How to Paint Eyes - The Biggest Mistake Artists Make

In this portrait painting tutorial, realist painter Alex Tzavaras will demonstrating how to paint eyes, he also shows you the biggest mistake artists make when painting eyes and how to avoid it.
To see the full length version of this portrait visit:
/ simplifydrawingandpain...
Most tutorials on painting realistic eyes only focus on how to paint just one eye on its own, but painting one is actually quite straightforward compared to painting both eyes together. By far the most challenging thing to do when painting the eyes, is making sure both eyes are alligned correctly with each other. Not only is it really easy to make the eyes crooked, but there are some other really common art mistakes to avoid. You can also paint the eyes too far apart, too close together, or you can make one eye bigger than the other.
In this portrait painting demonstration, Alex will be showing you how to paint both eyes together and he will be sharing with you the techniques he uses and the artistic anatomy he checks, to help him avoid making these really common art mistakes
Alex Tzavaras is a contemporary realist artist offering portrait painting and alla prima oil painting tutorials. Alex teaches the traditional oil painting techniques artists used to draw and paint from life up until the start of the 20th century.
Connect with Alex:
/ alex_tzavaras
alextzavaras.com

[@epm6694]

Hi Alex! Again, I love your videos. The one-on-one via Patreon was awesome. I feel like I learned a wealth of instruction in a single meeting. I sincerely appreciate the time and energy you invested. Can’t wait til the next video… Racquel

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you very much Raquel!

[@tabbi888]

my eyes are about 4mm different in hight when you look at the corners of the eyes. if I was to paint a self portrait it wouldn't look like me if I didn't offset them, and although more attractive probably definitely not accurate. My eyebrows sit at different heights too. Having an uneven face is extremely common to varying degrees and personally I wonder if these old masters didn't make a mistake but portrayed it actually accurately. As with me if you were to correct this it actually takes away from the likeness.

[@watLegends]

Exactly!

[@JudeandherPencil]

That’s what I was thinking… I think accuracy is more important than symmetry 🤔

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

What if the person is moving the whole time?

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

But I bet the middle of your mouth lines up directly under the bridge of your nose when viewed from the front and your eyes are still approx half way down between the top and bottom of your head? It still helps to know where these centrelines are and their angle, you can deviate from them. Also, your eyes probably aren't as crooked as some people paint them?

[@Foxglove963]

@@JudeandherPencil There is symmetry, albeit with subtle differences which you can discover.

[@kilgoretrout2046]

The eyes are the window to the soul... so best to get them right! Thank you for the well articulated instruction

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@shobestudiosartphotography2972]

Hey Alex.. I really appreciate your style of narration that helps describe to the viewers what you are focused on as you lay down your brush strokes. For myself, it helps to align my understanding of your perspective and it will be put into use on developing methods for my own paintings. I feel it''s not only important to understand how to paint... it is also important to learn how and why to see, think and feel through the process. THANK YOU!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you for watching! I'm glad you find my videos helpful.

[@WMatthewRogers]

Beautiful painting of a beautiful model. The way you used color to achieve the end result is amazing to me. That alone is such excellent instruction. Thank you for your insightful and precise explanations. You truly are an exceptional portrait painter.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you very much Walter!

[@carlosreira2189]

I like the way the artist reduced contrast, for example the shadow along the nose, and reduced the fullness of the jaw, maintaining the bow of the lips to give her a Renaissance look. Very cool. He also toned down the eyebrows somewhat and increased their distance above the eye. All this is good, and historical, even if he doesn't know he's doing it!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Carlos! The shadows and the eyebrows are actually lighter when you see them with the naked eye, the camera makes them appear darker. If I made the distance between the eyes and the eyebrows too great that wasn't intentional, I did so by mistake.

[@carlosreira2189]

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Oh, thanks for the reply. You bring up another point that artists might not appreciate-- no camera lens is yet as sophisticated as the human eye, and the camera tends to increase the contrast of values. You however, have a very good eye. I hope you keep up some of those "mistakes" which are actually very beautiful bits of artistic license. Some things I've noticed from studying master paintings (Google Art Project is a great resource). Shadows under the chin were very much toned down, even neglected, even in baroque lighting, though the typical ruff hid them a lot of the time. Sargent was not one to tone down a nostril generally, though typically this was done too, often painted very reddish. Eyebrows were often super sophisticated bits of brush magic. Even with your mid century illustrators, eyebrows zigged and zagged with much more life than life. Keep up the good work and keep the videos coming. They're some of the best on KZbin.

[@jonroads8281]

Absolutely brilliant video as always mate, looking forward to getting onto this part of the course!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Jon! Glad you liked it.

[@oakwood7730]

Your model deserves much praise for being the "perfect" art model. Very Well Done!

[@soumyajitchoudhury9641]

Always love the way you explain so lucidly. And you are one of the best alla prima artists I came accross in YT. Regards

[@myalicioglu]

Oooow long long comments. Alex you are perfect and the piece is wonderful. Thanks

[@annamariavonschalien9346]

I so enjoy your videos you talk so clearly about what you are doing and how to think when painting. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@abigailhumes6646]

Beautiful job. Thank you for sharing your skill and observation.

[@arriluce09]

Thank you very much for this wonderful masterclass that has been so inspiring!

[@parisasun2541]

Absolutely excellent ! I’m subscribing. Finally a comprehensive tutorial. So good ! Thank you !! Mastery in painting AND teaching ! ❤️

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Parisa!

[@joannschoenleber813]

Fantastic!! Thanks maestro!! You’re such a awesome instructor. Sooo helpful and easy to follow 🙏 Thanks Alex

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Joan!

[@ideasareLIMITLESS]

Absolutely fantastic explanation / teaching here..really learnt a lot in this one video. You are a born teacher because you explain WHY you do everything too.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! I'm glad you found this helpful.

[@press1776]

Great video.. I must say I would not be able to paint her . She is absolutely stunning to look at .. You are a great teacher. Love your videos..

[@5809AUJG]

Thank you! Excellent instruction on the most difficult part of the human face from a master. Glad I found you!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful.

[@johnhunter1653]

The best eye painting instruction I have ever seen……………wonderful I thoroughly recommend it. John R Hunter

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you very much John!

[@mimithompson3049]

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent! Best tutorial I've watched so far and I've been at this for years. Something about the way you explain is very simple and very accurate.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you very much Mimi! Glad it was helpful.

[@humanityone1644]

Very insightful Alex. Such clear explanation. Thank you.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful.

[@zewnatury2010]

Beautiful! Thank you.

[@johnkent3976]

A really inspiring video Alex thankyou for this. It was very helpful to see how you progress from the initial block in and establishing the main shapes and lines and angles and your tip of how if you fail to keep refering to this and get lost in refering to the altered movements of the sitter you can get a bit lost.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you John. Glad it was helpful.

[@audetreuille4252]

Excellent tutorial, so descriptive, thank you !

[@boltneck1705]

Bravisimo Maestro! You've captured her perfectly! You have my utmost respect, and much can be learned here!

[@nestingbirdcreations]

Super helpful video-thank you!

[@davidthomspson9771]

Whoa...you just cleared up a bunch of questions I had and mistakes I've made .Thank you

[@ElianaLemosArt]

So wonderful! Both technique and teaching, thank you for sharing.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Eliana! Glad you liked it.

[@jodestella2746]

Thank you , Alex ; I like your ability to clearly explain your process.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad you think so.

[@cathyserafinowicz6374]

Beautiful painting and tutorial.Thanks for sharing.❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Cathy!

[@AvalonDreamz]

Just amazing. I love to watch artists paint portraits. It's always like magic watching these marks made turn into a face.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@emiliosorni5800]

Hey Alex, amazing video, i always struggled with this, great lesson lots of good information, thanks 🙏

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Emilio! Glad it was helpful.

[@pennyerrill8071]

Very useful indeed, thankyou so much

[@martingreen8471]

Great tutorial, fascinating how it comes together.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Martin!

[@EasyZee69]

The interesting thing about eyes, nobody has symmetrical eyes. If you look closely at anyone, their right and left eye are quite different.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Yes, the eyes have a slightly different shape and different sizes, but for the vast majority of people they are still aligned with each other and parallel with the other features, particularly the irises and pupils. Look in a mirror and hold a pencil up to your brow bone, the irises and the corners of you mouth. I've a good mind, for my next video to take stills of all my recent models and draw lines on their face to prove this fact!

[@artsyheartsy]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@Vilidaite]

Beautiful work and really lovely eyes on the model. I would love to see a similar video on painting older eyes where the eyeball shape isn't as obvious. I'm currently stuck on trying to paint my grandmother (85y.o.) who has very small eyes with skin and wrinkles covering the shape of the eyes.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Here is an older video I made about painting my grandmother. She's wearing glasses so I'm nit sure how helpful it will be. But basically, any shapes or wrinkles that can be seen on both sides of the face should still have the same tilt, approximately parallel with everything else: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYS2h5-Er5qMb5Y

[@racheledington5447]

Or even how some men have barely a sliver of an eye.

[@Vilidaite]

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Unfortunately, that painting is not very helpful as the model still has big, well-defined eyes with large eyelids. What I'm talking about are eyes such as Jimmy Carter's in present day.

[@harrypalmer3481]

Excellent, generous, lesson. Very enjoyable as well as informative to watch. Thank you.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Harry. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@primemover7898]

Amazing video. Thank you.

[@nvandenhurk]

Thank you Alex for this excellent instruction of painting the eyes. I have learned al lot of it in looking to the alignment of the features

[@vocalpro]

Mind blowing. I'm not an artist but that was fascinating watching her come to life on the canvas

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thanks for watching! Glad you liked it.

[@flippy66]

It was bollocks though.

[@T.C.Bronart]

Great teaching! Thank you for sharing your beautiful art and information

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Corina! Glad it was helpful.

[@burtvincent1278]

Thank you. Very helpful.

[@kathrynmcintosh8574]

Alec thank you so much for your sharing your knowledge. I wanted to become an artist when young, but my parents could afford to send me to art classes. Only recently due to disability I had to leave work. This left me time to focus on developing what was left, this happened to be my artistic desire. I’ve never had any formal training and it shows I’m afraid but I have sold a few amateurish attempts of mine through local exhibits.i was comforted to know the m8stakes I was making were the same as the masters. In my last portrait I had noticed the problem with the eyes but wasn’t sure how to prevent it from happening. Then I found your video! The mistakes I was making were the ones you described and Now I know ho to fix them. My next portrait will be much improved I’m certain.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Well done Kathy, that's great!

[@TheLindosguy]

Such a beautifully painted portrait. Exceptional work!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you!

[@Ztandard32]

Thank you. That was very helpful. Good to see you back again.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Garin!

[@MrAcdc2323]

Great video. I tried this today with a portrait drawing today and it really helped with the proportions

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad it helped.

[@alexkocharov4292]

I got a pleasure by watching and understanding the details of not simple concepts of drawing portrait.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Alex!

[@tomwaldenofficial]

beautiful work - thanks for filming and posting - much appreciated.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Tom! Glad you liked it.

[@photocoach896]

Brilliant, thank you

[@wendytitterton5004]

Thank you for this really helpful video. I work mainly in soft pastels, but still find this video excellent and helpful for that medium.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you very much Wendy! I'm glad you find it helpful.

[@rosey_ie]

Good to see you back! Thanks for the informative video 🙌🏻

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Rosey! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@deannastomer7145]

Fabulous, your observations really help.us to understand your thinking processes!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Dianna, glad it was helpful!

[@jllbruce11]

Thank you... very helpful.

[@Big2bees]

Thanks for this great video! Its almost a complete portrait tutorial which is really helpful!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Jaycee! Glad it was helpful.

[@coralieceredig-evans670]

fantastic lesson, thank you Alex.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Coralie!

[@williameldridge5991]

Truly inspiring.

[@artofsedone]

Thank you! This helped me with my work.

[@sandrapowers6099]

You really explain your steps so clearly and easy to understand. Thank you so much for this lesson.🥰

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you very much Sandra! Glad it was helpful.

[@bobymox]

Just great!!

[@susankashmiri6199]

just amazing! Thank you for this very helpful demo.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Susan!

[@divinicamaui8353]

So helpful!!!

[@polyestermammoth740]

This is wonderful. Thank you Alex

[@kathryndohring5481]

Wow! Amazing work. Thank you for posting this very helpful video.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Kathryn, glad it was helpful.

[@themysteriousdomainmoviepalace]

Very helpful. Thank you! Good model too. She sat so still.

[@jeffhreid]

Great tips as to alignment and keying the value of the white of the eye off the local fleshtone. Good video

[@TimConceivable]

crooked eyes are a very common trait in humans. it's quite possible the eyes are accurately depicted in the example paintings shown.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

I agree, faces are asymmetrical and the eyes have a slightly different shape, but the eyes are still broadly parallel with the other features, eyes, nose, brow bone etc. Look in a mirror, are your eyes as crooked as the Ribera painting? It's very easy to prove, I shall make another video with photos of some of my previous models, and I will draw lines between the eyebrows, the eyes and the corners of their mouths and you will see that they're parallel.

[@TimConceivable]

nah, you're probably right. i was sort of playing devil's advocate anyway. i also struggle to make eyes parallel myself, so it's possible that i may also have difficulty telling just how crooked those examples you gave are. it's probably better to make eyes more parallel than they actually are anyway, as that's going to end up with a more attractive result. sorry for the sort of negative comment. your videos are great, keep up the good work!

[@AnestesiaASMR]

Very helpful!

[@hallymariah45]

SO talented!!!!

[@es1653]

A wonderful teachable moment. I learned a lot. Thank you for your generous sharing of knowledge.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

My pleasure! I'm glad it was helpful.

[@rawqween]

I loved this, thank you

[@galleterryn]

thank you for this fluent demo + explanation. You are a talented teacher.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful.

[@MrAllan9]

That was enjoyable, thank you for a nice easy tutorial to follow along with ease.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@marlenemeek9030]

Absolutely top notch lesson! I can't thank you enough.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Glad you enjoyed it Marlene!

[@lindabaker6034]

You are a brilliant artist. This is the best eye tutorial ever. Thank you for sharing.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Linda!

[@danglybit1]

Bravo Alex!

[@user-fm5sb2dn1d]

It is masterpiece of a young master. fresh, characteristic, the eyes are wetty, great.

[@youbuddha1]

Blimey that is magical ! Great lesson ,amazing portrait

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Nicky!

[@sampleoffers1978]

Really cool. Great video.

[@stephanyfaycohen3842]

Many thanks for an excellent demonstration video.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

My pleasure Stephany, glad it was helpful.

[@sopihasmith8104]

Brilliant tutorial, very helpful, thank you for sharing

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you very much Sopiha!

[@englemanart]

What a wonderful treat! Thanks.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Grayson!

[@emilydavidson275]

Excellent!

[@rhondaporro877]

WOW!!! I AM TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY BY THE INCREDIBLE CONTENT OF THIS VIDEO!! THANK YOU FOR MAKING UNDERSTANDING THIS TOPIC CRYSTAL CLEAR TO ME. BRAVO!!! I HAVE NEVER USED OILS( I OWN ZERO ) OR ACRYLICS ( I HAVE THEM ). I HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF GRAPHITE & A BIT OF CHARCOL DRAWING, ALSO, COLORED PENCILS, WATERCOLOR PENCILS, PASTELS AND WATERCOLOR PAINT. THIS VIDEO HAD ME ABSOLUTELY, AND TOTALLY MEZMERIZED 100% + + ! THANKS SO MUCH!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Rhonda! Very glad you liked it.

[@shahzadqurashi7728]

Amazing lesson , brilliant

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Shahzad!

[@MarietaTruter]

Fantastic lesson! Thank you so much!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Marieta!

[@kunos7821]

Thank you so much for your wonderful teaching

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful.

[@arpankumarbasak1813]

Brilliant !

[@kathleensullivan9014]

Absolutely excellent instruction and video

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you kathleen!

[@macropsialberto]

Wonderful tutorial very clearly and personally, I´m beginning to understand the concept of the light in the painting. Thanks a lot. Greetings from Bogotá, Colombia!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Alberto! Glad this was helpful.

[@kathleen88863]

You are a very talented artist and teacher. I've watched this twice and will again. So far I only use watercolors. But your video is full of information that translates across all genres. Thanks!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Kathleen!

[@sabelosibisi9762]

Great lesson and amazing end result!

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Sabelo! Glad you liked it.

[@cathytalik556]

Amazing!

[@thejaben]

Fantastic painter.

[@cassgascoigne]

Fantastic. Wonderful work. Thank you for sharing.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Cass, glad you liked it.

[@cassgascoigne]

@@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting Credit where it's due.

[@19CarlosGomez64]

I am still shocked. Since the very beginning the first strokes show a human face. At the end, the portrait shines with the light of a true soul. Maestro Tzavaras: Your technique is absolutely unique. The outcome is a miracle. Or more than that.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Carlos!

[@louisesrensen5529]

Thank you for sharing. It was very informative.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you Louise! Glad it was helpful.

[@richmoab]

Great to see you're making new videos.

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thank you!

[@naurinsaba979]

Thank you so much 💓

[@DerekSiddle]

great video as always. thank you

[@SIMPLIFYDrawingandPainting]

Thanks!