Why can't I draw a right eye???!!!?

Question

I love drawing, especially eyes (they're very good!) but why is it I can only draw a left eye? (on the right hand side of the paper) I always draw that one perfectly then try the other eye and it looks like a right handed child has drawn it with their left hand!!!??? Is this a problem with using different sides of my brain? I'm curious!

Answer 1

I have that problem, not only with eyes, but when drawing something in profile (whether it's a person or an animal). In profile, I seem to do better when it's facing a certain direction, and I have to concentrate harder to draw the same thing in the opposite direction. I think it just has something to do with the way we draw it--we tend to get it ingrained to start at one point, and work our way around. When it's flipped, we can't do that. So we have to do it in a different way that we normally would, so it doesn't end up looking the way we think it should.

Answer 2

The imediate answer is practice. You'll probably have to draw hundreds(if not more) of bad right eyes before you start to get it correct. Significant progression of your drawing skills is an arduous(but worthwhile) process. Often times the progress you are making is the least obvious to yourself.

As far as actual x's and o's advice...my advice depends an the angle of the face first of all. First, If it is a straight on view. This may sound a bit odd, but when I was at that akward stage of my drawing skills and had similar problems with the face... I'd trace the good side with tracing paper. I'd get that tracing, flip it over(like a mirrored image) and just trace over again and again on that image.

The goal was to develop some muscle memory, not literally trace the reversed image. I'd trace over the good side(the right eye in this case) as well. Just alternate between the two. Eventually you will begin to develop a sense off the subtle differences it takes to correctly draw each eye. It may sound obvious, but the left eye and right eye are not identical. Don't try to draw them exactly the same way.

If it's a 3/4 view...well that's a real trick for the novice. From that angle the eyes both really take on an unfamiliar shape from the full front view. It's not just the eyes either. Eyebrows, cheeks,...everything just looks vastly different. Only a solid knowledge of anatomy will truly save your rear end.

A simple maxim I work by...'If I keep drawing something poorly, I stop drawing it the wrong way'. Point being, the eye probably isn't right because you keep drawing it the way it looks terrible over and over. If it didn't look right the 1st time it won't look right the 300th time either if you aren't trying it a different way. It's trial and error. Trying it a different way probablly won't yield instant gratification either. You'll have to mess up that right eye a variety of different ways before all those failed drawings begin to create a sollution for you to see.

Answer 3

Two thoughts:

First look at the people around you, and look at yourself in the mirror. Turn your head a little left and right. Notice that your eyes aren't exactly the same. Most people's aren't. Even if they are somehow miraculously symmetrical, just moving your head a little left or right makes one look larger than the other.

The moral is, don't worry about getting the eyes to look like a mirror image - real eyes are not the same, and foreshortening will make a difference if the head is tilted the slightest bit.

Second thought:

You may be moving the pencil differently when you make the curves and circles on the right eye than you do when you're drawing the left eye. One way to get over this is to make sure that you do not move your wrist when you draw. Try holding your wrist and hand firm and moving your entire hand as a unit. This will make your lines more consistent. You can also try turning the page upside-down to draw the left eye, so that you draw the curved lines using similar motions.

Draw lots of eyes. Find drawings of eyes that you like, and trace them to get used to the shapes and curves. Try tracing photographs, as well.

Draw large pictures. It's easier to get nice details in if you draw eyes two to three times larger than life.

Most importantly, have fun with it and don't stress too much. Remember that drawing is a right-brained activity (creative, moving objects in space) while criticism is a left-brained activity (analytical, verbal). When you're drawing, the left brain is bored, so it starts analyzing and picking apart your work. You can tell the left brain to "shut up" while you're drawing, and stop the negative comments. You want to get into that drawing groove, where you get lost in the picture and lose track of time. That's when you'll do your best work.

Keep on drawing!

Answer 4

for starters, it's good that you've noticed that both eyes are not mirrored twins. I find the right eye (as in, the subject's left eye) more noticeable because it seems off-centred, like it's looking slightly up and to the right from my perspective. I use my right eye more than my left when focusing and If you do the same and your facing the person, your right eye is lined up with their left. Line your focusing eye up with the eye your drawing by moving accordingly, lol..If needs be cover half the face! When drawing anything, see the form as a group of specifically angled lines, focus on the part you are currently putting down on the paper. Alot of artists recommend practicing drawing the subject without looking at the page. The best way to draw is to study with your eye and draw with your mind, feel your way around the page. The 70% for subject, 30 for the drawing is great for hand eye coordination. Sit as close as possible if it's a scaled up drawing, in fact it would be good to do a close study drawing to get a more accurate picture anyway.
With any form, follow the line you're about to draw with your eye to get a mental image of the route you're going to take with your hand (photographic memory improvement here as it's important to keep in your mind the feel of the hand movement of each line drawn. Do it line by line and be relaxed to get a more freeflowing line. The faster the better, they say. For a sketch, you can always build up a couple of lines, gradually building up a more confident stroke. start with 15 minutes for a portrait and then cut it to 10 and then 5minutes for study purposes. Each time, you mind is getting a more accurate reading from your eye to give to your hand. Every now and again widen the focus on the entire subject and then back on the individual line. Hope that was useful and clear :).

Answer 5

How To Draw Left Eye

Answer 6

You can't draw the right eye as you're looking at it, right (so the from the character's point of view, it's the left eye)? You're probably left-handed aren't you?

I'm a righty and I used to have this problem in reverse. It's just a matter of experience that time and practice will improve. Keep working on it and try drawing the right eye the way you like it first, then matching the left eye to it (that's what got me to the point where I can draw both with only minimal difference).

Good luck.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Make sure your drawing from life, this is very important, even if you are into illustration/cartooning. Establish a "skeleton" first. Even if it's just dots where the shoulders are, the spinal column, the hip bones, femurs, knee joints, lower legs, and ankles. Starting with this may seem strange initially, but it provides you with a map to start from. I highly suggest any kind of life drawing class you can get into, this will elevate your abilities beyond what you ever thought you could do, seriously.

Answer 9

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Regards

Answer 10

I have the same problem! I've tried drawing the "bad" eye first, cos I usually find that the left eye is so good, that the right eye can never compare...so if you do the right eye first, then you'll probably find it less harder to criticise, as you're then bettering yourself with the left eye, and not failing on an attempt to recreate the left eye....does that make sense?