Brenda Hoddinott D03 BEGINNER: SQUIRKLING

This simple project takes you through the process of sketching the shapes of an iris, pupil, and highlight; then, you add shading with squirkles. The following three sections show you how to draw the most important components of a realistic human eye: OUTLINING IRIS AND FRIENDS: The goals are to become familiar with the names of a few parts of an eye, and lightly sketch their outlines in preparation for adding shading with squirkles. You focus on the highlight, pupil, and iris, as well as the edge of the upper eyelid. SQUIRKLING SHADING: You use squirkles to add shading to your sketch. Squirkles are an ideal shading technique for eyes. First of all, squirkles are very easy for beginners to render, and the resulting shading creates a realistic drawing of an eye. CHALLENGE: The iris you just completed would be considered light in color (or in this case value); for example, blue or gray. However, lots of people have dark eyes; hazel or brown for example. You are now challenged to draw a dark iris. Suggested supplies include good quality white drawing paper, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, and 6B pencils, a kneaded and vinyl eraser, and a pencil sharpener.

6 PAGES 12 ILLUSTRATIONS
This article is recommended for artists of all ages and skill levels. The curriculum is easily implemented into instructional programs for home schooling, academic and recreational learning environments. Published by Hoddinott Fine Art Publishers, Halifax, NS, Canada 2007

OUTLINING IRIS AND FRIENDS

The goals in this section are to become familiar with a few parts of an eye, and sketch their outlines in preparation for adding shading with squirkles. You focus on two parts of an eye, the iris and pupil, as well as a highlight and the edge of the upper eyelid. Refer to Figure 301 and the following: 1. Highlight is the brightest area where light bounces off the surface of the eye. 2. Pupil is the darkest circular shape, within the iris, that adjusts its size under different lighting conditions. 3. Iris is the colored circular section of the eyeball surrounding the pupil. 4. Upper eyelid is a movable fold of skin that opens and closes to protect the eyeball. The edge of an upper eyelid is represented in this sketch by a curved line.
Figure 301

ART SPEAK
Shading: (noun) refers to the various values in a drawing that make images appear three-dimensional; (verb) the process of adding values to a drawing so as to create the illusion of texture, form and/or three-dimensional space. Squirkling: is an easy method of shading, in which randomly drawn curved lines (called squirkles) combine squiggles and scribbles with circles to create textured values. Figure 302

As you sketch the outlines, keep in mind that the iris and pupil of an eye are very rarely perfect circles. More often than not, you view an eye from a slight angle; hence the iris and pupil are more oval-shaped. Check out the irises and pupils of the eyes in Figure 302. 1) Use an HB pencil to lightly sketch a circular shape as the iris of an eye. Remember to press very lightly.
Figure 303

T I P : When you draw circles or circular shapes, rotate your

paper and look at your drawing from different perspectives. This little trick often allows you to find problem areas. Be patient with yourself; drawing circular shapes freehand requires lots of practice before you can do it well.
Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

3 2) Add a slightly curved line cutting through the upper section of the iris (Figure 304). This line represents the lower edge of the upper eyelid. The upper sections of eyes are usually hidden under the upper eyelid. 3) Sketch a small circular shape in the upper left section of the iris (Figure 305). This is the highlight. Its location indicates that the dominant light source is from the upper left.
Figure 304 Figure 305

ART SPEAK
Light source is the direction from which a dominant light originates. A light source identifies the light and shadow areas of a drawing subject, so artists know where to add different values.

Figure 306

4)

Draw the pupil of the eye (Figure 306). The ends, of the curved line that outline the pupil, meet the highlight.

5) 6)

Erase the section of the iris above the edge of the upper eyelid. Use your kneaded eraser to gently pat your sketch until all the outlines are very faint. The outline is complete and the next step is to add shading. If you are not familiar with squirkles, refer to Lessons D01: Squirkling Values and D-02: Graduating Squirkles in the Beginner section.

Figure 307

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

SQUIRKLING SHADING
In this section, you use squirkles to add shading to your sketch. Squirkles are an ideal shading technique for eyes. First of all, squirkles are very easy for beginners to render, and the resulting shading creates a realistic drawing of an eye.
Figure 308

7)

Add a few squirkles to the iris with a 2H pencil. The overall value is light, and lots of white paper is showing through. The squirkle lines curve in all different directions; some have large curves and others are smaller. The more uneven you draw the squirkles, the better the shading of the eye will look.

Figure 309

ART SPEAK
Values are the different shades of gray that are the basic ingredients of shading.

8)

Use an HB pencil to add darker shading to the upper left sections of the iris. The lower right section stays the light value you added in the previous step.

Figure 310

The lines of the squirkles added with the HB, fill in a lot of the white paper, resulting in a value that appears much darker. 9) Add tiny squirkles with a freshly sharpened 2B pencil to add the darkest shading. The edges of the iris need to be darker. Also, the upper section of the iris needs to be darker, graduating lighter toward the lower section. The upper section of an iris is often in the shadow of the upper eyelid.

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

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Figure 311

10) Use a 4B pencil and squirkles to fill in the pupil. Naturally, the highlight is left white. Use your vinyl eraser to clean up any smudges or fingerprints on your drawing paper.

Youve just drawn an iris, pupil and highlight. Put todays date on the page, sign your name and pat yourself on the back!

CHALLENGE
The iris you just completed would be considered light in color (or in this case value); for example, blue or gray. However, lots of people have dark eyes; hazel or brown for example. You are now challenged to draw a dark iris. First of all, draw another iris, following steps 1 to 10. Then use 2B and 4B pencils to add darker shading to the iris. (Remember to leave a lighter section in the lower right.) Then use a 6B pencil to add darker shading to the pupil.
Figure 312

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com

Brenda Hoddinott
As a self-educated teacher, visual artist, portraitist, forensic artist, and illustrator, Brenda utilizes diverse art media including graphite, technical pen, colored pencil, chalk pastel, charcoal, cont crayon, and oil paints.

My philosophy on teaching art is to focus primarily on the enjoyment aspects while gently introducing the technical and academic. Hence, in creating a passion for the subject matter, the quest for knowledge also becomes enjoyable.
Brenda Hoddinott

Biography
Born in St. Johns, Newfoundland, Brenda grew up in the small town of Corner Brook. She developed strong technical competencies with a personal commitment to self directed learning, and the aid of assorted Learn to Draw books. During Brendas twenty-five year career as a selfeducated civilian forensic artist, numerous criminal investigation departments have employed Brendas skills, including Royal Canadian Mounted Police and municipal police departments. In 1992, Brenda was honored with a commendation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 1994, she was awarded a Certificate of Membership from Forensic Artists International. Her home-based art career included graphic design, and teaching recreational drawing and painting classes. As supervisor of her communitys recreational art department, Brenda hired and trained teachers, and designed curriculum for several childrens art programs. In 1998, Brenda chose to end her eighteen-year career as an art educator in order to devote more time to writing, drawing, painting, and developing her websites. Drawspace http://www.drawspace.com incorporates her unique style and innovative approach to curriculum development. This site offers downloadable and printable drawing classes for students of all abilities from the age of eight through adult. Students of all ages, levels and abilities have praised the simple step-by-step instructional approach. This site is respected as a resource for fine art educators, home schooling programs, and educational facilities throughout the world.

Learn-to-draw books
Drawing for Dummies: Wiley Publishing, Inc., New, York, NY, this 336 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally. The Complete Idiots Guide to Drawing People: Winner of the Alpha-Penguin Book of the Year Award 2004, Alpha - Pearson Education Macmillan, Indianapolis, IN, this 360 page book is available on various websites and in major bookstores internationally.

Copyright to all articles, images, text, projects, lessons and exercises within this drawing class belong to Brenda Hoddinott and may not be reproduced or used for any commercial purposes whatsoever without the written permission of Brenda Hoddinott. E-mail bhoddinott@hoddinott.com Web sites http://www.finearteducation.com and http://www.drawspace.com