Learn How To Draw Ears
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase by clicking on an affiliate link, Nevue Fine Art Marketing may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to, Bluehost, Tailwind, Skimlinks, SareASale and StudioPress. To learn more visit Affiliate Link Disclosure Policy
Drawing ears is a challenge for many artists in the beginning. Ears are a subject that is often overlooked when drawing a portrait and could be the reason the finished drawing looks professional or amateurish.
Ears can be difficult because of the many curves, folds, and valleys. Another challenge is knowing where to draw the ear on the head of the subject.
However, if you spend some time practicing drawing ears, your portraits will look lifelike.
This drawing tutorial will cover drawing ears with the grid method and tips on how to shade the ear to give the ear a three-dimensional illusion on a two-dimensional surface.
To learn how to use the grid method, check out How To Draw Realistic Drawings, Video Course.
Drawing supplies needed for this lesson:
Best Drawing Pencils For Beginners And Professional Artists.
Image by Anemone123 from Pixabay
Step 1 Line Drawing
Step 1 is to draw a line drawing of the ear using the grid method.
Start by drawing 1-inch blocks on the reference image and draw the same amount of blocks on your drawing paper.
For example, this tutorial uses 5 one inch blocks across and six one-inch blocks going down.
Create the line drawing by drawing what you see in each block. Drawing the shape you see in each block will allow you to draw more accurate proportions.
To be more accurate with your proportions, use a Derwent Scale Divider with the grid’s guidelines.
Include lines for the shadows.
Drawing Tip: Use a 2H pencil and draw the grid lines and the line drawing of the ear lightly so you can easily erase any unwanted lines.
To learn how to use the grid method, check out How To Draw Realistic Drawings, Video Course.
Step 2 Erase The Grid Lines
Erase the grid lines and any other lines you do not need.
Use light pressure when erasing the grid lines. If you press down too hard, you will damage the paper’s tooth, making it impossible to draw soft value changes.
After removing the grid lines, lightly tap off some of the graphite from the line drawing with a kneaded eraser. This will make it easier to blend the lines.
Step 3 is to start blocking in the darks.
Identify where the ear’s ear’s darkest values are and start blocking off the darks with a 2H pencil.
A 2H pencil has a hard lead, adding graphite to the drawing paper’s valleys. This will prevent any white dots that appear when drawing with a softer lead. Once the paper is conditioned with a 2H pencil, you can use a softer lead pencil to make the areas darker.
Step 4 Continue To Add Graphite To The Darker Areas
Study the reference image and identity where the darkest values are on the ear lobe, helix, crus/valley, canal, and tragus. Notice how the values gradually lighten in certain areas of the ear. The soft value changes are what make the ear look three-dimensional.
You can change an image to black and white easily with Photoshop. Changing an image to black and white will make it easier to see the subject’s value changes.
Make sure to add the value slowly. It is easier to make an area darker than to make it lighter. Continue to observe the reverence image for the values.
Drawing Tip: To make an area darker, continue to draw over the lines on the paper. Do not press down too hard on the paper because if you press too hard, you will ruin the paper’s tooth, making it impossible to add more graphite to the area. Instead, continue to draw over the lines until you can not make the area darker, then use a different pencil grade like an HB, 2B, or even a 4B pencil.
Focus on blending the values so there are no lines you drew from the original drawing. The values should separate the folds and valleys of the ear, not a single line.
Contour lines will make the drawing look like a cartoon, not a realistic drawing.
Notice how the bottom of the fold is darker than the top of the ear. This creates a three-dimensional illusion.
Drawing Tip: The darkest areas are where light does not hit.
Step 6 Start Drawing In The Lighter Values
After you have blocked the darks on the ear, start adding the lighter values by working from dark to light with a 2H pencil.
Follow the shape of the ear when drawing from dark to light and continue to smooth the values.
Ensure you are erasing any guidelines left on the drawing surface. Continue this step with an HB pencil until you are happy with the soft value changes.
By this point, the ear’s structure should start to have a three-dimensional look.
Step 7 Add Value Around The Ear
The next step is to add value around the ear. When you add value to the area around the ear, the ear’s values will appear lighter because the ear’s color is not being viewed next to a white background.
Notice in the drawing example above that the areas with no graphite on the ear appear to be glowing.
Adding value around the ear will make it easier to draw the soft values by adding the graphite around the ear.
At this point, the ears’ shape looks more realistic and three-dimensional.
Step 8
Start adding tone to the lighter sections of the ear. By now, the guidelines should not be there. You are separating the different sections of the ear by value changes.
Even though this lesson is of a side view of an ear, the ear sections can have a three-dimensional illusion by drawing the sections like a cylinder and following the ear’s shape. The lighter areas will be where light is hitting, just like a cylinder. The values will gradually get darker as the shape curves and move away from the light source.
Human Ear Final Drawing
The final step is to smooth the lines with a blending stump. To do this, lightly rub the blending stump on the ear’s darkest areas and gradually work towards the lighter areas. Work on all of the shapes one at a time and focus on the ear’s shape and contour.
To lighten an area, use a kneaded eraser and lightly tap on the area you wish to lighten. After tapping the area with the eraser, you might need to add more graphite.
Final Thoughts On Ears Drawings
Drawing portraits of people is a challenge for artists just starting. Learning how to draw individual features of the face, including the eyes, nose, ears, lips, and even hair will make it easier when drawing portraits. Practice makes perfect, so take some time to enhance your drawing skills with these tutorials.
More Drawing Tutorials
How To Draw Realistic Eyes Step By Step
How To Draw Realistic Hair With Graphite
How To Shade Drawings With Graphite
