How to draw anime eyes, step by step

What makes an eye look anime?

Anime eyes are real eyes simplified into a few strong shapes. Artists keep the lines that read from far away, like the upper eyelid, the iris and the highlights, and leave out most of the rest: the lower lashes, the tear duct, the small folds of skin.

They are also bigger than real eyes, and often set a little lower on the face for young or cute characters. That size leaves room for highlights and emotion, which is why the eyes carry so much of a character's style and personality.

• A thick upper eyelid, like a roof, that often ends in a small flick at the outer corner.
• A short, thin lower lid, often broken: the less of it there is, the lighter the eye looks.
• A tall oval iris, cut at the top by the eyelid and reaching almost down to the lower lid.
• One or two white highlights, placed where the light comes from.
• A few lashes, grouped at the outer corner.

Where do the eyes go on an anime face?

A beautiful eye in the wrong place spoils the whole face, so place the eyes before you draw a single lash. On the built head, draw the eye line halfway between the top of the skull and the chin. The eyes sit on it, with the width of one eye between them.

Lower the eye line a little for a younger character. Spacing changes the character too: more space between the eyes looks soft and childlike, less space looks harsh or grown-up. The eyebrow sits about half an eye above the eye and follows the brow ridge. The anime face tutorial shows how to build the head under these guidelines.

How to draw anime eyes step by step

A manga eye is always built in the same order: the shape, the eyelids, the iris, the highlights. Draw one eye large, about the size of your palm, so you can see every curve. Once you can draw it, draw it as a pair, going back and forth between the two eyes so they stay the same size.

1. Step 1Draw the guidelines and the almond

   Draw a horizontal eye line and a vertical line where the center of the iris will be. On them, sketch a lying almond, a little pointier on the outer side, toward the edge of the face: it sets the size of the eye. Press lightly: you will erase these lines.

   

2. Step 2Draw the upper eyelid

   Go over the top of the almond with a thick curved line: the upper eyelid, the line that makes a manga eye. Start thin at the inner corner, near the nose, thicken it toward the outer corner and end it with a small flick. It decides the shape of the eye: round, almond or stretched.

   

3. Step 3Add the lower lid

   At the bottom of the almond, draw just a short, thin line, curving up toward the outer corner without touching the upper lid. Leave both corners open: an anime eye looks brighter when its outline is not a closed shape.

   

4. Step 4Draw the iris

   Draw a big standing oval on the vertical guideline, cut at the top by the eyelid and reaching almost down to the lower lid. Let it touch the upper line: an iris you can see whole, with white all around, makes the character look shocked or staring. A bigger iris looks younger and gentler; a smaller one looks older or more intense.

   

5. Step 5Add the pupil and the highlights

   Draw a dark pupil in the middle of the iris, then a big white highlight near the top, overlapping the iris and the pupil. A second, smaller one adds sparkle. Leave the highlights white and fill the pupil dark: they are what makes the eye shine.

   

6. Step 6Shade the top of the iris

   The upper lid casts a shadow on the eye, so darken the top of the iris with even strokes and stop in a soft curve. Leave the bottom light. That contrast between a dark top and a bright bottom is what makes anime eyes look glossy.

   

7. Step 7Add the lashes, the crease and the eyebrow

   Add a few thick lash flicks at the outer corner, a thin curved line above the lid for the crease, and the eyebrow about half an eye higher, following the curve of the eye. Erase the guidelines, then darken the lines you want to keep.

   

How to draw anime eyes at an angle or from the side

When the head turns into a three-quarter view, the far eye gets narrower, because you see it at an angle across the curve of the face, and it moves closer to the bridge of the nose. The near eye keeps its shape, and both stay on the eye line, even when it tilts.

In profile, you see only one eye, shaped like an arrowhead pointing toward the nose, and the iris becomes a thin oval. Keep the eye set back from the bridge of the nose instead of placing it at the very edge of the face. For the full head construction from every angle, see how to draw an anime head from any angle.

• Front view: both eyes the same size, one eye's width apart, the pointed corners toward the outside of the face.
• Three-quarter view: the far eye narrower and closer to the nose, the near one unchanged.
• Profile: a single eye like an arrowhead, with a thin oval iris, set back from the nose.

How to change the eye style for each character

Once you can draw one eye, you can draw almost any character by changing a few things: the shape of the almond and of the upper eyelid, the size of the iris and the eyebrows. The construction stays the same.

The style of the eyes also says which kind of manga the character comes from. Keep the same eye style for every character on a page, or they will look like they come from different stories.

• Big and round: a high, round eyelid and a large iris, for a gentle or naive character.
• Almond-shaped: a calm, balanced eye, for a calm or confident character.
• Thin and sharp: a low, flat eyelid and a small iris, for a rival or a cold character.
• Shojo: very big eyes, taller than wide, a huge iris with several highlights and strong lashes.
• Shonen: eyes wider than tall, a thick eyelid slanting slightly toward the nose, a single sharp highlight.
• Seinen: smaller, more realistic eyes, a thinner eyelid with a visible crease and a smaller iris.
• Chibi and comedy: a black oval with one highlight, or even a single line.

Male vs. female anime eyes

There is no strict rule, but most styles draw male characters with narrower eyes, a flatter upper lid, smaller irises and thicker, straighter eyebrows sitting close to the eyes.

Female characters often get taller eyes, a rounder upper lid, bigger irises with more highlights, heavier lash flicks and thin eyebrows set higher. The heavier the lashes, the more feminine or dramatic the gaze. Treat these as habits, not laws: a gentle boy can have big round eyes, and a fierce heroine can have sharp ones.

How to show emotion with the eyes and eyebrows

The eyes and eyebrows do most of the acting in a manga panel. Change the eyelids, the size of the iris and the angle of the brows together, and the same face can laugh, worry or rage. The anime expressions tutorial adds the mouth and the rest of the face.

• The eyelid: high and round for a gentle or naive character; low and flat for a calm, confident or tired one.
• The size of the iris: large, the character looks young and open; small, tense, scared or threatening.
• Where the irises point: both look at the same spot. Move them together, never one without the other.
• The white of the eye: white showing under the iris looks calm; white showing above it looks scared.
• The eyebrow: low and close to the nose, it shows anger; raised in the middle, sadness or worry.

Common mistakes when drawing anime eyes

Most eyes that look wrong have one of these problems. Check your drawing against the list before you darken the lines, and flip it horizontally, in a mirror or on your phone: an eye higher than the other jumps out once mirrored.

• Starting with the iris: the eyelid gives the shape of the eye. Draw the almond and the upper lid first.
• Eyes that float: drawn without an eye line, one ends up higher than the other. Always place the guidelines first.
• Highlights that disagree: if they are not on the same side in both eyes, the character looks cross-eyed.
• A closed outline: a lower lid drawn all the way around makes the eye look stiff. Leave gaps at the corners.
• The wrong spacing: about one eye's width should fit between the eyes.
• A lifeless gaze: it usually needs a bigger highlight, not more detail.