The EYES Have It | watercolor with Debra Weible

 

So, here’s a lesson on eyes, etc.  I drew several of the same eye from this bird.

The first lesson is getting the drawing as good as you can or trace it.  The eye is a deep orange so I started with a very light aureolin and while it was still damp, I went to the second eye and mixed up Aureolin and opera (you can use Quin or permanent Rose) and dropped it into the top of the eye.  I want the lightest part of this eye to be at the bottom.  If my orange runs into it, I take a damp (not wet) thirsty brush and remove the orange from where I want that yellow to be at the bottom of the eye.

Then I make up a darker red-orange, more pigment, less water and while the eye is still damp, put it at the top of the eye.  Now I have a red-orange, an orange and a yellow on the eye.  Then I take some pure red and run it around the edge of the eye.  Little more at the top.  I go ahead and let this dry and then I start adding my darks.

The pupil is black (mixture of Quin burnt orange or burnt sienna or an really dark combination that “reads” as black) and I work out from the eye, looking at VALUES.  At the end, I add little feathery edges and go back and soften edges and darken anything the lightened up while it was drying.  I also added a highlight with my casein and mixed a little casein with a little blue and just placed in on the eye to keep it from being so warm.

 

Thanks Debra!

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