Learn How to Draw | RapidFireArt

How to draw hands part 2 – Beyond structure

This is the last part of a 2 part tutorial. Part 1 covers basic proportions of a hand. If you have not reviewed it, please click here.

Being able to draw the shape of a hand is great, but what happens after that? In this tutorial, I will be covering how to draw nails, skin, wrinkles and folds for several different types of hands: baby, elderly, masculine and feminine. What characteristics make a hand look strong, gentle or young? Read more to find out!

*Most of the drawing techniques are covered in the first section (how to draw elderly hands). Don’t skip this section if you want to get the most out of this tutorial :)

How to Draw Elderly Hands

1. Structure

Elderly people generally have less body fat, so when you draw the outline, make sure to pronounce the joints.

2. Skin

Instead of shading with long pencil strokes, use a fine 0.5mm HB
mechanical pencil to create layers of circles with even amounts of pressure. Avoid shading the nails. Switch to a 2B or even 4B to darken areas between bones or around tendons to make the hand appear even skinnier. Layer the circles on until the gaps are really small, but still visible to achieve the look of fine lines.

Click here to see an interactive diagram of a hand in layers

In order to retain as much realistic skin texture as possible, do not blend or smudge! If you feel the need to blend any area of the drawing, use an HB pencil to layer on even more circles.

I will go into more details in a future tutorial on skin. Follow me on Facebook to get an update whenever I post a new article!

Click here to learn how to shade!

3. Veins, Wrinkles and Folds

Use a blunt 2B pencil to draw clean lines where prominent folds, wrinkles and veins appear. Then apply different shading techniques for each one.

Veins: Gradual, soft shading
Wrinkles: Less gradual, darker valleys, more prominent highlights
Folds: Gradual, less prominent highlights

Give some of the wrinkles at each finger joint some wider valleys than others.

4. Fingernails

To make them easy to draw you can section each nail into 3 main areas: the lunule (the white semi circle above the cuticle), body of the nail and the free edge.

If you look at your fingernail up close you will notice many lines stretching across the entire nail. Because of these lines, there will be breaks in the light reflected off the nail’s surface. Draw lines to section off areas you need to shade or highlight. As we age, our nails grow thicker and the lines may become more apparent.

Shade these areas in one at a time. Make sure to give the nail some shape by making the left and right side darker.

How to Draw Masculine Hands

1. Structure
In order to draw strong masculine hands, we need to go back to part 1 and enlarge the bottom row of joints for each of the four fingers. For the thumb, enlarge the two bottom joints. If you look at your dominant hand, you may notice that the bottom two thumb joints are more prominent compared to your other hand. These joints change over time, especially for those who are frequently involved in laborious physical work.

2. Skin
With a blunt HB pencil, use circular motions to draw the skin, but this time follow up with a blending stump to smooth out the texture. Introduce lots of lines and shapes for a chiseled look.

3. Veins, Wrinkles, Tendons
Accentuate tendons and veins. You can find an interactive diagram with tendons and veins here. The only apparent wrinkles are located at each finger joint. Keep the lines narrow and shallow.

4. Fingernails
Draw short fingernails with lots of texture for a rugged look.

How to Draw Feminine Hands

1. Structure
Put less emphasis on the finger joints and knuckles. Especially the bottom 2 thumb joints.

2. Skin
Use a blunt HB pencil to draw the skin using circular motions and then blend using tissue paper. Unlike masculine hands, avoid harsh lines and shapes. Make the skin as smooth and consistent as possible.

3. Veins, Wrinkles, Tendons
Tendons should only be slightly visible with very gradual shading.

4. Fingernails
Most people think fingernails grow out straight, when really they’re curved. In fact, the longer they grow, the more apparent this curve becomes. Have you ever watched the episode of Guinness World Records featuring the lady who grew her nails 10 feet long? They literally spiral out of control!
Fake nails or real… there will almost always be a curve. Don’t overlook this detail!

How to Draw Baby Hands

1. Structure
Add thickness between each joint and round out the tips of each finger so they are nice and plump. If you are drawing a skinny baby hand, do not put too much emphasis on the bottom 2 thumb joints.

2. Skin
Baby hands are smooth and plump, so you want to focus on making your circles as close together as possible. Keep your pencil pressure consistent and work in layers using only a blunt HB pencil until you are ready to do some darker shading. Avoid using any lead softer than 2B. Stick to gradual shadows for a cute chubby hand. Use tissue paper to smooth out the skin.

3. Dimples
One big characteristic of babies or children’s hands are the dimples that appear on each knuckle (minus that of the thumb) when the fingers are outstretched. Use a 2B pencil to draw these cute little dimples, making sure to appropriately shade and highlight the space around it.

4. Wrinkles and Folds
Babies have very few wrinkles, so when drawing finger joints, draw only a few large wrinkles. They should appear thick, so stick to gradual shading with less prominent highlights.

5. Fingernails
A healthy baby has smooth, shiny nails. Avoid adding any additional textures.

Need some pictures for drawing reference? Click here to download a whole bunch! :)

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to draw hands: beyond structure. If you have any questions or comments, please drop them in the comments section below!

UPDATE: For more detailed instructions, checkout my new video tutorial! https://youtu.be/j739xyYn0fE

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Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw hands part 2 – Beyond structure Read More »

How to draw hands part 1 – Construction

51 Comments / Learn How to Draw

Our hands are extremely expressive and can form endless amounts of gestures. These gestures can convey many emotions such as fear, anger, sadness and happiness. No wonder they’re so difficult to draw!

I’ll admit I used to draw people with their hands tucked away in their pockets or hidden behind their backs. I would always find ways to hide them because drawing hands was one of my biggest weaknesses. Don’t let it be yours! Tuck your fears away, take your pencils out and let’s practice drawing some hands together!

The easiest way to learn how to draw hands is to first understand its proportions and bone structure. This tutorial will cover how to construct a hand and help you understand it’s proportions but the bone structure is abstract. If you want to see a skeletal diagram of a hand, please click here. I will soon be making a part 2 covering nails, skin and wrinkles. You can follow me on Facebook to get an update whenever I post a new tutorial!

Update: Click here for How to draw hands part 2!

How to Draw a Hand Step by Step

Step 1: Shape the palm

Use an HB pencil to draw a rectangle slightly longer than a square. Make a slope at the top. The right side of the curve will dip down much lower than the left side since we are drawing the back of the right hand. Taper the right side of the rectangle as well.

Step 2: Draw five circles

Draw 4 circles at the top with an even amount of spacing between them. These are the knuckles. Add a 5th circle for the thumb located on the bottom left about 4/5ths of the way down.

Step 3: Measure and draw the fingers

To determine the length of each finger, measure the length from the wrist to the knuckles and duplicate that. The dotted line marks the maximum finger height. Our fingers vary in length and since the middle finger is the longest, we will use it as a reference to find the height of the other 3 fingers. To do that, draw a curved line that is similar to the first one drawn in step 1.

Step 4: Find the joints for each finger

Now that we have all 4 fingers drawn, it’s time to locate each joint. Add 2 more ticks on the middle finger, each roughly 1 quarter of the way down. Using these ticks, draw 2 more curves. We now have reference points for joint placement! Wasn’t so bad, was it? Please note that these are only loose measurements for simplicity sake.

Step 5: Draw circles at each joint

For each finger, draw 2 more circles. Each finger should have 3 circles ranging from small, medium to large from top to bottom.

Step 6: Draw the thumb

For the thumb, draw a curved line coming from the bottom left circle. The height of the thumb will change depending on how far it is spread out. Measure the length of the thumb and draw a circle at the halfway point. Add another circle halfway up from there.

Step 7: Make outlines around the hand

Make an outline around the structure. Increase the fat between each finger joint for chubby-looking hands or decrease the fat while making the joints stick out for a skinnier hand. Humans have some webbing in between each finger, so make sure you connect each finger with webs. Make sure they are not too low. They should be well above the knuckles drawn in step 2. Now that we understand the proportions and how to construct a basic hand, let’s practice drawing different hand gestures.

Hand Images for Drawing Reference

Feel free to download and use the hand images below for your reference! You may find that it is difficult to use the measurement system for certain gestures. In this case, eye the approximate measurements and remember to implement the use of curved lines when drawing fingers. If you practice enough, you should be able to sketch them without the use of guidelines or better yet, be able to visualize and draw any gesture! Understanding muscles, tendons and fat tissue will help add a layer of realism to your hands. Click here for an interactive 360 degree model. You can view different layers by clicking on the thumbnails at the top.

**Click here for the second part of this tutorial: How to Draw Hands Part 2: Beyond Structure

Have any questions or requests? Leave them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

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Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw hands part 1 – Construction Read More »

How to draw realistic hair: The ultimate tutorial

136 Comments / Learn How to Draw

Are you struggling when it comes to drawing hair? Drawing hair can be an intimidating task for those who are just learning how to draw. With the overwhelming amount of detail and commitment required, many people lose their patience and resort to a series of sloppy scribbles.

To some of us, drawing hair can be a nightmare. But a change in your approach can help you leave those fears behind. In this tutorial, I will introduce 4 simple steps for drawing realistic-looking hair.

It contains additional tips, techniques and close-ups so you see exactly what I’m doing.

Tools I used for this tutorial:

Pencils by Derwent
Mechanical Pencils with 0.5mm HB and 4B Ain lead by Pentel
Kneaded Eraser

Tutorial Breakdown:

4 steps for drawing hair
Close look at drawing a small lock of hair
How to draw curly hair (Mini tutorial)
How to draw short hair (Mini tutorial)

The steps below can be used for drawing all sorts of hairstyles from short to long and straight to curly hair. So without any further ado, let’s jump right into the lesson! Here are 4 things you need to keep in mind when it comes to drawing realistic hair:

Volume, Flow, Value and Texture

1. Volume

It helps to make loose outlines of the skull before you start drawing hair. If you draw hair without the 3 dimensional shape of the human head in mind, it will lack volume and you risk chopping off a part of the skull. Hair hugs the head, but it isn’t plastered to it. For most people with long hair, you can expect at least 2 centimeters of “hair height” on top of their actual height and at least 2 centimeters on the sides as well.

Having difficulty drawing heads? Click here to learn how to draw one from the front and here to draw one from side.

2. Flow

In order to draw hair with flow, you need to be aware of the structure underneath. For long hairstyles in their resting state, the hair flows down, hugs the head and wraps around the shoulders. Somewhat like a liquid. You want to begin by sketching the basic structure of the hair and keep your strokes loose and simple.

3. Value (Shadows, Midtones, Highlights)

A head of hair contains many shades, so before you start scribbling away, take some time to determine where the light source is coming from and how it will affect the tonal value of the hair.
If you are working off a reference image where the lighting is too soft, posterize the image or turn up the contrast using a free image editing program such as gimp in order to exaggerate the 3 different shades – Making them much easier to identify.

Posterized reference image:

posterize comp — Posterized Image in GIMP (image editing software)

Once you have the lighting down, start drawing boundary lines between groups of hair that appear to be overlapping. Decide where you want the light to fall and then outline those areas using the shadow lining technique. Shade your way around the highlights. If you often find yourself getting lost in the details, this step will help you keep track of the overall lighting so you can be more confident when drawing the individual hairs.

how-to-shadow-line-and-shade-hair

Click here to learn more about light and how to shade.

4. Texture

An average human head contains around 150,000 strands of hair. Just the thought of this can be very discouraging. First of all, you don’t need to spend 90% of your time meticulously drawing your subject’s hair. In fact, this step can be done so quickly it might even become your favorite step. The key to adding texture is using confident, steady strokes and maintaining a consistent flow.

Tip: You can produce long, continuous and smooth lines using an overhand grip on your pencil while harnessing the power of your elbow and shoulder instead of your fingers and wrist.

Work on one part of the hair at a time, while following the general direction in which the strands flow. In dark areas, don’t be afraid to press hard (I used a 6B to 8B for these areas). To bring out highlights, flatten your kneaded eraser and swipe it in the desired direction. The eraser will become too dirty after the first swipe, so fold it in and flatten after each stroke.

You can add more or less detail depending on the level of realism you are trying to achieve.

Let’s take a closer look at drawing a small lock of hair:

When creating your first layer of pencil strokes, mix it up with a variety of different line weights. I use a mixture of dull and sharpened pencils as well as mechanical pencils. As you are creating each stroke, remember to press and then lift as you approach the area you want to highlight. Work your strokes inwards so they fade in the middle of the lock.

Add a second layer of strokes. In this stage, I usually opt for a 0.5mm HB–4B for touch-ups and a very dull 6B to fill some white space without making it look too busy.

Keep doing this until you achieve desired results. If you want to create a shiny look or replicate harsh lighting, try to keep the highlights fairly clean. You can use an eraser if need be.

For hair ends, work outwards so your hair tapers nicely without looking too blunt and dull.

Useful Techniques

Drawing hair isn’t just a bunch of lines in boring repetitive patterns. Use the 4 techniques below to make your drawings more interesting to the eye.

If you’re having difficulties drawing long hair because your pencil strokes are too short or choppy, try holding your pencil further away from the tip. This will give you more range of motion, producing longer, smoother strokes.

Are you ready to draw some hair? Let’s implement the steps and techniques above in the 2 mini tutorials below! Pencils I will be using: 4B, 6B, 8B

How to Draw Curly Hair

Drawing curly hair is really fun and absolutely great for building confidence when it comes to adding texture.

1. Practice drawing curls using a cylindrical shape. This will help you achieve realistic curls with plenty of volume.

2. Sometimes it helps to make associations. So think of a curl as a ribbon. They have many ringlets which stretch further apart near the bottom. Use curvy lines and avoid any straight lines in order to achieve a more realistic feel and flow. (4B)

3. Pay attention to the highlighted areas of the hair and keep it consistent. For this example, the highlight is in the center. As you can see, the hairs closest to the front have more prominent highlights than the back. (6B)

4. Use swift strokes to add texture. Break free from patterns and boring lines by overlapping or adding stray hairs. Be creative and look to reference images or even the mirror for inspiration. (4B, 8B)

How to Draw Short Hair

Drawing short hair is really no different than drawing long hair, except that you will find yourself covering less ground in the same amount of time because the strands are much shorter.

Click here to go to the expanded version of this mini tutorial (tons of detailed images)

1. Construct the shape of the head and position the ear in the correct place. (4B) Click here to learn how to draw a head/face from the side and where to draw the ear.
2. Draw a loose outline of the hair using strokes that flow in the actual direction the hair is pointing. (4B)
3. Shade the dark areas, keeping in mind this step is for helping you see the big picture. (6B)
4. Add texture by working on one area of the hair at a time. Outlining groups of hair and then adding texture is also a good technique. For thin hair, use ‘v’ shapes to taper most hair ends. Keep in mind that thick hair usually does not taper at the ends. Instead, most hairs will stand on their own. (4B, 6B, 8B)

This is my longest tutorial to date! I hope it covers everything. If you want to see more tutorials like this one, please let me know. Also, don’t forget to share the love using the share buttons below :) Does the thought of drawing hair make you cringe? Let me know in the comments!

UPDATE: I’ve broken the steps down further (7 steps) in video format. It’s a really detailed video tutorial that covers 6 different hairstyles. Click here to watch it on Youtube.

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Other Hair Tutorials:

Braids (Exclusive Tutorial)
Stubble (Exclusive Tutorial)
Short Hair from the Side
Eyebrows
Eyelashes

Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw realistic hair: The ultimate tutorial Read More »

How to draw an ear – 5 easy steps

36 Comments / Learn How to Draw

When drawing portraits, people usually do not put too much effort into creating a likeness with their subject’s ears because we usually recognize people by their faces or other unique features that stand-out.

Even though they are not given a lot of attention, it is still good practice to learn how to draw an ear and understand it’s structure.

Drawing ears may seem difficult and complex because they contain many bumps, valleys and folds. Learning how to draw an ear is is a lot easier when you learn to simplify it’s complex shapes like the example image below.

Materials I used for this simple ear drawing tutorial:
– Blending stump
– HB and 4B Derwent pencil
– Canson Sketch paper (not the usual Canson Bristol Paper which is my ultimate favorite. Ran out of that.)

Step 1: Draw the shape of an ear

Outline the shape of the ear making sure the bottom part of the ear (ear lobe) is smaller in proportion to the top part of the ear (known as the helix).

“Where exactly do I draw an ear on the head?” Click here to find out!

Step 2: Draw the bumps and folds

Draw 2 curves to indicate the main folds within the ear. The first curve should line the middle to top part of the ear. You can make this curve as smooth or jagged as you want.

Remember to leave a small amount of room around the edge. The left side of the curve should curl slightly into the center of the ear.

How to draw an ear step 2_1

The second curve should come out of the first one and have a tear-shaped bottom. Wrap the curve up to form a flap (known as the tragus). Make sure you leave a good amount of space at the bottom for the ear lobe.

Step 3: Shading preparation

At the beginning of the tutorial, I pointed out three main shapes within an ear. We drew two of them in step 2. The third shape looks like the letter ‘y’. You can either draw the ‘y’ very lightly or picture it on your drawing instead. We’ll be using it later in this step.

Decide on a direction from which the light is coming from and use soft lines to indicate where the darkest shadows will fall. These places will be the most prominent folds and deepest valleys within the ear.

For this example, the light is shining from the left side.

If any shadows cross through the ‘y’, make sure you warp them to compliment any ridges, bumps or valleys of the ‘y’.

Step 4: Shade the darkest areas

Shade the areas outlined in the previous step with a 4B pencil. Remember to shade deeper parts of the ear darker and bumps lighter.

Click here to learn how to shade!

Step 5: Add mid tones and light tones

Using an hb pencil, shade the rest of the ear, keeping in mind that the bumps should be lightest and valleys darkest. Use a blending stump to blend each area separately (learn about how to use a blending stump here). Use a kneaded eraser to bring out the lightest areas of the ear if needed.

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If you enjoyed this short and simple tutorial on drawing the human ear, please share it with your friends!

What’s next? Click here to learn how to draw it on a face!

Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw an ear – 5 easy steps Read More »

How to draw a smile with teeth – 7 easy steps

28 Comments / Learn How to Draw

Hello fellow artists! Wow, it’s been such a long time since I posted a tutorial on RapidFireArt! Sorry for the long hiatus.

Over the next few months I will be posting regularly, so please follow me on Facebook or RFA if you want to see more ‘how to’ articles.

Today, I will be showing you how to draw a smile with teeth using a pencil in a simple way. Drawing teeth can be a huge struggle for beginners. When I drew teeth for the first time, they looked crooked, dark, and altogether creepy! If you always avoid drawing toothy smiles, this tutorial is just for you!

For this tutorial I used the following materials:

– Blending Stump (with a fine tip)
– 0.5mm HB and 4B Ain lead
– 6B Derwent Graphic Pencil
– Canson Sketch Paper (First time trying this cute travel-sized sketch pad. It’s completely different from the Canson Bristol Paper I usually draw on. Blending with this sketch paper is not as easy. I got a lot of tiny blotches here and there. So I spent a bit of time erasing.

How to Draw a Realistic Smile with Teeth

Step 1: Draw a Hammock Shape

Draw a hammock shape with a vertical line down the middle.
Add 2 diagonal lines on each side and 2 curves about a third or quarter of the way up depending on where you want to position the top and bottom sets of teeth.

Step 2: Draw the lips

Draw the lips by following the outer lines.

Click here for my tutorial on how to draw lips!

Step 3: Draw the teeth

Using HB lead, draw the 2 front teeth and work your way out, alternating from one side to the other in order to keep track of the sizing for each tooth. Do the same for the bottom. Remember not to draw the outlines too dark. You want the lines to be subtle or it will be hard to erase later.
It’s tempting, but try not to make each side mirror images of each other. Each tooth has a unique shape and alignment. They should have slight differences from each other if you want to draw more realistic teeth.

Step 4: Erase all guidelines

Erase all the lines from step 1. Make sure everything looks good before you move on to the next step. Any flaws will be hard to correct after step 5.

Step 5: Shade and blend

Now it’s time to shade everything but the teeth. First, let’s start by using the 4B lead to give the lips and gums some tone. The inner areas of the top and bottom lips should be dark so that they do not blend in with the gums and teeth. Highlight the gum area directly above each tooth and darken the areas in between them. Using a 6B pencil, darken the corners of the mouth and gradually go lighter as you reach the middle to show the tongue.

Now blend everything using a blending stump.

Want to learn how to shade? Click here for a detailed tutorial on shading!

Step 6: Shade each tooth and blend

Shade each tooth one at a time using an HB pencil, leaving certain areas highlighted to give the teeth more shape and make them appear glossy. It is important to use HB lead to prevent yourself from shading darker than you need to. Go over each tooth with a clean blending stump to smooth out the harsh lines. Stay within the lines when you are blending.

UPDATE: If you’re stuck on any step, please watch the video version of this tutorial where I draw a smile with even more details, step-by-step.

Step 7: Touchups on your smile drawing

Create a fine point with your kneaded eraser and dab away at highlights to brighten them up. Notice that I made the top set of teeth slightly brighter than the lower set to bring them forward. I can create the reverse effect by making the lower set lighter in value. However, the effect is limited by the placement of each tooth in step 3.

Using a 0.5mm 4B lead, add definition to the edges of each tooth by giving them clean and sharp outlines. Be careful not to lose those clean edges when blending around the teeth. Stay within the lines!

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If you enjoyed this tutorial on how to draw a smile with teeth, please share with your friends!

More lip tutorials:

Drawing lips from the front

Drawing lips from the 3/4 view

Drawing lips from the side

Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw a smile with teeth – 7 easy steps Read More »

How to draw a nose from the side – 6 steps

17 Comments / Learn How to Draw

Many people find drawing noses difficult, especially from the side. Creating basic shapes as a guideline will make the process of drawing noses a lot less difficult.

Here is a list of materials I used for the tutorial below.

– Mechanical Pencil with 0.5 mm 4B Ain Lead
– Kneaded Eraser
– Blending Stump (learn how to use a blending stump here)
– Smooth Bristol Paper

How to Draw a Nose from the Side

Step 1: Draw two small circles

To draw the profile of a nose, you want to start out with 2 round circles which are spaced generously apart. (Imagine there is a third circle in between the 2). For the next step, I’ve drawn a triangle to give you guidance on how to draw the bridge/slope of the nose.

Click here to learn where to place these circles on a face!

Step 2: Draw the bridge, nose tip and philtrum

Draw a curved slope up and around the left circle to form the tip and bridge and a curve below it to form the philtrum or cupid’s bow. The cupid’s bow should not go too far to the left or right. Draw it somewhere in between the 2 circles.

Step 3: Add the nostril

Make a looped shape for the nostril. It should not be too long or too big. Again, try to draw between the 2 circles.

Step 4: Shade the nose

You can erase the circles at this point and start shading. As you can see, the shading technique employed in this tutorial is circular. That will help achieve a more realistic skin texture. In my shading tutorial, I cover a few more shading techniques as well as give tips on how to shade smoothly. Click here to go to my shading tutorial.

Step 5: Highlight prominent areas

Make sure you leave some areas highlighted.

Step 6: Touch ups

Here, I have darkened some areas as well as went over the highlights with the end of a kneaded rubber eraser. The outlines have also been erased slightly. I used the blending stump, to blend around the highlights to make the skin look less harsh.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to draw a nose from the side! If you have any questions or requests, let me know in the comments below!

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So, what’s next?? Click here to learn where to place a nose on the face!

More nose tutorials:

If you want to learn how to draw different noise shapes (male, female and children), please watch my Youtube tutorial below:

Noses from the front

Noses from the 3/4 view

Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw a nose from the side – 6 steps Read More »

How to draw lips – 10 easy steps

144 Comments / Learn How to Draw

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.

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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:

Drawing lips from the 3/4 view

Drawing a smile with teeth

Drawing lips from the side

How to draw lips on a face

Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw lips – 10 easy steps Read More »

How to draw a nose from the front – 7 easy steps

75 Comments / Learn How to Draw

Here is a very simple step by step tutorial on how to draw a nose from the front view. Below is a diagram of a nose broken down into 3 separate parts: the bridge, the nostrils and the ball or tip. Breaking things down into sections will make drawing noses a breeze! We will first use simple shapes/forms as guidelines to construct the shape of the nose and to maintain symmetry.

I will be using the following materials for this nose drawing tutorial:
– Mechanical Pencil with 0.5 mm HB lead by Ain (If you’re a beginner, it may be hard to shade with a mechanical pencil. You can use a blunt HB pencil for a smoother shading and blending experience).
– Kneaded Rubber Eraser
– Blending Stump (learn how to use one here)
– Canson Bristol Paper (smooth side)

How to Draw a Nose Step by Step

Step 1: Start with a circle

Draw a circle for the ball of the nose and 2 curved lines on each side for the bridge. Keep the strokes light so they can be erased in later steps.

Step 2: Draw simple guidelines for the nose shape

Draw a horizontal line through the middle of the circle and a diamond-like shape around it for the nostrils.

Step 3: Shade around the nose bridge and tip

Shade around the outer part of the bridge and around the inner part of the circle, making a long “U” shape. You will notice the shading is thicker at the top of the bridge. That is because the bridge of the nose leads into the brow bones. Don’t worry if the guidelines you created earlier didn’t blend in with your shading. We will darken the drawing later.

Click here for a tutorial on how to draw a nose from the side

Step 4: Draw the nostrils

Follow the diamond shape to create the nostrils. Now it’s starting to come together!

Step 5: Shade the nostrils

Shade the nostrils and remember to leave some areas untouched so you can do some highlighting later.

If you’re having difficulties shading, click here!

Step 6: Shape the nose

Shape and contour the bridge and ball of the nose. You can shade around the top of the circle to make the nose look pointer or shade the middle of the circle to give it a flatter look. Use the eraser to dab areas which appear too dark, any lines that show through or areas you want to highlight.

Step 7: Blend your shading

Next, you want to use a blending stump (learn how to use a blending stump here) to gently blend out the skin and give it a softer look. Add some touch-ups and go over your highlighted areas once more with a kneaded eraser. You can try different diamond shapes as well as circles to create more unique nose shapes. Experiment with shading to achieve longer, flatter, or more defined noses and so on. Click here to check out my tutorial on how to draw a nose step by step from the side.

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If you want to know where to place the nose on a face with correct proportions, check out my tutorial on drawing faces!

Hey! This tutorial now comes with a video! If you haven’t watched it yet, click here or press play below! The video is very detailed and contains many additional steps, examples and techniques:

Enjoyed this simple nose drawing tutorial and know someone who will too? Share it with your friends!

More nose drawing tutorials:

Drawing noses from the 3/4 view

Drawing noses from the side

Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw a nose from the front – 7 easy steps Read More »

How to draw a realistic eye

176 Comments / Learn How to Draw

Hi, welcome to RapidFireArt! My name is Darlene and in this tutorial I’m going to teach you how to draw a realistic eye using easy step by step instructions. This is my first tutorial, so I hope you enjoy it!

UPDATE: For a while now, you guys have requested a tutorial on drawing a pair of eyes. Here it is, along with a super in-depth tutorial as well!

For this tutorial on drawing a realistic eye, I will be using the following tools:
– Mechanical Pencil with 0.5 mm HB and 4B Ain Leads
– Derwent Graphic 6B Pencil
– Kneaded Eraser
– Blending Stump (learn how to use one here)
– Smooth Bristol Paper

Let’s Begin!!

Step 1: Outline the Shape of an Eye and Highlight

Let’s start off with an HB pencil to sketch the shape of the eye. This outline should not be too dark because you want to prevent it from showing through in the end. We just need the basic shapes outlined at this point. The square shape in the pupil is a glare from a window or similar-shaped light source. You can use other shapes such as circles or ovals as well.

If you’re stuck on drawing a realistic eye shape, iris, or eyebrow, visit the 3 pages below:

Step 2: Shade the Pupil

Using a 6B pencil, fill in the pupil. Avoid pressing too hard or else it will be hard for you to erase if you need to make corrections later on. You can go over the area again to achieve a darker shade. Make sure the highlights stay clean!

Step 3: Shade the Iris

On a separate sheet of paper, smear some graphite into a small area. Use the blending stump to rub the area until the graphite has transferred to the tip of the blender (learn how to use a blending stump here). You will now use that to fill in the outer area of the pupil. This step does not have to be done perfectly. Sloppy smudging will make it turn out better, as well as give the eye more depth.

Step 4: Draw Spokes

With a 4B pencil draw spokes going outward from the pupil. Overlap some of the spokes to create thicker lines. This will make the eye look more interesting. Leave some areas untouched as they will be filled in later.

If you’re enjoying this article, click here for another realistic eye tutorial!

Step 5: Blend the Iris

Use the blending stump to fill the white space in the iris. Carefully work around the highlight. Don’t press too hard. You should still be able to see the lines coming out of the pupil when done. If most of the lines have disappeared, you have either used the blender with too much force, or have not pressed hard enough when creating the spokes.

Step 6: Add Depth

Use the 6B pencil to create a shadow under the eye lid to give the eye more depth and roundness.

Step 7: Shade the Skin

Shade the eye whites as well as the skin around the eyes. Don’t leave the eyeball white or else it will appear unrealistic and lack depth. For a more detailed tutorial on shading eye whites and how to make eyeballs look round, click here.

Darken the creases using a 4B pencil. Use the kneaded eraser to make the highlights pop, as well as dab areas of the eye that need to be lightened. For example the eye whites, lower lash area, brow bone and the inner corner of the eye near the tear duct.

Want to improve your shading skills? Click here to read my shading tutorial!

Step 8: Draw Eyebrows and Eyelashes

Fill in the eyebrows as well as the eyelashes. Eyelashes should be drawn using curved lines, NOT straight lines. To create the eyebrows, use a thin HB pencil. For the eyelashes, go with something darker, like a 6B. Go over the drawing and darken areas such as the pupil, creases, shadows and clean the highlights to make your drawing POP!

Click here for a super detailed tutorial on how to draw eyelashes

Step 9: Touchups

I’ve added some eyelash reflections, some subtle blood vessels as well as darkened the overall drawing. Try to use as many shades as possible when drawing eyes. Most people are afraid to go dark. Look at the picture in step 8 and compare it to the last step. Going dark makes a huge difference! I used to stop at step 8 too, because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to erase if my hard work turned into a complete disaster. This fear left me unsatisfied with all my drawings because they lacked depth. So take it a step further and make use of your softer pencils!

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I hope you enjoyed this simple step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a realistic eye with pencil. If you have any questions or requests, let me know in the comments below!

So tell me… was that an easy eye drawing tutorial? Or does it need some improvement? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated :)

Want more eye tutorials?

How to draw a realistic PAIR of eyes

How to draw an eye from the side

Darlene Nguyen

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.

How to draw a realistic eye Read More »