a guideline for the mouth. This guideline should be about one-third of the distance between the nose guideline and the chin.
Finish up the guidelines by drawing vertical lines from the inner corners of the eyes to the nose guideline. This gives us an idea of the nose width. As for the mouth, the corners can generally be located directly below the center of each eye.
Draw the Eyes
For the facial features, we’ll begin with the eyes. Draw the outline of the eyes first. Eyes are usually somewhat almond-shaped, but in this case, we must draw a slightly upward curve to the bottom edge as well as the top. This is due to the upward tilt of the head. Also remember that because of foreshortening, the soldier’s left eye (on our right) will be slightly smaller. Then draw the outline of the iris and a tiny, off-centered highlight within each one. After that, draw a circular pupil centered in each iris. Finish up with the eyelids and short, barely noticeable eyelashes.
If you need more help drawing eyes, you will find some extra tips in this detailed eye tutorial. It will also cover how to draw realistic eyebrows. We will draw simpler eyebrows to go along with the simplified eyes for this drawing in the next step.
Draw eyebrows above each eye. Begin with a curved line to plan the shape and position of each eyebrow. Next, working from the inner tip of each line, draw short hairs alongside each side of the line to build up the volume of each eyebrow. There’s no need to make them too thick!
Draw the Nose and Mouth
Next, draw the nose. Start by forming the base of the nose. Use guidelines from the inner corners of the eyes to place and shape the wings around the nostrils. Then begin sculpting the ball of the nose and the nostrils themselves. In this case, our army man’s nostrils are somewhat triangular in shape.
After that, draw a line to connect the ball and bridge of the nose. Curve this line slightly toward the soldier’s left eyebrow (on our right). Lightly sketch the outline of a subtle highlight on the ball of the nose. Draw additional details like light marks on the other side of the bridge and a curved line to indicate the eye socket.
Under the nose and along the guideline for the mouth, start shaping where the upper and lower lips meet. You can do this by sketching a line that curves slightly up from each outer end and then has a slight dip downward in the center. Then draw a curved line for the top lip, again with a dip in the center, also known as Cupid’s bow.
Finish the mouth by drawing a curved line for the bottom lip, the vertical philtrum between the nose and upper lip, and a curved line below the lower lip to mark the top of the chin. See this article if you are interested in learning more about how to draw a mouth.
Draw the Ear, Jaw, Neck, and Hand
Finish the face by drawing the ear, jawline, and neck. Let’s start with the ear, which is found between the guidelines for the eyes and the bottom of the nose. Draw the outer contour of the ear followed by the lines shaping the various grooves and twisted cartilage that make up the ear. Notice also that I sketched a line from the top of the ear to represent the bottom edge of the hat, which we will draw soon. The soldier’s hat is preventing his fingertips from touching the side of his eyebrow during his salute. Therefore, you should draw this line going between the fingers and the eyebrow, as shown.
Shape the jawline by drawing a curved line from the earlobe to where the chin will be. Then define the chin and the muscles of the jaw that surround the mouth.
Define the outline of the neck. Then add a few details, including a funnel shape to indicate the Adam’s apple The collar of the jacket will be drawn just below the neck later.
Then begin adding details to make the hand. Draw the fingers extended straight, but put very slight bends in the knuckle areas to make them appear more natural. Don’t forget the fingernails, too!
Make a few visible lifelines on the palm underside and a few wrinkles along the wrist and the side of the hand for a touch of realism.
Erase Guidelines and Grid Lines
At this point, you can erase the guidelines that helped you draw the face of the army man. A kneaded eraser will be useful for erasing in tight spots without erasing important elements of the drawing itself.
Now would also be a good time to erase any stray marks that may be present on your drawing paper. You can use a rubber or plastic eraser to quickly cover broad areas of the paper.
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Draw the Hat and Collar
In order to draw a military man properly, we need to draw the uniform! We can start by drawing the hat and collar. First, the hat. Look at the reference photo to see how to properly shape the top of the hat.
Draw the brim of the hat going from the fingertips to the eye on the other side of the face. Additionally, we can see a little bit of the top of the brim.
Finish drawing the outline of the hat. Draw the seams separating the different pieces of the hat. Draw stitching along the seams to make it appear sewn together like real fabric.
Next, draw the collar along the bottom of the neck. Begin with the basic outline of the collar, including the flap that curves around the front.
Then draw a couple of squares to represent the fastening patches on the front of the collar. Finish drawing the seam around the outer edge and add a couple of subtle wrinkles near the collar’s center.
Draw the Jacket Body
Begin to sharpen the outline of the jacket body. Then draw details on the soldier’s left sleeve. Include folds in the material as well as pockets or patches.
Continue to use the reference photo to draw the general design of the uniform. This includes noticing where parts of the jacket are fastened and how the pockets are angled. You can use tilted rectangles to draw many of the army guy’s pockets.
Don’t forget to make a few well-placed folds that are always found in clothing. One prominent fold you should notice here is the drop fold formed as the soldier’s shoulder pulls at the upper end of the jacket material. Continue to draw smaller folds, seams, and pockets until the jacket body is complete.
Draw the Jacket Sleeve
Use a similar process as you draw the sleeve. Beginning with the cuff, draw the general shape and where the cuff overlaps.
Keep looking specifically for pockets and folds. There appears to be a pocket on the outer forearm area and another pocket near the bicep. Then you can draw a slightly curved diagonal line to represent a long fold stretching from the bicep to the armpit.
Finish the sleeve by drawing seams for the overlapping fabric of the uniform. Draw a lighter line or light dotted line where appropriate to show the stitching along the seams. Draw a few more folds as well. Notable folds include a few near the cuff and some where the arm bends and the fabric bunches up. Also, don’t forget to draw a couple of straight lines to make folds radiating from the elbow.
Draw Camouflage Pattern on the Hat
Now it is time to begin adding a camouflage pattern to the uniform. The following video is an excerpt from the full-length video version of this tutorial. Watch it to learn how to draw the camouflage pattern on the hat of the Army man. If you prefer, you can continue with the written directions and step-by-step pictures below the video.
The goal for this drawing is not to replicate this complicated pattern perfectly. Instead, we can sketch some very basic shapes and use a combination of hatching and crosshatching to make a simplified camouflage pattern that resembles the real thing. Here’s how to draw camouflage step by step. Starting with the hat, draw the outline of a few irregular shapes that will be dark spots in the camo pattern.
Next, draw a crosshatch pattern within each irregular shape of the hat. A crosshatch pattern is simply a series of parallel lines going in one direction with another series of parallel lines overlapping and going in a direction that is perpendicular to the first set of lines.
Still working on the hat, let’s now draw some more irregular shapes between the dark spot that we already have. Don’t fill the entire surface with spots. Leave some of the open areas free from your irregular shapes.
Finally, draw a hatch pattern within each of these new irregular shapes. A hatch pattern is a series of parallel lines going in one direction without the second perpendicular series overlapping them, as in the crosshatch pattern.
Draw Camouflage on the Sleeve
Now that you know how to draw a camo pattern, let’s do the same thing to draw camouflage for the sleeve. Make some basic abstract shapes for the darker spots. Try drawing a combination of straight and round edges and corners as you form the shapes. It’s also a good idea to stop drawing a shape along the edge of a seam or fold, or you should at least shift the positioning of the shape. This is because these edges can represent overlaps or interruptions in the visible flow of the fabric.
Use a crosshatch pattern to fill in these shapes. This crosshatch pattern can represent the darkest spots of the camo pattern. Also, it’s okay to vary the angle of the parallel lines you draw from one crosshatched spot to another. Just remember that the second series of overlapping lines within each specific spot should be perpendicular to the first series of lines.
Draw similar shapes to represent the lighter spots, just like we did when we drew the hat of the army man. Remember to use a hatch pattern rather than a crosshatch pattern to fill the shapes.
Draw Camo Print on the Jacket Body (Darker Spots)
Now draw camo print on the rest of the uniform using the same process. Begin by defining the outline of the irregular shapes that will be the darker spots of the pattern. Try to spread the spots out evenly.
Then, use crosshatching to shade these darker spots on the jacket body of the uniform. If you get to an area where folds in the clothing overlap the crosshatch pattern, you can trace over those folds so they stand out more easily against the crosshatching.
Draw Camo Print on the Jacket Body (Lighter Spots)
Now draw the lighter spots of the camo print on the left side of the jacket body. Add a number of lighter spots that are approximately equal to the number of darker spots. Remember to use hatching to shade these lighter spots. You should also have a good balance of unshaded space on the jacket’s material, too.
Draw these lighter spots with hatching on the right side of the jacket body to complete the uniform and the drawing.
And that is how to draw an army man saluting!
Tutorial Recap
For a quick visual recap of this tutorial, take a look at the image below. It shows you a progression of the main steps for how to draw the army man.
Finishing Thoughts
Let me point out again that the process for drawing the camouflage pattern is not meant to be perfect, but it is at least easier than trying to spend hours or days replicating the real thing, and it has a close enough resemblance.
The hatching and crosshatching shading method I used in this tutorial is just one option. You can always use the approach of traditional shading with varying values and grades of graphite, which would be more appropriate if applying realistic shading to the entire drawing. For the purposes of this tutorial, since it is mostly meant to be a line drawing, I thought the hatching and crosshatching methods would be a nice complement to the line drawing.
Of course, the amount of time you choose to spend on your drawing is up to you. Devoting more time will result in a more realistic and accurate representation of the uniform pattern and the drawing in general.
Whether it’s a man or woman in the Army or another branch of military service, there is still much value in having a reference photograph when you draw any person in a uniform. Even if the uniform pattern is not an exact match, the reference will help you stay true to the uniform’s basic design (sleeves, collars, pockets, etc.). Also, drawing the face and hands becomes much easier when your reference is close by.
I hope you have fun while drawing this soldier and honoring our troops!
You may be wondering, “How do you draw a realistic eye with pencil?”
The eye definitely has a unique complexity to it that other facial features lack.
That’s not to say that drawing a nose, a mouth, or an ear is all that easy for a beginning artist.
Still you have to admit, the human eye is intriguing enough to make it both a challenging and fun drawing subject. In fact, the eye has always been my favorite facial feature to draw!
In this tutorial, I will show you how to draw an eye in a detailed and realistic manner. You will learn all about how to draw eyelids, an eyebrow, and eyelashes, in addition to how to draw the main parts of the visible eyeball like the iris and the pupil.
I will show you how to draw the initial outline and how to apply and blend shading in layers for a realistic look. You will see that it does not have to be difficult for beginners to draw a realistic eye.
Join me below so you can create your very own realistic eye drawing!
Use a Reference Photo for a Realistic Eye Drawing
Here is the reference photo for this tutorial. I chose to omit the hair on the right side and its large vertical shadow so I could make the eye the main focus of the lesson.
You can use the same concepts you learn from this tutorial and apply them to drawing other realistic eyes.
Materials Used to Draw a Realistic Eye
Here is a list of the materials I am using for this drawing.
If you don’t have some of these materials, that’s okay. You can still make do with a regular pencil and eraser, as long as you just get started!
If you wish to purchase any of these materials, they can be found at your local art store, or you can buy them using the links below.
Affiliate Disclaimer: The links below are affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if a purchase is made through one of these links. Learn more here.
We’ll start by drawing the initial outline of the eye with a 2H pencil. Begin by drawing a slanted line near the left side of the paper for the corner of the eye. From here, extend another line that curves up and back down to form the top of the white part of the eye (and also the lower edge of the top eyelid). You may want to stop along the way to make tentative placement marks for each side of the iris.
Use imaginary reference points and temporary guidelines to help you shape the outline of the eye so it will be a close match to the reference photo. For example, the outer corner of the eye on our right side aligns roughly with the upper part of the inner corner on our left. Then, by sketching a horizontal guideline from the lower part of the inner corner, we know to form the lower curve of the eye below this guideline but not too far below it.
Finish drawing the corner of the eye by forming the base of the corner along the horizontal guideline. Draw two slightly curved, slightly diagonal lines at the corner from the top to the bottom. These two lines represent the pink tissue found at the inner corner. You should end up with somewhat of an almond-shape for your eye.
Draw the Eyelids
Sketch a line for the top of the top eyelid. This line should follow the same general curvature as the line already drawn for the lower part of the top eyelid. Directly underneath this line and very close to it, sketch two more lines running alongside it. These lines represent wrinkles in the upper portion of the eyelid. Sketch another shorter wrinkle. Finally, draw a line along the lower edge of the eyelid. This is where the eyelashes will go toward the end of our drawing.
Sketch a line below the almond shape already drawn, again following the same curvature. This line will represent the upper edge of the lower eyelid. The lower eyelashes will be placed here later on.
Draw the Iris Outline
Sketch a vertical guideline to establish the approximate center divider of the iris. Remember those tentative lines we marked along the top edge at the beginning? This vertical guideline should be centered between the two.
Sketch a circle for the iris. Use the guidelines to help you shape it as circular as possible. You may find it helpful to sketch the upper portion of the iris that is hidden behind the upper eyelid. If you have difficulty drawing a circle, you can trace a round object of a comparable size that you might have on hand, or you can use a compass.
Outline the Pupil
To draw the pupil, sketch a much smaller circle in the center of the iris. Just sketch the general shape as round as you can, just like the iris.
Check that the distance from the edge of the pupil to the edge of the iris is the same all the way around. You can do this by marking the distance along the edge of a scratch piece of paper and checking that distance with the other distances around the pupil. Once you are sure the pupil is centered, you can use a circle template to make the pupil perfectly round.
Draw Details on the Iris
Make any adjustments as necessary. I decided I wanted to raise the upper eyelid a little bit so more of the upper iris would be visible in my drawing. You can also erase any guidelines, such as the upper hidden portion of the iris.
Now let’s add some lines to indicate highlights and shadows. On the right side of the iris, draw a large highlight. This highlight is almost rectangular in nature, but of course the edges should curve along with the curvature of the iris. Then draw a line curving closely along the inner border of the iris. This will be the limbal ring of the iris. Draw a line on the upper part of the iris just under the top eyelid for a cast shadow. Finally, sketch a few lines for light shadows on the white of the eye, namely under the eyelid and curving near the inner corner.
If you look closely at the reference photo, you’ll notice a bright squiggly ring on the iris that surrounds the pupil. Draw a squiggly line around the pupil. Then draw skinny bands on the outside of this squiggly line that radiate toward the outer edge of the iris. These bands should taper near the outer edges and look something like sun rays. Make sure to draw these little details, because they are an important step in creating a realistic eye.
Draw Details on the Eyelids
On the upper eyelid, draw a couple of very light irregular lines. Draw one just over the left edge of the iris and the other just to the right of the iris. These lines will represent shadows and highlights on the upper eyelid.
To draw the lower eyelid, it’s important to remember that the lower eyelid rests on the lower portion of the eyeball, and the eyeball is a sphere. From the inner corner of the eye, sketch a very light and loose guideline to form the outer edge of the eyeball that is hidden behind the face.
Similar to what we did for the top eyelid, sketch a light irregular line to place a shadow on the left side of the lower eyelid.
Sketch a few additional lines to the left of the eyeball. These markings will indicate shadows and other value variations in this area of the eye. Also, sketch a line drooping down from the inner corner and curving with the eyeball to give a rough approximation of where the nose can be found.
On the right side of the lower eyeball, sketch a few horizontal lines for wrinkles on the lower eyelid. Then we can erase the spherical guideline for our eyeball.
On the pink tissue at the eye’s inner corner, draw one or two squiggly lines to represent moisture and shadows.
Draw the Eyebrow Outline
Next, let’s draw the lower edge of the eyebrow. I’m choosing to begin at the inner corner where the eyebrow is thicker. Draw your line going up from the corner and start to bring it back down when you are slightly to the right of the pupil. Plan on tapering the eyebrow at this outer corner. In the example you see here, the distance between the eyebrow and the upper edge of the eye is acceptable for a general eye drawing. However, I decided to make mine lower later in the drawing so it would more closely match the reference photo.
Finish the outline of the eyebrow by drawing the line to form the upper part. Be careful not to make the eyebrow too thick or too thin. Continue to make comparisons of width between other potions of your drawing and with the reference photo, too.
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Pencils Used to Draw a Realistic Eye with Shading
As we move on to the shading portion of the drawing, here’s a quick note about the pencils. I suggest using an HB pencil for the lighter areas, a 2B for midtones, and a 4B for the shadow areas.
I switch pencils quite often during this entire process, so I won’t mention each time I switch in the steps below. If you really need to know every time I switch pencils during every step, I do walk you through that in the extended video version of this tutorial.
Shade the Area Above the Eye
Shade the eyebrow. Normally, I like to shade the skin underneath the eyebrow before drawing the eyebrow’s hairs. This first layer of shading can represent the shadows on the skin beneath the individual hairs. I want the space for the eyebrow to be a little bit darker than the surrounding skin. Therefore, once the skin is shaded, the darker area will help to maintain the placement of the eyebrow.
Next, lightly shade the skin tones surrounding the eyebrow. Begin with the area above the eyebrow. Shade in a direction similar to the direction of the eyebrow. When shading the skin, many artists use a hatching approach, keeping the tones very close together and going in the same direction. Many other artists use the more time-intensive circulism, with tight circles very close together, to achieve more realistic textures on the skin. Here, I’m going with a hybrid approach, using elongated circular strokes that are also diagonal.
Use a blending stump to blend all of the graphite tones of the skin. Blend in a manner similar to how the pencil strokes were applied. Try to smooth over any grainy patches of graphite.
Develop Layers of Shading on the Eyelid
Apply another layer of graphite on the skin over the eye. Put slightly more shading on the left side than the right, where the light source is leaving a lighter area. Then blend these tones once again with a blending stump.
With the long, flat edge of a kneaded eraser, scoop out a few thin highlights on the surface of the skin between the outer corner of the eye and the eyebrow. Doing this will help to create some texture on the skin that can be seen more easily in the highlighted area. Use graphite residue on the tip of a tortillion to create some thin shadow marks directly adjacent to some of the highlights. This will enhance the skin texture.
I Want to Move My Eyebrow
Here’s where I decided to move the eyebrow down a little lower. I maintained the same shape and size as before, but I moved the position directly below the previous one. Again, if you are happy with the placement of the eyebrow in your drawing, you can skip this step and the next one.
Then I used a kneaded eraser to blot the dark area where the eyebrow was originally going to be. The purpose of this blotting was to lighten the tones so they have the same value as the surrounding skin.
Begin Shading the Eyebrow
Begin drawing the hairs of the eyebrow. Starting on the left, make light pencil strokes from the base of the eyebrow going upward. Make these lines twist and curl in the same general direction as the hair growth.
Continue drawing the hairs of the eyebrow. Look at the reference photo to help you decide how the hairs are growing and which clusters of hair are thicker than others and require heavier graphite. Draw hairs jetting inward and to the right from the top and bottom edges. Leave some gaps between some of the hairs. Notice how the eyebrow gets a little thicker at the end and then tapers to a point near the right end.
Blend the tones of the eyebrow with a blending stump. Again, follow the direction of hair growth.
Build the Eyebrow Up in Layers
Draw another layer of hairs over the eyebrow. These additional layers add volume to the eyebrow. Then blend the markings.
Use a kneaded eraser to lift streaks of highlights from the eyebrow. If you have always wondered how to draw realistic eyebrows, these highlights mixed among the darker values go a long way towards creating that realism.
Use a mechanical pencil to draw fine hairs that are apparent within the highlighted areas of the eyebrow.
Use a tortillion to blend over the fine hairs. Keep working to add small details to the eyebrow.
Work your way across the entire surface of the eyebrow. Alternate between the pencil, kneaded eraser, and tortillion to build multiple layers of hair over the eyebrow. You can achieve this look of drawn hair by drawing darker streaks next to lighter streaks. Occasionally, draw hairs that come from the darker areas and extend into the highlighted patches. Make several stray strands of hair on the outer edges as well as strands overlapping lighter areas. Continue layering additional details over the eyebrow until it is complete.
Shade the Upper Eyelid
Put shading along the upper edge of the top eyelid. While doing so, also outline the wrinkle lines so they stand out against the darker tones.
Bring this shading farther down the eyelid. Use the guidelines from the line drawing to help you make decisions about which areas need more shadow. In this drawing, the light source is coming from our right side, so there should be more shadow on our left.
Put lighter applications of tones on the right side of the eyelid. Then blend the tones. As you blend, try to preserve some of the highlighted areas.
Put another layer of darker shadow tones on the left side of the eyelid. Place the darkest tones at the corner and just to the upper right of it, while at the same time using the contrast of darks and lights to better define the eye socket. Use a kneaded eraser and tortillion to create texture in the skin on the right side of the eyelid. Oh, and don’t forget to shade the lower edge of the eyelid too!
Place an extra layer of blended shading at the corner of the eye. Use a kneaded eraser to lift highlights at the corner.
Shade the Inner Corner of the Eye
Begin shading the lacrimal caruncle, which is the first little pink tissue at the corner of the eye. Put more shading near the bottom.
Then shade the next tissue, the plica semilunaris. Fun fact: this vestigial feature is sometimes referred to as the “third eyelid”. Be sure to preserve a couple of areas for highlights.
Smooth out the tones with a blending tool. Then lift highlights with a kneaded eraser. Alternatively, you can use an electric eraser to create sharper highlights and a more “wet” appearance.
Build additional layers of shading, blending, and lifting highlights to complete the details at the corner of the eye.
Shade the Pupil
Next, shade in the pupil. Use a circle template to make sure your pencil marks stay within the boundary of the pupil.
Go over the pupil with another layer of shading and a blacker pencil, like an 8B pencil. The pupil should be the darkest part of the eye. Afterwards, blend the pupil.
Shade the Iris
Now, let’s see how to draw a realistic iris. Shade the limbal ring, which is the dark ring going around the outer edge of the iris. Make some short markings radiating from the outer edges toward the center of the pupil. Keep these markings close to the limbal ring, though. Also, place some shading on the iris directly underneath the upper eyelid.
Make similar short markings around the pupil. Again, take care to make these marks appear that they originate from the very center of the pupil. Do not extend the marks beyond the squiggly line that surrounds the pupil. Round the tiny space on the edge of the pupil between each of these little marks. Do this by making little “u” or “n” shapes. Though subtle, this process replaces the perfect pupil border created by the circle template with a more natural and realistic border.
Next, shade all of the spaces on the iris that are between the sunshine ray design pattern that we created during the line drawing. Make sure to leave the large highlight on the right side of the iris untouched.
Put another layer of shading on the iris. Still shade around the highlight and the ring pattern, but this time, emphasize some of the shading directly next to the pattern.
Use a tortillion to blend the tones of the iris. Very lightly glaze over the white areas of the iris too, with the exception of the highlight on the right.
Add a final layer of details by drawing fine lines from the limbal ring toward the center and vise versa. Draw lines in between the ray pattern to better distinguish them. Use an electric eraser to lift some of the smaller highlights near the pupil and below the large highlight.
Shade the White of the Eye
Start shading the white of the eye, also known as the sclera. Put some shading directly under the upper eyelid, which is leaving a cast shadow directly below it. Put some directly over the lower eyelid too, on the left side. Then, very lightly shade the white of the eye to the left of the iris. Your pencil strokes should follow the same curvature as the iris and the spherical eyeball. Make your shading slightly heavier near the corner of the eye.
Blend the tones of the sclera. Blend the cast shadow below the upper eyelid. Use some of the graphite accumulated on the blending tool to put some very light shading on the right part of the sclera, at the corner and near the bottom. If necessary, use a kneaded eraser to lift areas close to each side of the iris so they remain white. Draw very fine lines on each side of the eye for veins.
The veins on the sclera should be barely noticeable, so blend them. Lift them with a kneaded eraser if they appear too dark.
Use an electric eraser along the bottom of the eye to make some streaks of moisture.
Shade the Lower Eyelid and the Area Below the Eye
Now, let’s focus on the area below the eye. Begin by shading the upper edge of the lower eyelid. Even here, just as everywhere else in the drawing, you should be aware of variations between lighter and darker areas.
Then, shade the entire area below the eye. Use the guidelines from the line drawing to remember which areas should be darker, like under the inner corner, and which areas should be lighter, like under the right side of the eye.
Use a blending stump to blend the skin tones. Blend around the highlighted areas.
Place another layer of shading over the skin. Put extra shading under the inner corner. In the highlighted areas, use a kneaded eraser and graphite from your pencil or blending tool to create textured areas of skin, just like we did for above the eye.
Draw the Eyelashes
Whenever I draw an eye, I always save the eyelashes for last. Here is how you can draw realistic eyelashes. Begin drawing eyelashes coming down from the upper eyelid. I like to start at the eyelid, or the root of the eyelash, and work my way to the end, tapering the eyelash with a gentle lift of my pencil.
Use the reference photo to help you place the eyelashes. Don’t draw stiff, evenly-spaced lines. Make your eyelashes look more realistic by drawing some close together and some space farther apart. Draw some shorter and some a bit longer. Draw the longest eyelashes at the outer corner of the eye, with big swoops down and back up again.
Gently blend over the eyelashes with a tortillion. This softens the eyelashes while also creating a little bit of shadow from the eyelashes onto the eye behind it.
Use a sharp pencil to draw the reflection of the eyelashes in the highlight of the iris. Start from the edge of the iris and draw inward with a slight curve and diagonal.
Next, draw the eyelashes on the lower eyelid. These eyelashes are not as plentiful as the ones on the top eyelid. They are also more scattered and have a different curvature.
Finish drawing the remaining eyelashes on the bottom and a few longer ones from the top that extend well beyond the outer edge of the eye.
Take a final look at your eye drawing. Add finishing touches by applying darker tones from a 6B pencil next to lighter ones to build contrast. Lift any highlights that need to be brighter. Touch up any areas and edges that need to be sharper or more blended.
And that is how to draw a realistic eye!
Tutorial Recap
For a quick visual recap of this tutorial, take a look at the image below. It shows you a progression of the main steps for how to draw a realistic eye.
Tips to Remember the Next Time You Draw a Realistic Eye
The next time you are looking to draw a realistic eye, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Use a reference photo so you can include all of the little details about the eye that you might not think about if you were drawing from background knowledge alone.
While using a reference photo, still remember to allow yourself a little bit of flexibility. If you are only drawing the eye of a person and not the entire face, there is less of a need to capture an exact likeness that resembles a person’s face. This means you can keep that eyebrow a little bit higher, you can include more or fewer eyelashes, or you can vary the amount and placement of moles or wrinkles on the skin.
Consider using both a color and a black-and-white version of your reference. You can use both photos together to give you information about light and dark values as well as changes in color, such as the variations found in the colorful design pattern of the iris.
If you have ever struggled with drawing an eye and making it look real, hopefully you have found this eye-drawing tutorial helpful! More importantly, I hope you were following along and drawing an eye of your own step-by-step with me. If not, now is the perfect time to practice!
When you are just learning how to draw people, being able to draw a motionless, standing figure can be hard enough. But what if you wanted to draw a full-length figure in motion? What if you wanted to draw, say, a man who is running?
Even if you have learned the basic proportions for drawing a standing person, there are a few changes to consider when drawing a person running. The limbs are in constant motion and opposing positions. Not only that, but we also have to remember that arms and legs will appear different when they are closer to us or farther away from us.
In this tutorial, you will see how to draw a man running. Even though running is very different from standing, you will see that drawing a man running is not drastically different from drawing a man standing still. Just a few simple tweaks and you will be on your way. So with that said, let’s get started!
Sketch a Basic Outline
The first step is to draw a rough outline of the running man. Keep standard proportions in mind for the head and torso. You can even sketch in some guidelines to draw the face later.
Now as for the arms and legs, the limbs are alternating. You see in this example that the runner’s left arm and right leg are out, while the right arm and left leg are to the rear. Here is where things might get a little confusing. You will need to foreshorten the arms and legs. This will cause them to appear distorted and out of proportion with each other. However, this is necessary to create an illusion of depth.
Foreshortening the Arms
The right upper arm appears very short compared to the forearm. Since the elbow is so far back, it is hard to appreciate the full length of the upper arm from this angle.
There is some foreshortening with the left arm too, as it is in the foreground. For this reason, the arm may appear shorter than it should compared to the torso.
Foreshortening the Legs
The runner’s right leg is extended. Since the upper thigh is farther back, it should seem slightly shorter than usual compared to the lower leg. Draw the sole of the shoe to indicate the runner’s foot getting ready to meet the pavement again.
The left knee in the background is drawn much lower than the raised right knee in the front. The left lower leg should be barely visible since it is pointing to the area behind the runner. As for the running man’s left foot, this time we will see the top of the shoe.
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Draw the Head
Draw in some details for the man’s face, head, and neck. Since he is running, you might want to draw loose hair with strands scattered in different directions, tired-looking eyes and eyebrows, and an open mouth that is catching a breath of air.
Draw the Torso
Next it is time to draw the man’s shirt. Keep in mind how the man’s torso twists and turns as his arms move. This will help you to place the folds of the shirt’s fabric. For example, since the right shoulder is twisting back and pulling the shirt from below, there are folds flowing up from the man’s bottom left toward the upper right. Plan to draw spiral folds and other basic fold types for a realistic rendering of the shirt.
Draw the Arms and Hands
Finish drawing the sleeves of the shirt. Then move on to drawing the arms, adding a little muscle definition. Next, sketch in the fingers and complete the hands. People do all kinds of things with their hands while running. Sometimes they keep the hands loose while other times the hands are clenched fists. Draw them in a way that is easy for you. The man running in this picture also has a watch to time himself.
Draw the Legs and Shoes
Complete the man’s running shorts, with fabric folds coming from the inner legs moving back and forth. Add some definition to the thighs and right knee. Also draw in some lines to detail a lean shin. Afterward, draw in some details to indicate the sole of the right shoe and the top of the man’s left shoe.
Draw Finishing Touches on the Running Man
If you haven’t been doing so up to this point, it is a good idea to take a step back and look at your drawing. Mostly look at the proportions and foreshortening that might have looked distorted after your initial basic outline. Sometimes, a drawing that has foreshortening will look less distorted after more details are added.
Erase any unwanted guidelines in the face or other parts of the figure. Add in as much shading and extra details as you want.
A simple yet cool effect to enhance the appearance of running is to place a little shadow under the foot, showing it is off the ground.
And that is how to draw a man running!
Tutorial Recap
For a quick visual recap of this tutorial, take a look at the image below. It shows you a step-by-step summary progression for how to draw a man running.
Final Thoughts
Besides the foreshortening of the arms and legs, you can see that it is not much different from drawing a man who is standing. The next time you feel like drawing and you decide you want to draw a man running, I hope you take the tips from this tutorial and “run” with them!
If you consider yourself a beginner when it comes to drawing, the idea of drawing people is likely to be an idea of anxiety and hesitation.
On the other hand, maybe you are a beginner who does not identify with these fears because you are more motivated and eager to learn how to draw people better. Even so, you have likely experienced many occasions of frustration after your attempts to draw people failed to end with a desirable result.
Drawing people easily and effortlessly really comes down to two things:
You need a little knowledge of some basic fundamentals and,
Maybe you guessed this already…you need to practice, practice, practice!
Just like with most things in life you want to know how to do, if you are aware of a few essential tips about drawing people and you practice regularly, then drawing people will become easier, will require less effort over time, and will become more enjoyable!
In this post, I’m going to help you become more comfortable with drawing people by explaining some key basics for drawing faces, drawing the body, and drawing people doing things in everyday life. Additionally, I will provide links to related tutorials for supplemental practicing opportunities.
Read on to learn more about how to draw people!
Basics of Drawing a Face
In order to draw a face, you need to become familiar with basic proportions of the face and head. You should know about differences between drawing males and females. Ultimately, drawing faces successfully comes down to drawing the facial features like the eyes, nose, and mouth in a variety of ways. This variety allows you to create unique and expressive portraits.
Use the Loomis Method for Basic Facial Guidelines
There’s a lot of advice out there on how to properly break down the proportions of the face. I recommend the Loomis method (from Andrew Loomis, author of the book Drawing the Head and Hands) because it’s standard and simple to follow.
The Loomis method involves thinking of the head as a three-dimensional sphere and jaw. A slice of the sphere is removed from each side of the head. The circular plane that remains is divided in half both vertically and horizontally.
You can use this knowledge to draw a frontal view of a face with a two-dimensional circle instead of a sphere.
The top of the circle represents the hairline. The bottom of the circle gives us a guideline for the base of the nose. The middle line of the circle is a guideline for the browline.
Notice how the length between the hairline and browline is equal to the distance between the browline and the noseline. You can use this distance as a unit of measurement from the nose to identify the proper placement of the chin.
You can draw an additional horizontal line centered between the top of the head and the chin. This line should fall just below the browline. You can use this line as a guideline for the eyes.
The Loomis method gives us a strong foundation upon which to draw a face. Still, there are other guidelines to consider that I will go over in the section below about facial features. When you are ready to draw the face and head in different positions, the Loomis method can be helpful with that too.
Differences Between Drawing Male and Female Faces
If you are wondering whether or not there is a vastly different process between drawing men and drawing women, the answer is … not really. The basic guidelines that you set up for drawing a face like I just outlined will remain the same regardless. Most of the differences you will notice between drawing a woman and drawing a man lie in the facial features.
For example, women tend to have thinner eyebrows that are slightly higher, and men tend to have bushier eyebrows that are slightly lower.
You would probably give more attention to the eyelashes in the drawing of a woman than you would a man.
In general, you would draw a man’s jawline and facial features a little more angular and possibly include facial hair. You would draw the jawline and facial features of a woman a little more rounded.
Drawing the Eyes
The eyes are placed approximately halfway between the top of the head and the bottom of the chin. If you divide the face into five vertical sections of equal width, the width of the eyes would be equal to the second and fourth section.
When drawing the eyes, remember that the pupil is a dark hole that should be shaded a very dark value. Draw the iris with light lines radiating from the pupil to the outer edge. Make sure you allow for highlights that overlap parts of the pupil and iris. The white of the eye should not be completely white. This is because there are usually light shadows that the eyelids cast onto it. Eyelashes should be drawn as curved lines that look like they naturally grow from the eyelids. Similarly, eyebrows should be pencil strokes that resemble hair and should be drawn in the direction of hair growth.
Drawing the Nose
The outer edges of the base of the nose generally aligns with the inner corners of the eyes.
When drawing a nose, you can get started with a straight vertical guideline for the bridge. You can use a triangle for the bottom part. From there, you can use circles to shape the tip and nostrils. You can refrain from drawing a harsh outline for the bridge for a front-view drawing of the face. Make sure you shade the nostrils nice and dark. Look for highlights on the tip of the nose and along the bridge.
Drawing the Mouth
The mouth is approximately one-third of the way down between the bottom of the nose and the base of the chin. The corners of the mouth should align with the center of each eye.
As with every facial feature, look for characteristics of the mouth that are unique to the individual you are drawing. In general, the top lip of a mouth has a little dip along the top and bottom edge. The bottom lip is usually thicker than the top and has more highlights.
Teeth are very unique to each person and contribute greatly to the likeness of a person. Study the shape of the teeth carefully and replicate the shapes and placement as closely as possible. Often, you can get better results from using a grid to draw teeth accurately as opposed to drawing them freehand.
Drawing the Ears
The top of the ears are aligned with the browline. The base of the ears are aligned with the base of the nose. In a profile view, the ear is positioned in the center of the head.
Although each ear is shaped differently, all ears have the same basic structure. Study the curves and twists of the outer ear and practice drawing them repeatedly. Like with anything, drawing ears becomes much easier with practice.
Drawing Hair
The guideline we sketched earlier for the hairline serves as a basic starting point. People have hairlines that may be slightly above or below this guideline. For someone with a full head of hair, you will have to draw the top of the hair higher than the top of the head.
When you draw hair, make sure to draw the strands in the general direction of hair growth. It is not necessary to draw every single strand. Instead, group sections of hair together as you draw and work on building up layers of light and dark tones.
Every Face is Different
All of the ideas presented here are general guidelines. You must remember that each facial feature is unique from one person to the next. Also, the manner in which you draw these facial features will change based on the position of the face and expressions.
Drawing Faces Tutorials
Here are links to a few tutorials on how to draw facial features in a realistic manner.
In this post, we are going to learn how to draw a mouth step by step! If your goal is Read more
Basics of Drawing People’s Bodies
Drawing people involves more than just drawing the face. Now let’s learn a little more about how to draw the human figure.
Many people who tell themselves they don’t know how to draw resort to the classic stick figure to draw a human body. Believe it or not, the stick figure does have its place when it comes to drawing the body. Just like when we used guidelines to draw the face, using a stick figure gives us a foundation upon which to build the rest of the drawing. Another option is to sketch basic round shapes instead of stick lines.
Regardless of which method you use, having knowledge of simplified body proportions is a must.
Simplified Proportions of a Human Body
To keep things simple, we will use the typical model of eight heads being equal to the height of a male. Please keep in mind that this model is from the Renaissance era. People in reality are more like around seven heads tall rather than eight. The eight-heads model is easier to explain and usually simpler for beginners to grasp. Just like I said before, this is meant as a guide, not a rule.
Here I have a piece of paper with lines marking off eight equal sections. The bottom of each section is marked 1-8.
Notice that I have drawn an oval for the head with the chin resting at line 1.
Now there’s a line from the chin down to line 3, where we find the belly button. Also, you can find the shoulders between lines 1 and 2.
Next, the pelvis is between lines 3 and 4.
Continuing downward, the bottom of the knees are found at line 6, and line 8 is the ground.
As for the arms, the elbows are at line 3 with the belly button. The wrists are at line 4. The fingertips are halfway between the thighs at line 5.
The upper legs go slightly inward from the hips to the knees.
Use can use line 2 to place the nipples and help with placement of the chest.
A few extra details can help the body drawing to take a more recognizable appearance.
Other Factors to Consider When Drawing the Body
That was a quick overview of how to draw the body, which is helpful for sketching practice and building familiarity and comfort with figure drawing as a beginner.
As you build your confidence with drawing bodies, you will find that you will rely less on the eight-head framework and more on realistic representations.
There are many other things to consider. One factor is whether you are more interested in drawing clothed or unclothed figures.
If you wish to draw figures with little to no clothes, it would be helpful to learn more about anatomy. This way you can have knowledge of and better placement of muscles and visible bone structures. If you want to draw full-length portraits or character studies of people from everyday life, it would be beneficial to learn about clothing and the different types of folds found in fabrics. Whichever your preference, make sure you get lots of practice!
Drawing Figures Tutorial
Here is a tutorial for you to try that involves drawing the human figure.
We will see how to draw a woman in a dress, spinning around in a field of grass, with step-by-step Read more
Basics of Drawing People Doing Everyday Things
So far, we have learned how to draw the face and how to draw the body separately. What about drawing the face and body together in everyday situations?
At some point, you are going to want to draw more than just a face looking back at you. You will want to draw more than a body just standing there.
At some point, you will want to put life into your drawings. You will want your drawing to tell a story.
A great way to achieve this is by breaking out of your comfort zone and drawing people doing everyday activities.
Loosen Up with Gesture Drawing
Gesture drawing is a fantastic way to get into the habit of drawing people in different positions. I think it’s a great method for beginners to transition into more realistic drawings of people in different poses as they are engaged in various pastimes.
Gesture drawing allows you to sharpen your powers of observation. It allows you to capture the form of people in different poses or while they are performing numerous actions. Gesture drawing is traditionally done using the help of a live model, but there’s nothing wrong with using photographs instead.
The idea is to sketch a person holding a pose for no more than 5 minutes. Try to capture as much of the pose as you can with a loose sketch of the form. You are not allowed to erase, and you should not expect perfection from your final result. You should, however, learn from each session.
If you make a habit of doing it for a few minutes each day, gesture drawing can do wonders to build your confidence with drawing people doing things you witness every day in the outside world.
Going Beyond Gesture Drawing
You can use some of the same principles of gesture drawing and expand upon them to draw people doing everyday things.
The way you can do this is to disregard the time limit from gesture drawing, but keep the elements of observing and drawing basic shapes to get you started. Then, you can build on those basic shapes with more details and even shading to create a more realistic drawing.
Think back to earlier in this post when we learned about stick figures and basic shapes.
You can begin by sketching a stick figure performing a particular action. Then, you can sketch over those stick lines with basic shapes to represent the limbs and other parts of the body. After that, you can add details to better define and transform the basic shapes into what they are meant to represent. Finally, you have the option to add shading and finishing touches.
Starting from a stick figure is just one way to tackle drawings of people that include the head and body. As you practice more and more, you drawings will become more accurate and realistic even if you are just observing your reference. To achieve even more realism, consider using other techniques that ensure more accurate proportions, such as using plot points or using a grid.
Drawing Tutorials of People Doing Things
Here are links to tutorials about people doing some very common activities.
In this drawing tutorial, we're going to see how to draw someone drinking a glass of beer. Why did I Read more
Conclusion
People are my favorite drawing topics. Throughout the course of my life, the subjects of my drawings have centered around people far more often than any other drawing subjects.
Keep in mind that there are many styles, techniques, and approaches to drawing people. The more you practice, the more you will develop a style that is unique to you.
You may even discover that you stop calling yourself a beginner and you start calling yourself a portrait artist sooner than you realize!
Have you ever wanted to know how to draw an army man giving a salute?
It does not have to be Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or any other patriotic holiday for us to have a reason to honor our troops!
Drawing something relating to military life could be a nice gesture or way to recognize a special veteran in your life. Keep this in mind any time you are searching for ideas about what to draw.
In this tutorial, you will learn an easy way to draw an army man saluting.
Use a Reference Photo of an Army Man
Below is a reference photo that will come in handy. It definitely came in handy for me. Even though I myself am an Army veteran, it has been nearly 20 years since I last wore a set of fatigues, also known at the time as BDU’s (or Battle Dress Uniforms). I have since learned that there have been a lot of changes! As of 2004, they were called ACU’s (or Army Combat Uniforms) and looked like this:
Now I have learned that they have changed again. Since 2019, soldiers have been wearing a new uniform with a pattern called OCP (Operational Camouflage Pattern).
So even though the reference photo for this tutorial has an outdated uniform, that’s okay! We will still use the reference to draw the soldier and the basic shape of the uniform. As for the camouflage pattern, I will show you how to draw it in a more generic style that can still be representative of a soldier’s uniform. This way, you will always be able to draw a camo pattern, even when the current uniform changes to something different.
Materials Used for This Drawing
Here is a list of the materials I am using for this drawing.
If you don’t have some of these materials, that’s okay. You can still make do with a regular pencil and eraser, as long as you just get started!
If you wish to purchase any of these materials, they can be found at your local art store, or you can buy them using the links below.
Affiliate Disclaimer: The links below are affiliate links. I will receive a small commission if a purchase is made through one of these links. Learn more here.
I will begin this tutorial by showing you some basic shapes you can draw by freehand. We will use these shapes as guidelines for the head, neck, body, and arm. To ensure you draw these guidelines in the proper shape, size, and position on your paper, you can use a grid as you draw along with me. If you do so, here are a few more materials that will help you transfer the grid and the image onto your drawing paper:
The grid template and gridded reference photo are available to all my newsletter subscribers. You can sign up and grab a copy of each by clicking the link below!
Draw the basic shape for the head. As you can tell from the photo, this is not a direct frontal view but rather a quarter-turn view. Account for this as you sketch the head shape by planning for the side of the face on one side and the back of the head on the other.
Next, draw the contour outline of the neck and the collar. Make the front of the neck come down just below the chin area. The collar will be just about as wide as the head.
Draw the basic shape for the torso below the base of the collar. This shape can be roughly compared to a square shape but with a slight bend downward for the left shoulder. Then begin sketching the outline of the soldier’s left sleeve.
Now let’s begin to sketch the shape of the saluting arm. A salute is formed with the upper arm parallel to the ground. To draw the outline of the upper sleeve, extend the line from the upper shoulder to the soldier’s right (our left). For the bottom of the sleeve, draw a diagonal line from the lower part of the visible torso toward where the elbow will be.
Before drawing the forearm, sketch a straight guideline to ensure the angle of the forearm will position the hand between the middle and top of the head.
Now we can sketch the outline of the forearm, including the cuff of the uniform and the contour of the hand. A salute is formed with the fingers of the hand extended and meeting the eyebrow. Draw the fingers overlapping the head outline so the fingertips can touch the area where the corner of the eyebrow will be.
Draw Guidelines to Place Facial Features
Before we draw the eyes, nose, and other facial features, let’s mark some basic guidelines to help us place these features on the face of the army man. Begin with a vertical line down the center of the head that follows the curvature of how the head is formed. Again, since the face is turned, your guideline going down the center of the face should reflect the direction the soldier is facing.
Draw a horizontal guideline for the eyes roughly halfway between the top of the head and the chin. Since the soldier’s chin is slightly up, notice the upward curvature of the eye guideline as the head is tilted back. Then, approximately halfway between this eye guideline and the chin, draw another horizontal guideline with a similar curve. This line shows us where to draw the base of the nose.
Along the eye guideline, sketch four very short marks to represent the corners of the eyes. Normally, if we look at a face directly from the front, we see that the eyes are equal in width. However, the turn of the head gives us some foreshortening that makes the farther eye appear slightly smaller than the closer eye. The turn of the head also makes the farther eye appear closer to the bridge of the nose.
Under the guideline for the nose, sketch a guideline for the mouth. This guideline should be about one-third of the distance between the nose guideline and the chin.
Finish up the guidelines by drawing vertical lines from the inner corners of the eyes to the nose guideline. This gives us an idea of the nose width. As for the mouth, the corners can generally be located directly below the center of each eye.
Draw the Eyes
For the facial features, we’ll begin with the eyes. Draw the outline of the eyes first. Eyes are usually somewhat almond-shaped, but in this case, we must draw a slightly upward curve to the bottom edge as well as the top. This is due to the upward tilt of the head. Also remember that because of foreshortening, the soldier’s left eye (on our right) will be slightly smaller. Then draw the outline of the iris and a tiny, off-centered highlight within each one. After that, draw a circular pupil centered in each iris. Finish up with the eyelids and short, barely noticeable eyelashes.
If you need more help drawing eyes, you will find some extra tips in this detailed eye tutorial. It will also cover how to draw realistic eyebrows. We will draw simpler eyebrows to go along with the simplified eyes for this drawing in the next step.
Draw eyebrows above each eye. Begin with a curved line to plan the shape and position of each eyebrow. Next, working from the inner tip of each line, draw short hairs alongside each side of the line to build up the volume of each eyebrow. There’s no need to make them too thick!
Draw the Nose and Mouth
Next, draw the nose. Start by forming the base of the nose. Use guidelines from the inner corners of the eyes to place and shape the wings around the nostrils. Then begin sculpting the ball of the nose and the nostrils themselves. In this case, our army man’s nostrils are somewhat triangular in shape.
After that, draw a line to connect the ball and bridge of the nose. Curve this line slightly toward the soldier’s left eyebrow (on our right). Lightly sketch the outline of a subtle highlight on the ball of the nose. Draw additional details like light marks on the other side of the bridge and a curved line to indicate the eye socket.
Under the nose and along the guideline for the mouth, start shaping where the upper and lower lips meet. You can do this by sketching a line that curves slightly up from each outer end and then has a slight dip downward in the center. Then draw a curved line for the top lip, again with a dip in the center, also known as Cupid’s bow.
Finish the mouth by drawing a curved line for the bottom lip, the vertical philtrum between the nose and upper lip, and a curved line below the lower lip to mark the top of the chin. See this article if you are interested in learning more about how to draw a mouth.
Draw the Ear, Jaw, Neck, and Hand
Finish the face by drawing the ear, jawline, and neck. Let’s start with the ear, which is found between the guidelines for the eyes and the bottom of the nose. Draw the outer contour of the ear followed by the lines shaping the various grooves and twisted cartilage that make up the ear. Notice also that I sketched a line from the top of the ear to represent the bottom edge of the hat, which we will draw soon. The soldier’s hat is preventing his fingertips from touching the side of his eyebrow during his salute. Therefore, you should draw this line going between the fingers and the eyebrow, as shown.
Shape the jawline by drawing a curved line from the earlobe to where the chin will be. Then define the chin and the muscles of the jaw that surround the mouth.
Define the outline of the neck. Then add a few details, including a funnel shape to indicate the Adam’s apple The collar of the jacket will be drawn just below the neck later.
Then begin adding details to make the hand. Draw the fingers extended straight, but put very slight bends in the knuckle areas to make them appear more natural. Don’t forget the fingernails, too!
Make a few visible lifelines on the palm underside and a few wrinkles along the wrist and the side of the hand for a touch of realism.
Erase Guidelines and Grid Lines
At this point, you can erase the guidelines that helped you draw the face of the army man. A kneaded eraser will be useful for erasing in tight spots without erasing important elements of the drawing itself.
Now would also be a good time to erase any stray marks that may be present on your drawing paper. You can use a rubber or plastic eraser to quickly cover broad areas of the paper.
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Draw the Hat and Collar
In order to draw a military man properly, we need to draw the uniform! We can start by drawing the hat and collar. First, the hat. Look at the reference photo to see how to properly shape the top of the hat.
Draw the brim of the hat going from the fingertips to the eye on the other side of the face. Additionally, we can see a little bit of the top of the brim.
Finish drawing the outline of the hat. Draw the seams separating the different pieces of the hat. Draw stitching along the seams to make it appear sewn together like real fabric.
Next, draw the collar along the bottom of the neck. Begin with the basic outline of the collar, including the flap that curves around the front.
Then draw a couple of squares to represent the fastening patches on the front of the collar. Finish drawing the seam around the outer edge and add a couple of subtle wrinkles near the collar’s center.
Draw the Jacket Body
Begin to sharpen the outline of the jacket body. Then draw details on the soldier’s left sleeve. Include folds in the material as well as pockets or patches.
Continue to use the reference photo to draw the general design of the uniform. This includes noticing where parts of the jacket are fastened and how the pockets are angled. You can use tilted rectangles to draw many of the army guy’s pockets.
Don’t forget to make a few well-placed folds that are always found in clothing. One prominent fold you should notice here is the drop fold formed as the soldier’s shoulder pulls at the upper end of the jacket material. Continue to draw smaller folds, seams, and pockets until the jacket body is complete.
Draw the Jacket Sleeve
Use a similar process as you draw the sleeve. Beginning with the cuff, draw the general shape and where the cuff overlaps.
Keep looking specifically for pockets and folds. There appears to be a pocket on the outer forearm area and another pocket near the bicep. Then you can draw a slightly curved diagonal line to represent a long fold stretching from the bicep to the armpit.
Finish the sleeve by drawing seams for the overlapping fabric of the uniform. Draw a lighter line or light dotted line where appropriate to show the stitching along the seams. Draw a few more folds as well. Notable folds include a few near the cuff and some where the arm bends and the fabric bunches up. Also, don’t forget to draw a couple of straight lines to make folds radiating from the elbow.
Draw Camouflage Pattern on the Hat
Now it is time to begin adding a camouflage pattern to the uniform. The following video is an excerpt from the full-length video version of this tutorial. Watch it to learn how to draw the camouflage pattern on the hat of the Army man. If you prefer, you can continue with the written directions and step-by-step pictures below the video.
The goal for this drawing is not to replicate this complicated pattern perfectly. Instead, we can sketch some very basic shapes and use a combination of hatching and crosshatching to make a simplified camouflage pattern that resembles the real thing. Here’s how to draw camouflage step by step. Starting with the hat, draw the outline of a few irregular shapes that will be dark spots in the camo pattern.
Next, draw a crosshatch pattern within each irregular shape of the hat. A crosshatch pattern is simply a series of parallel lines going in one direction with another series of parallel lines overlapping and going in a direction that is perpendicular to the first set of lines.
Still working on the hat, let’s now draw some more irregular shapes between the dark spot that we already have. Don’t fill the entire surface with spots. Leave some of the open areas free from your irregular shapes.
Finally, draw a hatch pattern within each of these new irregular shapes. A hatch pattern is a series of parallel lines going in one direction without the second perpendicular series overlapping them, as in the crosshatch pattern.
Draw Camouflage on the Sleeve
Now that you know how to draw a camo pattern, let’s do the same thing to draw camouflage for the sleeve. Make some basic abstract shapes for the darker spots. Try drawing a combination of straight and round edges and corners as you form the shapes. It’s also a good idea to stop drawing a shape along the edge of a seam or fold, or you should at least shift the positioning of the shape. This is because these edges can represent overlaps or interruptions in the visible flow of the fabric.
Use a crosshatch pattern to fill in these shapes. This crosshatch pattern can represent the darkest spots of the camo pattern. Also, it’s okay to vary the angle of the parallel lines you draw from one crosshatched spot to another. Just remember that the second series of overlapping lines within each specific spot should be perpendicular to the first series of lines.
Draw similar shapes to represent the lighter spots, just like we did when we drew the hat of the army man. Remember to use a hatch pattern rather than a crosshatch pattern to fill the shapes.
Draw Camo Print on the Jacket Body (Darker Spots)
Now draw camo print on the rest of the uniform using the same process. Begin by defining the outline of the irregular shapes that will be the darker spots of the pattern. Try to spread the spots out evenly.
Then, use crosshatching to shade these darker spots on the jacket body of the uniform. If you get to an area where folds in the clothing overlap the crosshatch pattern, you can trace over those folds so they stand out more easily against the crosshatching.
Draw Camo Print on the Jacket Body (Lighter Spots)
Now draw the lighter spots of the camo print on the left side of the jacket body. Add a number of lighter spots that are approximately equal to the number of darker spots. Remember to use hatching to shade these lighter spots. You should also have a good balance of unshaded space on the jacket’s material, too.
Draw these lighter spots with hatching on the right side of the jacket body to complete the uniform and the drawing.
And that is how to draw an army man saluting!
Tutorial Recap
For a quick visual recap of this tutorial, take a look at the image below. It shows you a progression of the main steps for how to draw the army man.
Finishing Thoughts
Let me point out again that the process for drawing the camouflage pattern is not meant to be perfect, but it is at least easier than trying to spend hours or days replicating the real thing, and it has a close enough resemblance.
The hatching and crosshatching shading method I used in this tutorial is just one option. You can always use the approach of traditional shading with varying values and grades of graphite, which would be more appropriate if applying realistic shading to the entire drawing. For the purposes of this tutorial, since it is mostly meant to be a line drawing, I thought the hatching and crosshatching methods would be a nice complement to the line drawing.
Of course, the amount of time you choose to spend on your drawing is up to you. Devoting more time will result in a more realistic and accurate representation of the uniform pattern and the drawing in general.
Whether it’s a man or woman in the Army or another branch of military service, there is still much value in having a reference photograph when you draw any person in a uniform. Even if the uniform pattern is not an exact match, the reference will help you stay true to the uniform’s basic design (sleeves, collars, pockets, etc.). Also, drawing the face and hands becomes much easier when your reference is close by.
I hope you have fun while drawing this soldier and honoring our troops!
When you are just learning how to draw people, being able to draw a motionless, standing figure can be hard enough. But what if you wanted to draw a full-length figure in motion? What if you wanted to draw, say, a man who is running?
Even if you have learned the basic proportions for drawing a standing person, there are a few changes to consider when drawing a person running. The limbs are in constant motion and opposing positions. Not only that, but we also have to remember that arms and legs will appear different when they are closer to us or farther away from us.
In this tutorial, you will see how to draw a man running. Even though running is very different from standing, you will see that drawing a man running is not drastically different from drawing a man standing still. Just a few simple tweaks and you will be on your way. So with that said, let’s get started!
Sketch a Basic Outline
The first step is to draw a rough outline of the running man. Keep standard proportions in mind for the head and torso. You can even sketch in some guidelines to draw the face later.
Now as for the arms and legs, the limbs are alternating. You see in this example that the runner’s left arm and right leg are out, while the right arm and left leg are to the rear. Here is where things might get a little confusing. You will need to foreshorten the arms and legs. This will cause them to appear distorted and out of proportion with each other. However, this is necessary to create an illusion of depth.
Foreshortening the Arms
The right upper arm appears very short compared to the forearm. Since the elbow is so far back, it is hard to appreciate the full length of the upper arm from this angle.
There is some foreshortening with the left arm too, as it is in the foreground. For this reason, the arm may appear shorter than it should compared to the torso.
Foreshortening the Legs
The runner’s right leg is extended. Since the upper thigh is farther back, it should seem slightly shorter than usual compared to the lower leg. Draw the sole of the shoe to indicate the runner’s foot getting ready to meet the pavement again.
The left knee in the background is drawn much lower than the raised right knee in the front. The left lower leg should be barely visible since it is pointing to the area behind the runner. As for the running man’s left foot, this time we will see the top of the shoe.
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Draw the Head
Draw in some details for the man’s face, head, and neck. Since he is running, you might want to draw loose hair with strands scattered in different directions, tired-looking eyes and eyebrows, and an open mouth that is catching a breath of air.
Draw the Torso
Next it is time to draw the man’s shirt. Keep in mind how the man’s torso twists and turns as his arms move. This will help you to place the folds of the shirt’s fabric. For example, since the right shoulder is twisting back and pulling the shirt from below, there are folds flowing up from the man’s bottom left toward the upper right. Plan to draw spiral folds and other basic fold types for a realistic rendering of the shirt.
Draw the Arms and Hands
Finish drawing the sleeves of the shirt. Then move on to drawing the arms, adding a little muscle definition. Next, sketch in the fingers and complete the hands. People do all kinds of things with their hands while running. Sometimes they keep the hands loose while other times the hands are clenched fists. Draw them in a way that is easy for you. The man running in this picture also has a watch to time himself.
Draw the Legs and Shoes
Complete the man’s running shorts, with fabric folds coming from the inner legs moving back and forth. Add some definition to the thighs and right knee. Also draw in some lines to detail a lean shin. Afterward, draw in some details to indicate the sole of the right shoe and the top of the man’s left shoe.
Draw Finishing Touches on the Running Man
If you haven’t been doing so up to this point, it is a good idea to take a step back and look at your drawing. Mostly look at the proportions and foreshortening that might have looked distorted after your initial basic outline. Sometimes, a drawing that has foreshortening will look less distorted after more details are added.
Erase any unwanted guidelines in the face or other parts of the figure. Add in as much shading and extra details as you want.
A simple yet cool effect to enhance the appearance of running is to place a little shadow under the foot, showing it is off the ground.
And that is how to draw a man running!
Tutorial Recap
For a quick visual recap of this tutorial, take a look at the image below. It shows you a step-by-step summary progression for how to draw a man running.
Final Thoughts
Besides the foreshortening of the arms and legs, you can see that it is not much different from drawing a man who is standing. The next time you feel like drawing and you decide you want to draw a man running, I hope you take the tips from this tutorial and “run” with them!
In this drawing tutorial, we’re going to see how to draw someone drinking a glass of beer.
Why did I choose this as a drawing subject? Well, sometimes when you are thinking of what to draw, it’s good to think about the events of everyday life and how to capture some of those events on your drawing paper.
This will be a freehand observational sketch. In this sketch, we’ll have the man facing to the right sipping on a glass of beer, and the man’s face will be in profile view.
Here is a look at the reference photograph I used while sketching this.
Again this will be all freehand without a grid, ruler, or other tools, but I encourage you to play the video below and sketch along with me, pausing the video whenever needed to take a closer look and keep up. You can also look below the video for step by step directions and images.
Sketch the Man’s Head and Below the Neck
We’ll begin by sketching a rough outline of the head and the guideline where the eyes will be and another guideline for where the nose should be. These lines should be parallel to one another, and the guideline for the nose should be roughly halfway between the eye guideline and the chin. Then start sketching the shape of the forehead.
We can also start sketching the shape of the nose itself. Be careful not to make the nose protrude too much. Carefully sketch the shape of the nostril and the wing of the nose next to it. Sketch a short line running along the length of the nose to define the bridge.
Next we’ll draw the eye. So the eye will be farther back a little in the skull of the head. Notice the light vertical guideline that aligns the eye with the side of the nose. The man’s eyes are closed, so we can only really see the top eyelid and some indications of the eyelashes. To sketch the eyebrow, draw the basic outline first, and then sketch in the hairs flowing in the same direction as the hairs of the eyebrow.
About one third of the way down from the nose to the chin, start sketching the lips. Remember, his lips are slightly parted so the drink can enter his mouth. The bottom lip will be resting on the glass that he’s drinking from and the top will be extended a little farther just inside the glass. Start shaping the chin now too.
Continue to form the jawline and work your way up to the ear. The ear should fall between the guideline for the eye and the guideline for the nose that was drawn earlier. Note the different shapes that make up the outer ear, and put shading along these shapes to give the ear a more realistic form.
Next, we can start sketching the hair. I sketched a rough outline of the hairline to begin with, and now I’m trying to shade in some of the hairs of the head, being aware of the flow and the direction of the hair. As you shade, use more pressure on your pencil for darker areas like behind the ear.
Since this man has a beard, we’ll sketch that next. We don’t want these hairs to be as thick as the hairs on his head, but we do want to draw some of the fine lines that are visible of the beard. Put some light hatch lines as an undertone for the beard, and then layer the hairs on top of that.
We might say this is a man who just got off work and stopped for a drink since we see him in a tie, so let’s make the neckline collar, and we’ll sketch a slightly loosened tie underneath. Also, put some light shading on the collar itself to show some of the subtle folds in the clothing.
Sketch the Glass and the Man’s Hand
Okay, now if we want to draw this person drinking, we need to start working on the glass. We can start with the rim of the glass. It’s at an angle from the man’s lips, and we want to make sure that it’s touching his lips. Sketch a long, thin, oval shape for the opening, but not too long. The length of the opening will affect the size of the glass
From that, we’ll want to form the shape of the glass itself. Try your best to keep a symmetrical shape from top to bottom. This drinking glass is wide at the top and starts to get more slender near the bottom. Sketch the bottom so it’s at the same angle as the rim on the top.
Sketch the drink inside of the glass going towards his mouth. Do this with two parallel lines for the foam at a level horizontal to the ground. Start sketching the fingers of the hand that is holding on to the glass. We see the thumb underneath and the fingers on top.
Continue to work on the arm by drawing the cuff below the hand and the sleeve of the man’s shirt. Again, add shading to indicate shadows as well as the folds in the clothing.
Next, we want to sketch some lines in the glass to try to make it look like glass. So we’re just sketching some lines that can serve as reflections. Try to make the lines go along with the contours of the glass. You might also notice that there is a slight line indicating the hand connecting the thumb to the index finger, but you can barely see because the glass is blocking the view.
Now we’ll shade the drink inside of the glass. When we shade the drink inside, we want to work around the highlights and the reflections that we put in the glass in the last step. Add other details, like making tiny circles for the foam from the beer clinging to the inside of the glass near the top.
Look for any finishing touches that need to be added, like maybe darkening some parts of the glass or the man’s beard. Take a step back and look at your sketch. Touch up any other areas that need attention.
And that’s how to draw someone drinking beer!
Now that you have completed this tutorial, see if you can draw someone drinking other beverages!
