HOW to DRAW EYES REALISTICALLY in Just 5 MINUTES! (#DrawingFacialFeatures​​ with Karen Campbell)

Want me to teach you how to draw eyes realistically in just 5 minutes?! LET'S DO IT!! We're drawing facial features right now on my YouTube drawing channel and spending about 5 minutes drawing each reference image. If you've always wanted to learn how to draw a face, have been struggling to work drawing practice into your daily life, or need to add MORE FUN into your art practice, THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU!! ​

We're in week three of the 5 in 5 Drawing Facial Features series, and focusing on how to draw eyes - everyone's favorite! 

Make sure you download my 20-page drawing practice packet so you can draw right along with me. It's got all the drawing reference images in it and is yours FREE. Simply click the button below, and I'll send it straight to your inbox! 

Even though I'm on week three of the series, don't feel like you're behind if you are just discovering this. These drawing exercises are for YOU to do on your own time, at your own pace. There is no schedule, ok? 

I thought this packet might help us to "get out of our own heads" about how much time we need to set aside each week to actually DO an art project. That's one of the main reasons I'm trying to only spend about 5 minutes per eye drawing.

I also know perfectionism is a big thing we all grapple with at times, especially when it comes to drawing. I'm hoping this will help! If you missed the first episode - I talked a lot about mindset shift, so make sure you check that out if it's something you struggle with.​

Let's get to it!! We've got five gorgeous eyes to focus on today. 

As we work on each eye drawing picture provided, I mainly want you to think about three things: 
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1. SHAPE - focus on the outline of your eye drawing
2. VALUE - make sure you're using darks and lights to shade
3. DETAILS - add highlights and finishing touches to make it pop

Before we continue, super quick announcement! All product links noted below are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I only reccommend products I actually use and love. Thank you for your support! 

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We're doing all of drawing practice in pencil, so grab your favorite and make sure you have a good eraser. If you have a blending stump - get your dirtiest one ready! If you don't have one-  no problem, use your finger or a q-tip to help you with blending.

If you are interested in some fancier drawing tools - I'm using my favorite Blackwing pencil, vanish eraser, and Tombow Mono Eraser (that's the one that looks like a mechanical pencil, but is an eraser!). This thing is seriously magical for chiseling out teensy highlights!!!

​This week I also busted out my mechanical pencil because there really are some fine lines when you're drawing eyes and I feel like a thinner lead can really help with replicating that detail. 

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I spend the bulk of my time on each eye trying to get the SHAPE right so it looks like the photo. It really helps to have a black and white image when you're drawing in pencil. And I gotta say, I really love working directly in the packet because I'm drawing right next to each reference.

My goal was to spend roughly 5 minutes on drawing each reference image. This one took right around 6, so not bad - especially considering I threw an eyebrow into the drawing as well! 

Look ot this gorgeous second prompt!

I'm trying to challenge us by using a variety of references from different ethnicities, AND I've switched things up so some of the references are the right eye, and some are the left.

Aren't her lashes just stunning?? If you are interested in learning how to draw Asian eyes, I have two different tutorials you can check out from my last series that spend a little more time on this specifically. I've got one in greyscale of an Asian woman, and one of an Asian male, in color. 

Isn't this one pretty?! I JUST LOVE how each eye is so unique.

As we move on to the third reference, you'll see her eye has a much different shape than the other two. 

When you're studying a reference photo, and things feel overwhelming, try to look for shapes you can copy in your drawing. For example, I always find it helps me to look at the tear duct of an eye as its own shape. 

In our third eye in today's worksheet, there is a very pronounced tear duct, as well as a pronounced wet line under her eye (this is where I felt the need for the mechanical pencil to jump in!). 

If you haven't seen me do this before, I totally help myself out and use a circle template when it comes to the iris, and sometimes even will use it for the pupil! 

I have no shame in using a template here,  and neither should YOU!! It's just a little cheat to save time and get over that perfectionism trap we can all fall into when trying to draw a "perfect" circle. 

Can you spend time drawing each iris from scratch? Of COURSE you can! But that's not what this exercise is about. We're doing quick and easy practice. My circle template is a tool that helps me achieve that goal, so I encourage you to use one if it helps you too!!

When it comes to the eyelashes - I LOVE adding eye makeup drama here. I know eyelashes can really be tough to draw for all of us at times, so I've got a cheatsheet with all my tips on eyelashes drawing. You can grab that here if you haven't already!

Don't forget to kinda zoom out and hold your drawing out from a distance to compare it to the reference every so often.

​This will help you find little tweaks you can make to get your drawing to look more like the reference. When I did that with the above image, I noticed I needed a bit more shadow under the lower lid, so popped that in with my blending stump.

lf you've never done drawing like this before, please don't be intimidated, and come try this with me. Beginners are ALWAYS welcome, and this is an amazing exercise to work on together.  

I LOVE the highlight on the iris in our 4th photo!! It's like a perfect little window!!

The lashes on our last reference photo are AMAZING!! They're also downturned a smidge. Gorgeous right? 

Make sure you're watching the video so I can show you exactly how I sweep in with my pencil to capture what I see in these unique eyelashes.

In case you need my 5 in 5 Practice Packet link one more time - here ya go - cick the button below and I'll send it straight to your inbox!!

Good luck with today's eye drawing tutorial over on my YouTube drawing channel! I can't wait to see your work!! Please share it with me!

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​Thanks SO much for hanging out with me today!! I'll see you back here NEXT Monday for our next facial feature...

​Have a wonderful week!!! 

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