In this tutorial I will teach you how to draw lips in 10 easy steps using a simple triangle shape. You can create different kinds of lips by making small changes in the first step. I came up with this method one day by somehow associating a pair of lips with a bow and arrow haha.
I always receive messages from readers who have tried this tutorial and say it works great for them. I hope it works for you too! Enjoy!
I will be using the following materials for this tutorial:
– Mechanical Pencil with 0.5mm HB Ain lead
– Derwent Graphic 6B Pencil
– Kneaded Eraser
– Blending Stump (learn how to use a blending stump here)
– Smooth Bristol Paper
How to Draw Lips
Step 1: Draw a Triangle
Draw a long isosceles triangle. Partway down draw a curve (similar to a “u” shape). Draw a straight horizontal line between the “u” shape and the base of the triangle. The longer you draw the horizontal line, the wider the lips will be. The shorter the line, the more plump they will be.
“But what if I want to draw this on a face, Darlene?” Check out my tutorial on drawing faces to find out where you should place your triangle. It covers proportions and will help you determine how long the triangle should be as well as how wide the lips should extend taking other elements of the face into consideration.
Step 2: Draw a bow
Create the outlines for the top lip by making a shape that looks similar to a cupid’s bow.
Step 3: Draw the bottom lip
Create the bottom lip by drawing a curved line which goes no further than the triangle’s base. Complete the opening of the mouth by using the horizontal line as a guide.
Step 4: Decide on the light direction
After erasing the triangle, determine where the light source is coming from. For this example, the light source is coming from the top right. I’ve outlined the areas I want to highlight as well as added a cast shadow on left side of the bottom lip.
Step 5: Shade the top and bottom lip
Shade both the top and bottom lip leaving the areas mentioned in STEP 4 the lightest. As you can see there is a dark shadow under the bottom lip. It starts to fade on the right side to show that the light source is coming from the upper right.
Step 6: Add lip wrinkles
Create some lip wrinkles using a 0.5mm HB pencil. You don’t want to press too hard or else it will be difficult to achieve the effect in the next step.
Want to find out how to incorporate lip wrinkles in your drawing without making them look unnatural? Try the contour shading technique as mentioned in my shading tutorial :)
Step 7: Blend the bottom lip
Using a blending stump (learn how to use one here), smooth out the shading on the bottom lip. Avoid areas mentioned in STEP 4. Those areas will make the lips appear more plump and round. You will notice that the lip wrinkles slowly start to blend in with the shading. But they shouldn’t disappear!
Step 8: Clean up highlights
Go over the lighter areas with the pointed end of a kneaded eraser and clean up the highlights to create the glare effect.
STEP 9: Repeat
Repeat STEP 7-8 for the top lip.
Step 10: Touch ups
Using a 6b pencil, darken the shadows in areas such as the outer edges of the lips, under the bottom lip, the wrinkles and the corners of the lips.
You can change the size of the lips by moving the horizontal line up (to make the upper lip thin) or down (to make to make the upper lip thicker). Also, adding more glare will make the lips look even more plump.
Have any questions or requests? Let me know in the comments!
Don’t worry if your drawing doesn’t turn out the way you expected on the first try. Keep going at it and you will understand and grasp each step. It will become much easier! Also, don’t forget to experiment with different triangle shapes and positioning of the guides in STEP 2.
If you enjoyed this easy step-by-step tutorial on how to draw lips, please share this post to support RFA :) Thank you!
Click here to learn how to draw 10 different kinds of lips (smile, frown, smirk, etc).
More Lip Tutorials:
Darlene created RFA In 2013 with the goal of sharing simple yet detailed drawing tutorials with other artists on the world wide web. She is a self taught pencil portrait artist and Youtuber.
Thank u so much darlene, it is really useful.. M sketching for the first time n M finding it much easier than what i thought..
Thnx Darlene
It’s awesom site to learn drawing for everyone…
Thanks Vipin!
If you want the lips to be thin and small, do you make the triangle smaller?
Hi Cindy, you can make them thinner by decreasing the triangle’s height and smaller if you make the horizontal line shorter :)
nice to draw your arts
Darlene, your work is so great….and so benificial ….helpful…..clear and therefore easy to follow…
Thank you so much….
I just found your site tonite….I will be here a lot……not sure how to post, but I’ll try
Thanks again
Merry Christmas !
I’m glad you stumbled upon my site Cally! Let me know if you have any questions! I’m available via email (rapidfireart@outlook.com)
Merry Christmas to you too!
this tutorial is real easy to follow its great, many thanks!
Im learning to draw girls faces and I like to draw big lips .. but I have a problem to draw lips from the side and from 3/4 side. Do you have any tips for that and how to draw sexy lips?? thank you!!!
Kleo
Hi Kleo! Email me at rapidfireart@outlook.com and I’ll share some tips with you :)
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I was trying to learn how to draw lips! This really helped me with my portrait of a girl crying. Your tutorials are amazing!
Thanks Jaylinn!
I’m so glad to hear that the tutorial worked for you! :)
Ilove drawing so much and I would like to thank you for the tutorial its really helpfull you are perfect i wish to be like you:)
Thank you for stopping by Afra! :)
This is a bit little but I would like to say that I’m very happy that I stumbled upon your website. It’s really well detailed and I really like the multiple steps. Anyways, continue the good work.
Thanks Celyn! It’s not little at all. I appreciate the feedback and encouragement! :)
You’re amazing at this. Plus, your articles are very clear.
Thank you Ros!
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I managed to draw a complete portrait using your tutorials. It helps so much, I can’t even tell you! I’ll send you the picture later :)
That is wonderful Bhavna! I’m so glad I was able to help. I look forward to seeing your work!
Thank you! Your tutorial is so easy to follow
Glad the tutorial works for you :)
Your method is so much better than the way I learned this. I like how you can adjust the lips to make them more full or thinner with ease and without all the extra smudges.
Glad it works for you! Not everyone’s lips are the same, so knowing how to adjust the size is important.
I can’t draw for nothing!!!
I’m with you! I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler. X(
I am going to send you my results as you have made this more clear to me than anyone ever has! You should teach a formal class even if it is online, sign me up! :)
Thanks Val! I’m looking forward to your drawing :)
I’m going to be posting free video tutorials soon!