Easy Anime Eye Tutorial for Paint Tool SAI

Amy: Want to learn a way to shade anime eyes in a way that looks appealing and does not involve a bunch of complicated layer effects? This way doesn't! While working to develop a technique for shading my characters' eyes a few months ago, I was frustrated by the number of tutorials that required complicated techniques and the use of layer effects. I wanted a way to shade my characters' eyes that was not so complicated that doing so took me as long as shading the rest of the picture did! After I finally managed to develop my own technique, I decided to create my own tutorial, because I surely could not be the only person who was confused/frustrated by all those other ones.

Photoshop Notes: Almost everything done in this tutorial can be done in Photoshop, with the exception of the line art layer. You have to do your line art using the brush tool. Other variations are as follows:

Clipping mask: Make sure your shading layer is above the base layer, then right-click on the shading layer. From the pop-up menu that displays, select "create clipping mask".

The Legacy Pen: Just a standard hard round brush is a suitable replacement for this tool.

The Blur tool: In my experience, you don't have to worry too much about the blur tool over-blending your iris shading. What I have problems with is the blur tool under-blending the sclera. If you have problems with this, simply use the gradient tool to apply a linear gradient made from two different shades of gray. As long as you place the gradient using a clipping mask, you shouldn't have too much trouble.

The Airbrush: This is the hardest tool to find a suitable replacement for in PS. I suggest you download this brush set: nelanequin.deviantart.com/art/… and use the airbrush preset in that.


Tips for overall improving your art: After spending two years trying to improve my art, I've come to learn that technique is only half of the equation. In addition to learning how to draw things properly, you need to develop your own style. An artist's individual style usually comes from using a unique combination of techniques for various things that they alone use. Don't just try to copy the way somebody else draws! It's fine to take a page from one person's book for one thing, but make sure you have your own way of doing things. The combination of the way you draw, ink, color, and shade should be different from everyone else's. The way you draw and shade your eyes is especially important, since there is such a wide variety of ways to do that in anime. Take my advice, don't copy the techniques in this tutorial exactly. Use it to get an idea of what you should do, look at other tutorials if you need to, and then find your own way! Just a few changes can make all the difference.