For how to draw eyes, start with an almond shape, add a circle for the iris and a smaller filled circle for the pupil, leave a small white highlight, then draw the upper and lower eyelids, add eyelashes, and shade around the eyeball to give it form. Remember the eye is a sphere, so the lids curve around it — that single idea is what makes an eye look real instead of flat. Everything comes as a free printable practice pack with blank templates and trace-along worksheets.

Eyes have a reputation for being the hardest thing to draw — this guide makes them the easiest. You’ll get a simple step-by-step method that works for any eye, plus 20 references covering every style: easy, realistic, anime, cartoon, and cute eyes, different eye shapes, expressions, angles, and eyelashes. Every drawing is original.

How to draw an eye: the Almond-First Method

Every eye — realistic, anime, or cartoon — starts the same way. The Almond-First Method breaks it into six simple steps you’ll reuse on every style in this guide:

How to draw an eye, easy step by step guide

Almond shape — draw a pointed oval (an almond) for the overall eye opening.
Iris circle — add a circle for the iris; part of it is usually hidden under the top lid.
Pupil & highlight — draw a smaller filled circle for the pupil and leave a tiny white highlight.
Eyelids — add the upper and lower lids wrapping around the eyeball, with a crease above.
Eyelashes — add lashes along the lash line, curving outward and tapering to points.
Shade — shade the eyeball, corners, and lids so the eye looks round, not flat.

Before you start, it helps to know the parts you’re drawing:

Easy eyes for beginners

New to this? Start with these. Bold, simple, and forgiving — the same as our other easy things to draw.

Easy eye (super simple)

The simplest easy eye drawing — an almond, an iris, a pupil, a highlight dot, and a few lashes. No shading needed. If you can draw the almond shape, you can draw this.

Draw an eye in 4 steps

A simple step-by-step eye in four quick stages — almond, iris and pupil, lashes, eyebrow. Perfect for beginners and kids.

Realistic eyes

Here’s what you can work up to — a realistic eye is just the Almond-First Method plus careful shading. Take it one stage at a time.

How to shade an eye

The secret to a realistic eye drawing is shading. This shows the same eye going from a clean outline to base shading to final details and highlights.

A realistic eye, simplified

A cleaner realistic eye you can copy step by step — lifelike iris lines, a glossy highlight, and soft shading around the lids without going hyper-detailed.

Different eye shapes

Not every eye is the same. This reference shows six eye shapes — almond, round, hooded, monolid, upturned, and downturned — so you can draw different faces.

Anime & cartoon eyes

The most-searched styles of all. Big, expressive, and beginner-friendly — and they pair perfectly with our anime drawing guide.

Anime eyes

Four anime eyes in one reference — female, male, sparkly shoujo, and simple chibi — showing how the iris, highlights, and lash line change between styles.

How to draw an anime eye

An anime eye step by step in four stages — top lash line, iris, highlights, then fill and finish. The fastest style to get a satisfying result.

Cartoon eyes

Six cartoon eye styles — dot eyes, oval eyes, big round eyes, half-closed, wink, and side-glance — for characters, doodles, and comics.

Cute / kawaii eyes

Six adorable kawaii eyes — sparkle, happy closed, blush, starry, sleepy, and teary — the sweetest style and a favourite for cute things to draw.

Eye expressions & angles

Once you can draw one eye, small changes give it emotion and turn it to face any direction.

Eye expressions

The same eye drawn six ways — happy, sad, angry, surprised, sleepy, and scared. Expression comes from the lids and brow, not the eye itself.

Eyes from different angles

The same eye from three views — front, three-quarter, and side profile — so you can draw eyes on a turned head, not just face-on.

Crying / teary eye

A crying eye with a glossy, welling highlight and a tear on the lower lash line — one of the most expressive eyes to draw.

Male vs female eyes

How male and female eyes differ — brow thickness, lash length, and lid shape — shown side by side so you can draw either.

Eyelashes & eyebrows

The finishing touches that frame the eye — and the details most beginners rush. These make a big difference. If you enjoy drawing features, our hand drawing guide tackles another tricky one.

How to draw eyelashes

A how to draw eyelashes guide — lash line, guide lashes, then fill in — with lashes curved and tapered the right way instead of drawn as stiff spikes.

Eyebrows

Four eyebrow shapes — soft arch, straight, rounded, and angular — showing how the brow changes the whole expression.

Practice: blank templates & worksheet

Reading about eyes only gets you so far — these are for actually practising. Print them and draw right on top.

Blank eye templates

Four blank eye templates — clean almond outlines with the iris marked — ready to trace over and practise shading, lashes, or colour.

Eye proportion worksheet

A trace-then-try worksheet: copy the finished eye on the left into the guide lines on the right until the proportions feel natural.

⬇ DOWNLOAD THE FREE EYE DRAWING PRACTICE PACK (20 REFERENCES + WORKSHEETS)

The free pack includes the step-by-step method, all 20 references (easy, realistic, anime, cartoon, cute, expressions, angles), the eyelash and eyebrow guides, plus the blank templates and worksheet — print as many as you like.

FREE EYE DRAWING PRACTICE PACK

Tips for drawing eyes

Think of the eye as a sphere. The lids wrap around a ball. Curving them around that sphere is the single biggest thing that makes an eye look real.
The highlight is what brings it to life. Always leave a small white highlight on the iris — an eye with no highlight looks dull and lifeless.
Draw both eyes together. If you’re drawing a face, block in both eyes at once so they match in size, angle, and spacing.
Lashes curve, they don’t spike. Draw lashes with a gentle outward curve that tapers to a point, not as straight stiff lines.
Start easy, then add detail. Get the simple almond eye right first — realism is just the same shape with more shading.

Want to keep practising features? Our drawing ideas for kids and easy things to draw are good next steps. For the real anatomy behind it, see the human eye on Wikipedia.

How to draw eyes FAQ

How do you draw an eye step by step?

Draw an almond shape, add a circle for the iris and a filled pupil, leave a small highlight, add the upper and lower eyelids, then eyelashes, and finish by shading around the eyeball. Keep in mind the eye is a sphere the lids wrap around.

How do you draw eyes for beginners?

Start with the simple almond eye — no shading, just clean lines: almond, iris, pupil, highlight, and a few lashes. Once that feels natural, add shading and try different styles like anime or realistic.

How do you draw anime eyes?

Draw the top lash line first (it’s the boldest part), add a large iris, place one or two big highlights, then fill the iris and finish. Anime eyes are larger and more expressive than realistic ones, so exaggerate the shapes.

Why do my eyes look flat?

Usually because they’re missing shading and a highlight. Shade the eyeball and corners so it reads as a sphere, and always leave a white highlight on the iris — that instantly adds life and depth.

How do you draw realistic eyes?

Use the same basic eye, then build up shading in layers — fine radial lines in the iris, a dark pupil with a bright highlight, soft shadow under the top lid, and individually drawn, curved lashes. Patience with the shading is what makes it realistic.

Is there a free printable eye drawing pack?

Yes — the free practice pack above includes all 20 references plus blank eye templates and a proportion worksheet. No sign-up: download, print, and draw right on top.