#eye reference

Eye One

Step One: Base Color - Color in the eye with the character's eye color.

Step Two: Screen Effect - Add a new layer and clip it to the base color layer. Set this layer to the Screen effect. The colors you’ll need is the base color, and one or two lighter tints from the base color. If you want to add a fourth color you can. Using the airbrush (trapezoid 60%), color the circle from the middle downwards starting with the base color. With each tint/light color, you’ll want to color closer to the bottom part of the circle to create a gradient.

Step Three: Hard-light Effect - Once step two is complete you can merge the layer with the base one. Create a new layer and clip it then set it to Hard light. Repeat the process of Step two but upwards. Using the base color first color the top half of the circle and the center to create the pupil. Then use one or two more colors darker than the base color and repeat the process.

Step Four: Multiply Effect - After merging the layer for step 3 create a new layer and set it to the multiply effect. Remember to clip it to the base layer. Use the darkest color from step three and/or it’s optional an even darker color. Color in the pupil and the very top part of the eye. You can slowly blend in the darker color by coloring along the edge of the circle or use the blur tool (not the blur effect). Make sure to avoid the pupil if you’re using the blur tool. As seen in Step 5, I also colored around the bottom half of the circle to make the lighter colors appear more on the inner part of the eye.

Step Five: Highlights - After merging the layer from step 4, you can create the final layer and set it to Add. Brushes I used was Dip Pen for the small highlights surrounding the iris and Neon 2 - Add for the bigger highlights. Use two or three colors lighter than the base. The highlights can be any length or size so feel free to experiment as much as you want with the highlights! I mostly drew small and short lines and dots for my highlights. Once you’re satisfied with the highlights you can merge the layer!

Eye Two

Step One: Sketch in the Pupil - Depending on how you draw your lineart, the sketch for the pupil and shadow will be on a separate layer underneath the lineart layer. Adjust your brush's opacity to 50-60 or however low or high you’d like. Start from the pupil on the center of the eye and create circular or curved sketched lines. Work your way outwards and to the top half of the eye, making wider curved lines. Try to leave some gaps between the lines and keep the bottom half untouched. And don’t focus too much on this half, just make quick sketches it doesn’t have to be perfect!

Step Two: Screen Effect - With a new layer UNDER the sketch layer for step one, set this layer to Screen. Use the airbrush to color the bottom half of the eye. I used the base color and a lighter shade for this step.

Step Three: Sketch Color - Going back to the pupil layer from step one, you’re going to change the color of the sketch to a dark color of the base color. Once you picked out the color set it to hard light. This is optional but you can also use the blur effect. Also optional, you can do mixed colors or another effect besides the hard light one as well for this method. Try experimenting with it!

Step Four: Highlights - After merging the previous layers together you can add a new layer and set it to Add. Use either the Neon 2 - Add or an outline brushes for this step. Use the light color from step 2 or other lighter colors to create the highlights. I just added a couple of dots and a small line for my highlights but the highlights can be any size you like. This is optional but you can also use the blur effect to soften the highlights.

Eye Three

Step One & Two: Base Colors - After picking out your base color, turn on alpha lock and color in the center of the circle with white and a darker shade of the base color. You can do this two ways, color in white first and then the darker color. Or you can color in the darker shade first and then color in white alongside the dark color. You can make the white thicker than what I have shown in the sample. White should be one of the main colors used in this but if you wish to use the lightest tint of the base color in place of white you can do that too!

Step Three: Smudge Tool - Make sure alpha lock is still enabled and using the smudge tool with the Soft Mapping Pen (Bleed) start smudging lines from the center outwards. You can also smudge outwards to inwards as well. Go all around the circle until you are satisfied with the eye or until you feel like you have enough lines. Make sure to adjust the size of the brush to make the lines thin or thick.

Step Four: Screen Effect - Once you’re satisfied with the smudges, duplicate the layer and set it to screen. You can adjust the opacity as you see fit but I usually just leave it at full opacity. Then merge it with the base layer.

Step Five: Hard Light Effect - On a new layer, clipped to the base one set it to hard light effect. With the airbrush color I’m the center of the eye to create the pupil and the top half of the circle. Use the dark color from step 2. If you wish to make the pupil more visible you can color it in more or use a darker color. Once finished, merge the layer to the base.

Step Six: Highlights - On a new layer, set to Add and clipped to the base layer we can add the highlights! Use either the Neon/Light brushes and the Outline brushes to draw the highlights with the lightest tint of the base color. The highlights can be any shape or size you wish. I mostly made dots and short lines for my highlights. This is optional but you can also use the blur effect to soften the highlights.