Page:Drawing for Beginners.djvu/91

 Lightly trace the iris and the pupil, and the shape and position of the light on the pupil.

Next we note the shape of the upper lid of the near eye (and its long curve), the deepest and the narrowest part; the shape of the inner and blunt end of the eye, the sharper curved angle of the outer part of the eye. We look at the far eye, and this curves slightly away from us on the curve of the cheek. The eyeball nears the blunt end, and exposes a large space of white.

Lid, pupil, iris, eyelash, eyebrow, all follow in their turn; add such shadows as you wish, and you must certainly not forget the shadow of the nose and the forehead. The eye lies in a socket. In old people this is very noticeable. The shadow of the brow falls on the socket and gives a very sharp and bold outline for drawing.

Drawing eyes from the mirror has certain limitations, so let us ask some one to 'sit' for us with an eye in profile.

Bear in mind an important point. The eyeball is covered by the lid. Then obviously the lid must project beyond the eyeball. Young artists often draw the eyelid and the eyeball as if they are exactly on the same level. But anything that covers must be larger than the object covered.

You would not, for instance, draw a tea-cosy smaller, or even the same size as a teapot, for you know very well it would not cover the pot. You would not draw a hat exactly the same size as the bare skull. It must be larger. Then why draw an eyelid (that covers the eyeball) the same size as the eye?

Also you must allow for the thickness of the lid. If you turn your head upward, and look down at your reflection in the glass, the thickness of the lid will be very apparent. You will notice the inner edge resting against the eyeball, and the outer edge fringed with the lashes. This can be seen even more plainly if you open your eyes wide, as if in astonishment or surprise.

The open lid is not so frequently seen as the small lid and sunken eye, which fact worries the unpractised artist not a