Waiting

Drawing eyes can be a challenge but hugely rewarding.

Waiting, Pastel Pencil on Strathmore Paper
Size 40cm x 30cm (mount size 50cm x 40cm)
£250 / $350

The iris is a disc inside a reflective, transparent sphere. In eyes with little pigment, such as blue eyes, the obvious thing to concentrate on is the patterns in the iris. There are many techniques I use in this case, but it's important to remember not to follow a set procedure as each eye is different. Even so, we can make some stunning drawings where, even with a sanguine pencil on grey paper, the eyes can be made to 'glow'.

Dark eyes are different. Sometimes the irises are so dark they are indistinguishable from the pupils - as with this little girl. The eyes are so huge that I really had to make a feature of them - they are the first thing we see in the girl's face, the photograph and inevitably the drawing. So, what to do when there is nothing to see within the eye - as far as I could see the irises are featureless? What we can see however, which is often overlooked in lighter eyes, are the reflections. Young children's eyes sparkle and these huge marbles reflected so much light I could almost see exactly what the girl sees - the sky, the sun, the landscape.