How to Draw Chibi Eyes

In this tutorial, we will show you how to draw chibi eyes and give them a truly expressive and interesting look so that you can create unique and distinctive characters in this style.

The chibi style represents a highly simplified version of drawing anime characters. Beyond anime, this style has spread further, and you can see a huge number of characters from comics, games, and movies depicted in this manner.

There are many variations of drawing chibi characters, but one of the most characteristic and noticeable features is the large chibi eyes.

They are proportionally big, highly simplified, and give the character a very cute appearance. In this step-by-step tutorial, we will not only show you how to draw chibi eyes using a simple but effective method, but also explain the features of this style and provide tips for practicing the skill.

How to draw chibi eyes step by step

Step 1: Sketch centerlines for eye placement

Determine the exact location of the eyes on the paper. If you are drawing a chibi character, choose the area according to the position of the head. If the chibi eyes are the main subject of the drawing, place them in the center of the sheet. Then draw two intersecting lines at the selected location. The horizontal line should be noticeably shifted downward relative to the условного center.

Step 2: Draw the outlines of the chibi eyes

Take a close look at your sketch. If you have chosen the correct arrangement of the lines and placed them properly, draw two rounded shapes. Use the lines you drew earlier as a guide. The medial sides of the eyes appear as straight lines, while the lower lateral lines run diagonally.

Step 3: Define the large chibi eyelashes

Artists who draw chibi characters often follow a specific style. Large, expressive eyes and prominent eyelashes are typical for this approach. Therefore, in this step, draw large, sweeping eyelash shapes with contours resembling flames. As you can see, the edges of these contours are directed in different directions.

Step 4: Draw the pupils inside the chibi eyes

Drawing the pupils is one of the most important parts of the chibi style. The position and shape of the pupils determine the direction of the gaze. With the help of the pupils, you can convey the character and mood of your character. You can draw shapes that are not perfectly regular, but be sure to pay attention to their size and placement.

Step 5: Clean the eye drawing and add highlights

Erase the unnecessary guidelines from the chibi eyes. Add highlights inside the contours of the pupils. Do not forget to remove all lines within the highlights. Avoid adding too many highlights, as this can distort the overall image.

Step 6: Shade the drawing of chibi eyes

The shadows in our example appear as broad, sweeping, single-layer hatching. However, in the darkest areas, you can add a second layer of hatching to increase the contrast of the entire drawing. You can see this in the pupil area in our example. It is fundamentally important not to shade over the space inside the highlights.

Step 7: Finalize chibi eye outlines

Now review the accuracy of all shapes and outlines. After that, erase all the construction lines drawn earlier to make your drawing look more finished. You can also outline the chibi eyes, making them darker and more defined.

Key aspects of drawing chibi eyes

Chibi eyes are simplified to the maximum, even compared to manga and anime styles.

In our anime eye drawing tutorial, we discussed the principles of simplification and expression, as well as how they work together with the basic principles of drawing. In the chibi style, this goes even further.

Simplification becomes more extreme, and expression becomes more pronounced.

At the same time, intentional simplification in chibi drawings greatly reduces the number of expressive elements on the face, making each of the remaining ones more important.

Typically, only the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth remain. These elements must convey the entire emotion of the character’s face, and the artist should be able to communicate everything using them alone.

Notice how these three elements can easily change the character’s expression and set the tone for the entire drawing.

The ability to draw convincing, expressive eyes using minimalist methods is extremely important for drawing chibi people and characters from any universe.

Practice this skill by trying to draw as many eyes, faces, and full-body characters in this style as possible.

Use our simple tutorials from the Chibi category, where, in addition to characters drawn in this style, you will also find guides on individual parts of the face and body in this style.