I understand that you are using ‘mono-lid’ as a catch-all phrase here, but technically ‘mono-lid’ is only one of at least three different eye classifications for Asians. So the tension can be drawn in three different way (minimum) for Asians. Thus there are a lot of different shapes that fall under this category, and you can draw the Asian eyes in a lot of different ways while still adhering to the guidelines you give.
Thanks for the clarification. Sometimes in the search for simplyfing the art lesson I have to choose between being specific and making something simple to understand. Still, I promise to do better next time!
Most people think of "monolids" when they think of asian eyes tho, it's basically used as an umbrella term. And when teaching beginner artists you shouldn't bog them down with too much information, most of their brains wouldn't be able to handle it. Obviously you wanna be as accurate and respectful as possible, but most Asians don't get offended by said umbrella term. So this is more of a technicality thing. x3
Yes, however the monolid is the most inimitable asian characteristic; you see it and instantly know from what part of the world that person's DNA originates. The other two classifications apply to western eyes, too, though they are rare; but not unheard of bc legacy Americans, Caucasians and Africans, have Asian ancestry bc they typically have aboriginal dna. It's not about narrowing Asian eyes strictly to one type, it's about visual clarity.
Yes. This is a characteristic of northern Asians (Mongolians, Koreans, Gilyaks, etc.), so don't engage in racism by applying it to southern Asians, okay? Especially the Japanese and Taiwanese take pride in their southern roots.
as an asian artist i had to do extra work to learn how to draw non-asian eyes, even though i've lived in america my whole life 😂 people are so diverse and theres always more to learn! thanks for sharing!
asian eyes/skulls also have much less recessed eyeballs compared to western. western eyeballs are much further back behind brow/forehead while asians are flatter.
@@jinchoung yes they are! I though about talking about the difference between asian and other skulls but it would habe made for a very long video. I might do one in the future!
@@lexdraws1729there’s a difference between stereotypes and biological differences. Pretty much the only true biological differences between people of different races are visual, and pretty much everything else is a stereotype.
@@lexdraws1729 "There's a lot of redheads in Ireland and Scotland". An observation. "Scotsmen are constantly playing the pipes and wearing a kilt everywhere". Stereotype.
I think it's important to recognize that race or ethnicity is a judgement of broad, average traits that evolution has taught human societies to be hypersensitive to, due to our historic difficulty avoiding conflict outside of our immediate social group. With that said, I think this is a brilliant lesson on the anatomical structure that is the epicanthic fold, and some of the shortcuts we artists can use to represent it. It's better we learn this than resort to the lazy caricatures of 19th century exoticist art, or WWII propaganda. But it's also important to recognize that there are certain features that are common - or even _nearly universal_ - in certain populations, but that not every individual will have them. (Constructive anatomists rejoice! Portraitists beware!) In East Asian faces, these epicanthic tensions are very common, as are slightly flatter face-fronts and noses than Europeans, along with eyes that are slightly further apart than standard European proportions usually teach, and lower jaws that may be slightly further forward. But these are all just averages. Study your portrait model carefully!
A lot of features overlap between the races, Asians aren’t the only ones to have this eye shape and I’m scared about him possibly making a video about the different skills between the races because that could easily fall into stereotypes
Agree. I'm Asian with no other cultural heritage and no/no noticeable epicanthic fold. I worked with a guy who had no cultural heritage other than western European who has the fold.
Not just Asians have the epicanthal folds, as mentioned, some indigenous, African, and yes, even Caucasian people can be born with them, all to adapt with their natural surroundings. or inherited to the surroundings their parent/s lived in.
Was actually looking if someone commented about this, as I realised "hey, that is what I have" while looking at the video but not 100% sure if it's the same thing (I'm Northern European) 😅
I think the most obvious features to see are the epicanthal folds and the eyelids. However, contrary to what we often see in comics or drawings, statistically for Asians, having mono eyelids is somehow less common than epicanthal folds. Among East Asians, about 50% have single eyelids, while Southeast Asians have far fewer (not counting the Chinese diaspora). The feature that is more commonly shared between Southeast Asians and East Asians is the epicanthal folds, although they are still less common for Southeast Asians. You have pretty eyes, by the way.. But yeah, I think Asian eyes are more about epicanthal folds than mono eyelids (especially for the Southeast boys and girls).
Thanks! I didn't want to get too crazy with diferences between ethnicities because I feared it muddled the basic concepts of the video. But I still appreciate you sharing this info with me.
The lifting up is pretty true. Unless the art style is stylized! Everyone’s eyes, in my opinion, is almost the same, but the eyelids just says otherwise.
thank you so much for both comments! yes, I am a bit on the fence with the lifting up. The truth is that it is so subtle that a lot of times it is barely noticeable. Specially compared to more stylized asian eyes.
As an eastern Asian, it always annoyed me that whenever a drawn/animated character is Asian, people just draw upwards pointing eyes, which is fine, but me and most of my friends that are Asian actually didn’t have those kinds of eyes, or even downhooded eyes. Sure, there are people who do have upwards pointing eyes, but all I’m saying is that they are not the only asians
Thanks for your comment! Yeah I know I simplified a bit as if "asian eyes" were just one big thing, but I thought getting the concepts across mattered a bit more than making a long video about every kind of eye shape you can find.
You are a GENIUS. You unlocked a secret that has alluded me. I'm Asian so my character's eyes automatically take on an Asian look even if they're not. It's because I'm so familiar with my own face and my families that I base the skull structure and eye shapes to mine. But I don't even know how and why I am drawing them like that. Your observations I've never heard before. BRAVO!
We've been desperately overdue for a tutorial on monolid eyes in the art community for a LOONG time! Thank you for sharing this, I'll definitely try it out myself!
I used to often draw Asian characters myself but something about my output made me question if I was doing it right since I've been doing pretty much the same method for characters of other ethnicities (and I've got Asian ancestry myself lol) and, to me at least, they all somehow don't look as distinct as I'd want them to. This concise tutorial just really made everything make sense for me. ¡Muchisimas gracias por esto!
Thank you for your kind words! Even after making this video I feel like I have lots to learn. there's no such thing as an "asian eye" but a lot of variables between shapes of monolids and epicanthal folds. it's pretty complex, but also very fun tu explore!
I haven’t done any research on native americans, but they crossed from asia through the bering straight, so they have asian ancestry. They have some asian features although not as pronounced.
Fun fact: this eye shape is also common among many Africans, Northern Europeans, and Native Americans. Now that people know what they're looking for, it's probably going to be a lot easier to notice.
@meritorioustechnate9455 I think the video is fine but the title should be changed to "how to draw eyes with a monolid or epicanthic fold". I learned a lot watching it. I was struggling with how to draw my own eyes which have epicanthic fold.. The techniques taught to "draw eyes" dont work well with drawing eyes with an epicanthic fold and theres a lot of good info in this vid on how to draw monolidded or eyes with an epicanthic fold properly. I have no idea why youd think he should take it down.
@@childofcascadia It’s offensive to the Asian community and people who have these eye features. I agree that techniques lean towards the European side. I’ll never forget Loomis African and Asians heads in “Fun with a pencil.” Disturbing 💀
@meritorioustechnate9455 You asian or just speaking for asians? Like I said, I dont find the video offensive, although it could go with a different title like "how to draw monolidded eyes". Theres nothing offensive about pointing out different ethnicities generally have different features, as long as youre not belittling or negative stereotyping the features. People look different after all, and theres nothing wrong with that. I appreciate the tutorial, as the techniques I learned in drawing class in America to draw eyes didnt teach me how to draw my own monolidded eyes and make it look realistic, they were designed to draw european or deeply double lidded eyes.
I actually also wanted to know how to draw Asian eyes so I researched it and there are actually a bunch more things. The fold on the inner corner of the eye results (this is from my personal observation and studies) from the skin going more forward than the eyeball like there is a bit of space between it. And the outer part of the eye has the fold creating like a shadow on the outside of the eye which a thicker line could convey. Also the eye might appear to curve up because the outside fold actually extends a bit past and down over the eye making it appear as if it curves up.
OMG this is perfect! I'm an Asian, I definitely notice this mono-lid thing appearing in a lot of ppl around me, although it's not always the case. However, this is a great way to simplify Asian eyes and definitely helped me! I struggle with drawing diverse ethnicities, so thanks so much!
Monolids are not the only form of "Asian eyes." It's very common to have double eyelids epicanthic folds and no monolid. I'm Chinese and my entire family has double eyelids
Monolids and epicanthic folds are two words for the same thing and this video covers the same thing regardless of visibility of the eyelid. You're boasting about a pretend distinction and it's kind of pathetic.
@@skyworm8006 Mono means 1. A monolid means the top half is much larger and you can't see the crease, making it appear like there is no crease. Many people have epicanthic folds but not monolids, since the top fold may not cover the crease at all. I have clear epicanthic folds, but my crease isn't hidden Epicanthic fold just means the inner corner of the eye is covered and diverges from the eyelid border. Whereas in non-Asian eyes, it just runs parallel to it. And I never boasted about anything, There is nothing to boast about. I'm just explaining that video is wrong that epicanthic folds always look the same. Not everyone with epicanthic folds has monolids, since not everyone's top half is able to hide their crease. For lots of people, you can see the crease at all times
Hi! You are right. In order to simplify the explanation I went over a lot of concepts. I did it as to not confuse viewers but I also realized that I could have done a better job at explaining some things. Thanks for the feedback!
I didn't expect to get better information about the shape of my eyes from a drawing tutorial than from- pretty much the rest of the internet, but now finally I know! I have epicanthal folds! (Hi, half-asian btw, it's been bugging me for yeeeeaaaars what that corner-bit was called, especially since I don't seem to have any other "asian" characteristics for the eye-shape, and now I also know how to draw them!)
My favorite part about learning how to draw asian eyes is that learning those features make it so you can draw 2 groups. East Africans and East Asians. The first time i noticed this it felt like i’d unlocked a character design cheat code.
Revolutionary. Thank you ❤ i hope you can also look into the differences between east asian and southeast asian (and south asian!) eyes because i think you'll enjoy looking at the differences, and it'll be educational for everyone! Thank you for doing what you do. As a southeast asian myself, I'm happy to have found your channel and am immediately subscribing ❤
Thank you! I may go deeper into other ethnicities in another video, but since I wanted to tackle the subject in a very broad manner I just did a general overview.
Hey dude! Love the video. I thought it was well put together and explained in a way that was understandable. I would be careful of labeling mono lids as “Asian Eyes” because not all Asians have mono lids. That’s why in Anime, many characters don’t look like they have the typical mono lid look but some do. Of course this is not what you intended but tying all Asians to a type of eye is not the most accurate one can be and contributes to the stereotype that all Asians have mono lids. Anyway, thanks for making the video! It helps a lot.
You need to relax. This video is not for you then. This is for artist. Your policing speech when artist know exactly what he’s talking about. He’s not drawing anime and this video is beyond useful.
Thank you for making this! I am a Japanese American artist and I usually draw my characters with the characteristics I have as many artists do, but this part is something that needs to be taught more
Thank. You. So. Much! I used to think that Asian eyes were further apart than Western eyes, but I did some research and discovered that It was due to the monolid giving the illusion that the eyes are further apart. But what I didn't know is what you said in this video! This really helped!
Exactly make the characters make sense in the setting. If the game is fantastical have idealized proportions that fit the hyperbolic nature of the action, if it’s an episodic narrative based game have average realistic models. Make the singing fit the song. Not all games need to remind us of our everyday lives either, nothing wrong with some good old over the top escapism.
a couple of days ago i was actually looking up videos and refrences on asian eyes so i can draw them more convincingly and then i get this video reccomened to me a few days later lmao, thank you 🤝
Just some nitpicking, the iris is not a cone, it is a flat surface, it _seems_ like a cone because of the refraction of the lens on top of the iris. This lens is also where the specular reflections will be, so for accurately drawing the highlights you actually need to think of a sphere. In profile view the lens will also cause the iris to look like it is bulging out of the eyeball due to how the light travels through the sides of the lens. I would highly suggest studying this.
GOD this was so so so helpful! I have no idea why I didn't think of just tracing over the reference first 😭😭 Otherwise, I'd been struggling for months to design the main character for my story specifically because the eyes never looked quite right to me. It's especially damning given that I am LITERALLY ASIAN JFSDFJ so to have this video up was a blessing. Thanks!!
There are also many westerners who have a monolid, but without the epicanthal fold. Some examples of famous people from history: Alexander Graham Bell, William Howard Taft, and Paul Von Hindenburg. A folded eyelid, without an *epicanthal* fold tends give the opposite impression, that of the outside corner of the eye being lower than the inner corner, but it's the same situation, the eye and eyelid themselves are not inclined in any way, only the fold of the skin is.
I knew it would be the epichantic fold. I learn about it on Rey Bustos course. As oppose to eyes in Irish old man for example, the fold goes over the eyes which makes this slanted look in them. I forgot what the term is called
I always heard the put the end of the eye up thing and thought it was garbage. I don't know where that comes from. I've always thought it more about the epicanthal fold. A lot of people don't draw the eyelid fold for any characters to begin with, though, which can make it real hard to differentiate Asian eyes in their art style
It can be worth noting that Asia is a large place with many different ethnic groups that exhibit some traits more than others, including the monolid. This isn’t me being PC so much as suggesting a lil variety and consistency at the character level. A few other things to note about the area around Asian eyes: sometimes high cheekbones even if they aren’t as sharp or angular as Westerners, deep set eyes are not common, we seldom have bridges in our noses.
I have an asian character that I've been working on for quite a while now. This wouldve been a lifesaver a few years ago. Better late than never! Cheers.
There's an easy way: Use Ryoichi Ikegami's drawings as referencen when he makes Asians. Comic authors don't know how to portray Asian people most of times. Manga authors that want to make their drawings more realistic do know how to do it. Also read Gekiga manga.
Thank you. I’m Asian myself but always seeing the way cartoons just slant the eye, I always just didn’t like how it was done because my eyes don’t look like that.
There is more to asian eyes then just the monolid. Eyes exceed the beginning of the nose bridge, noses are different too, the cheekbones are high and very pronounced.
@@Javicandraw You’d probably would also have to submit it to someone to look over like a beta reader does to a book, to minimize clunkiness in words and unfortunate unintended historical allusions, with how deeply unfortunate things are discussing different features associated with race
Not all asians have high, pronounced cheekbones, since we're being so technical, that can easily lead to issues too, friend. 😂 But yes, the noses are usually very specific.
the epicanthal fold can also be found in westerners especially if they have hooded eyes, and it's not just if they have down syndrome it's just not a common phenotype
Interesting! Apparently, both Top & Bottom Eyelid Creases (anatomic features), in Asian Eyes, seem to be very close to the Eyes/Eyelids Contours. I've been investigating Eyelids for 2D/3D Cartoon Character adaptations, and what I found most interesting in your video, is this method (3:12) of roughing out the Eyes as sketched Eyeballs, and then covering them with the Top & Bottom Eyelids (consequently and possibly, also generating the Top & Bottom Eyelids Creases features); I never really did that on my drawings; it sounds very constructive, for Drawing and in Character Design as well.
That's great!!! Yes, when you thing of eyes as volumes, eyelids are skin that surrounds the eyeball. In asian eyes not so much, but in western eyes most definetely
It's from the "Frenden real pencils" pack. google it like that. I use photoshop but those brushes should be compatible with procreate too (I hate the procreate pencil brushes)
I give many of my characters sharp eyes regardless if they're Asian or not. 😂 More depends on their personality (tho I do rarely give white characters sharp eyes, so I guess it is slightly dependent on race). The "monolid" is an interesting thing tho. I always find myself wanting to draw the double lid and hallow the eyelid, but I stop myself. I have a few specifically Asian [a lot are mixed] characters and I think I do an okay job with their eyes. >.> I'm definitely saving this tho~
@@gorequillnachovidal yes, it is slightly thicker too. Since it doesnt adhere so close to the eyeball, it is a straighter line than with non- asian eyes
As an Asian trying to draw Asian AP eyes but failing miserably because my family doesn’t have typical Asian Asian eyes, ours are like, middle sized? This tutorial helped. Although I felt like an alien being experimented in and researched the whole time :p
Another fantastic video! Can’t personally say I’m all that interested in Psylock, but I *am* interested in correctly drawing characters like Cass Cain and Rose Wilson vs Damian Wayne and Connor Hawke , Jimmy Woo, Madame Macabre, Talia vs Shiva, the Mandarin, etc. And while I *did* know about the fold resulting in a monolid, I didn’t know how to incorporate it into art without making the eyes look flat. 😅
That's great!!!! Yeah I was a kid when X-men animated first aired so I'm more of a marvel guy. Still, you just reminded me of how many awesome characters DC has. I used to read a lot of DC but I dropped in 2020 when they paused publishing for a bit. Now I only read a few X-Men titles and that's it.
@@Javicandraw Glad I could reintroduce you to some DC on top of Marvel! I’ve been an X-Men fan since childhood as well, but I was always a Cyclops or Iceman kind of guy, lol.
If you wanted a good example of a Japanese artist semi-realistically drawing a Japanese woman for a comic book/manga, I recommend looking at Part 8 (JoJolion) of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, especially covers.
@@Javicandraw Oh yes I put the tutorial into practice immediately…so simple…why didn't I see that? The next To Do is add more expression/gesture to the character studies.
Thanks! Unfortuately, since youtube autoplays videos the moment you scoll over them I have to put subtitles so people can see what the video is about. I'll try to make them smaller tho.
Interesting enough Korean women perform surgery on that skin part of the eye, so their upper eyelid get's exposed more. They consider it to be more pretty for women if they have an upper eye lid visible. Still interesting points and observations. I also fell into the idea that Asian eyes just have their outer end higher. And little research proves that that is not true. In fact some character stylizations that I've seen that look the most asian...actually have the same height for the inner and outer edge. Thanks.
Presumably they all have it in that case, since some people with Down Syndrome don’t actually have monolids. I believe about 9%? Forgot the exact reason why.
@@No-longer1 I wasn't clear enough in the video, but I was talking about the Epicanthic fold. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to polish the script in this video so there are some things that could have been clearer that I missed.
I understand that you are using ‘mono-lid’ as a catch-all phrase here, but technically ‘mono-lid’ is only one of at least three different eye classifications for Asians. So the tension can be drawn in three different way (minimum) for Asians. Thus there are a lot of different shapes that fall under this category, and you can draw the Asian eyes in a lot of different ways while still adhering to the guidelines you give.
Thanks for the clarification. Sometimes in the search for simplyfing the art lesson I have to choose between being specific and making something simple to understand. Still, I promise to do better next time!
Most people think of "monolids" when they think of asian eyes tho, it's basically used as an umbrella term. And when teaching beginner artists you shouldn't bog them down with too much information, most of their brains wouldn't be able to handle it. Obviously you wanna be as accurate and respectful as possible, but most Asians don't get offended by said umbrella term. So this is more of a technicality thing. x3
Yes, however the monolid is the most inimitable asian characteristic; you see it and instantly know from what part of the world that person's DNA originates. The other two classifications apply to western eyes, too, though they are rare; but not unheard of bc legacy Americans, Caucasians and Africans, have Asian ancestry bc they typically have aboriginal dna. It's not about narrowing Asian eyes strictly to one type, it's about visual clarity.
Yes. This is a characteristic of northern Asians (Mongolians, Koreans, Gilyaks, etc.), so don't engage in racism by applying it to southern Asians, okay? Especially the Japanese and Taiwanese take pride in their southern roots.
Exactly, and side note, half my Korean side has monolids and half do not. They are full blooded and have two distinct types of eye genetics
as an asian artist i had to do extra work to learn how to draw non-asian eyes, even though i've lived in america my whole life 😂 people are so diverse and theres always more to learn! thanks for sharing!
thanks! I always found western eyes easier because they can be simplified with a ball and a pupil, so it doesn't need to "feel" like a real eye.
i literally gasped when you first drew the monolid. it really has the desired effect! well done, and thank you for sharing with artists everywhere!!
Awesome!! I'm happy I made you gasp!
asian eyes/skulls also have much less recessed eyeballs compared to western. western eyeballs are much further back behind brow/forehead while asians are flatter.
@@jinchoung yes they are! I though about talking about the difference between asian and other skulls but it would habe made for a very long video. I might do one in the future!
@@Javicandrawwouldn’t that be falling into stereotypes lmao
@@lexdraws1729there’s a difference between stereotypes and biological differences. Pretty much the only true biological differences between people of different races are visual, and pretty much everything else is a stereotype.
@@lexdraws1729you’re joking right? You gotta be joking
@@lexdraws1729 "There's a lot of redheads in Ireland and Scotland". An observation.
"Scotsmen are constantly playing the pipes and wearing a kilt everywhere". Stereotype.
I think it's important to recognize that race or ethnicity is a judgement of broad, average traits that evolution has taught human societies to be hypersensitive to, due to our historic difficulty avoiding conflict outside of our immediate social group.
With that said, I think this is a brilliant lesson on the anatomical structure that is the epicanthic fold, and some of the shortcuts we artists can use to represent it. It's better we learn this than resort to the lazy caricatures of 19th century exoticist art, or WWII propaganda.
But it's also important to recognize that there are certain features that are common - or even _nearly universal_ - in certain populations, but that not every individual will have them. (Constructive anatomists rejoice! Portraitists beware!)
In East Asian faces, these epicanthic tensions are very common, as are slightly flatter face-fronts and noses than Europeans, along with eyes that are slightly further apart than standard European proportions usually teach, and lower jaws that may be slightly further forward. But these are all just averages. Study your portrait model carefully!
A lot of features overlap between the races, Asians aren’t the only ones to have this eye shape and I’m scared about him possibly making a video about the different skills between the races because that could easily fall into stereotypes
Agree. I'm Asian with no other cultural heritage and no/no noticeable epicanthic fold. I worked with a guy who had no cultural heritage other than western European who has the fold.
Not just Asians have the epicanthal folds, as mentioned, some indigenous, African, and yes, even Caucasian people can be born with them, all to adapt with their natural surroundings. or inherited to the surroundings their parent/s lived in.
Anyone can have it.
That's true!
Bjork has them right
I think nakey jakey has "Asian" eyes like this
Was actually looking if someone commented about this, as I realised "hey, that is what I have" while looking at the video but not 100% sure if it's the same thing (I'm Northern European) 😅
I think the most obvious features to see are the epicanthal folds and the eyelids. However, contrary to what we often see in comics or drawings, statistically for Asians, having mono eyelids is somehow less common than epicanthal folds. Among East Asians, about 50% have single eyelids, while Southeast Asians have far fewer (not counting the Chinese diaspora). The feature that is more commonly shared between Southeast Asians and East Asians is the epicanthal folds, although they are still less common for Southeast Asians.
You have pretty eyes, by the way..
But yeah, I think Asian eyes are more about epicanthal folds than mono eyelids (especially for the Southeast boys and girls).
Thanks! I didn't want to get too crazy with diferences between ethnicities because I feared it muddled the basic concepts of the video. But I still appreciate you sharing this info with me.
most southeast asian people i’ve seen have epicanthic folds
The lifting up is pretty true. Unless the art style is stylized! Everyone’s eyes, in my opinion, is almost the same, but the eyelids just says otherwise.
And the monolid part? Beautifully explained!!! I feel like everyone misses the monolid in drawings 😢 but thats okay ig 😅
thank you so much for both comments! yes, I am a bit on the fence with the lifting up. The truth is that it is so subtle that a lot of times it is barely noticeable. Specially compared to more stylized asian eyes.
As an eastern Asian, it always annoyed me that whenever a drawn/animated character is Asian, people just draw upwards pointing eyes, which is fine, but me and most of my friends that are Asian actually didn’t have those kinds of eyes, or even downhooded eyes. Sure, there are people who do have upwards pointing eyes, but all I’m saying is that they are not the only asians
Thanks for your comment! Yeah I know I simplified a bit as if "asian eyes" were just one big thing, but I thought getting the concepts across mattered a bit more than making a long video about every kind of eye shape you can find.
@@Javicandraw he meant by how Disney did Mulan for example. The way you explained it in this video was a great help. Thanks alot
You are a GENIUS. You unlocked a secret that has alluded me. I'm Asian so my character's eyes automatically take on an Asian look even if they're not. It's because I'm so familiar with my own face and my families that I base the skull structure and eye shapes to mine. But I don't even know how and why I am drawing them like that. Your observations I've never heard before. BRAVO!
Thank you!!!! that means a lot! It took me a while to figure all of this out.
Your own body is your most accessible reference! I kind of love the phenomenon of artists' features showing up in their art on accident.
We've been desperately overdue for a tutorial on monolid eyes in the art community for a LOONG time! Thank you for sharing this, I'll definitely try it out myself!
Seriously, all I've ever been able to find for the past few years is a few neat breakdowns on Pinterest and that's pretty much it.
I used to often draw Asian characters myself but something about my output made me question if I was doing it right since I've been doing pretty much the same method for characters of other ethnicities (and I've got Asian ancestry myself lol) and, to me at least, they all somehow don't look as distinct as I'd want them to. This concise tutorial just really made everything make sense for me. ¡Muchisimas gracias por esto!
Thank you for your kind words! Even after making this video I feel like I have lots to learn. there's no such thing as an "asian eye" but a lot of variables between shapes of monolids and epicanthal folds. it's pretty complex, but also very fun tu explore!
As an asian i had no idea my eyes are difficult to draw 😅 this is fascinating. I always just draw like ^^
I've been wanting to know this ever since I learned about the epicanthric fold.
I also have been trying to find how to draw native american faces.
I haven’t done any research on native americans, but they crossed from asia through the bering straight, so they have asian ancestry. They have some asian features although not as pronounced.
THANK YOUUUUU I love the look of asian eyes but was never able to figure them out!! They're so pretty 😊
I feel the same way! thank you for enjoying the video!
but as an asian, they're too small...
Fun fact: this eye shape is also common among many Africans, Northern Europeans, and Native Americans. Now that people know what they're looking for, it's probably going to be a lot easier to notice.
Yea. It’s common a lot of places. There are several celebrities with the fold around the eye. I think Javi should take this video down tbh.
@meritorioustechnate9455
I think the video is fine but the title should be changed to "how to draw eyes with a monolid or epicanthic fold".
I learned a lot watching it. I was struggling with how to draw my own eyes which have epicanthic fold.. The techniques taught to "draw eyes" dont work well with drawing eyes with an epicanthic fold and theres a lot of good info in this vid on how to draw monolidded or eyes with an epicanthic fold properly.
I have no idea why youd think he should take it down.
@@childofcascadia It’s offensive to the Asian community and people who have these eye features. I agree that techniques lean towards the European side. I’ll never forget Loomis African and Asians heads in “Fun with a pencil.” Disturbing 💀
@meritorioustechnate9455
You asian or just speaking for asians? Like I said, I dont find the video offensive, although it could go with a different title like "how to draw monolidded eyes". Theres nothing offensive about pointing out different ethnicities generally have different features, as long as youre not belittling or negative stereotyping the features. People look different after all, and theres nothing wrong with that.
I appreciate the tutorial, as the techniques I learned in drawing class in America to draw eyes didnt teach me how to draw my own monolidded eyes and make it look realistic, they were designed to draw european or deeply double lidded eyes.
I actually also wanted to know how to draw Asian eyes so I researched it and there are actually a bunch more things. The fold on the inner corner of the eye results (this is from my personal observation and studies) from the skin going more forward than the eyeball like there is a bit of space between it. And the outer part of the eye has the fold creating like a shadow on the outside of the eye which a thicker line could convey. Also the eye might appear to curve up because the outside fold actually extends a bit past and down over the eye making it appear as if it curves up.
Great tutorial as always! Short, to the point, and informative!
That's what I strive for, thank you so much!
You're absolutely goated for this, genuinely the most useful character design tip I've seen since I went to class
OMG this is perfect! I'm an Asian, I definitely notice this mono-lid thing appearing in a lot of ppl around me, although it's not always the case. However, this is a great way to simplify Asian eyes and definitely helped me! I struggle with drawing diverse ethnicities, so thanks so much!
I'm really glad you liked the video!!!!
Monolids are not the only form of "Asian eyes." It's very common to have double eyelids epicanthic folds and no monolid. I'm Chinese and my entire family has double eyelids
Monolids and epicanthic folds are two words for the same thing and this video covers the same thing regardless of visibility of the eyelid. You're boasting about a pretend distinction and it's kind of pathetic.
@@skyworm8006 Mono means 1. A monolid means the top half is much larger and you can't see the crease, making it appear like there is no crease. Many people have epicanthic folds but not monolids, since the top fold may not cover the crease at all. I have clear epicanthic folds, but my crease isn't hidden
Epicanthic fold just means the inner corner of the eye is covered and diverges from the eyelid border. Whereas in non-Asian eyes, it just runs parallel to it.
And I never boasted about anything, There is nothing to boast about. I'm just explaining that video is wrong that epicanthic folds always look the same. Not everyone with epicanthic folds has monolids, since not everyone's top half is able to hide their crease. For lots of people, you can see the crease at all times
Hi! You are right. In order to simplify the explanation I went over a lot of concepts. I did it as to not confuse viewers but I also realized that I could have done a better job at explaining some things. Thanks for the feedback!
I was sure this would not work for my more stylized style, but it actually did! I can see the difference, it is so cool! Amazing video, thanks.
I didn't expect to get better information about the shape of my eyes from a drawing tutorial than from- pretty much the rest of the internet, but now finally I know! I have epicanthal folds! (Hi, half-asian btw, it's been bugging me for yeeeeaaaars what that corner-bit was called, especially since I don't seem to have any other "asian" characteristics for the eye-shape, and now I also know how to draw them!)
My favorite part about learning how to draw asian eyes is that learning those features make it so you can draw 2 groups. East Africans and East Asians. The first time i noticed this it felt like i’d unlocked a character design cheat code.
Does East Africans have monolids?
okay okay, but can we talk about how well you explained facial processinf in general????
heheheh I have longer videos on the subject so I didn't want to waste anyone's time with it. So I made it as short and easy as possible.
Literally on point. I always wanted this kind of tutorial. Thank you very much ❤❤❤
I always wanted it too, that's why I made it :D
It's epicanthic fold.
Yes, I've seen both terms online used just as much.
Revolutionary. Thank you ❤ i hope you can also look into the differences between east asian and southeast asian (and south asian!) eyes because i think you'll enjoy looking at the differences, and it'll be educational for everyone! Thank you for doing what you do. As a southeast asian myself, I'm happy to have found your channel and am immediately subscribing ❤
Thank you! I may go deeper into other ethnicities in another video, but since I wanted to tackle the subject in a very broad manner I just did a general overview.
Hey dude! Love the video. I thought it was well put together and explained in a way that was understandable. I would be careful of labeling mono lids as “Asian Eyes” because not all Asians have mono lids. That’s why in Anime, many characters don’t look like they have the typical mono lid look but some do. Of course this is not what you intended but tying all Asians to a type of eye is not the most accurate one can be and contributes to the stereotype that all Asians have mono lids. Anyway, thanks for making the video! It helps a lot.
Thanks! I know, unfortunately "asian eyes" is the term that would make the video easier to find in search, that's why I had to use it.
@@Javicandrawweird reasoning i wont lie
@@leith9109it’s not. UA-cam is based entirely on algorithm and he’s using that to his advantage as a UA-camr.
You need to relax. This video is not for you then. This is for artist. Your policing speech when artist know exactly what he’s talking about. He’s not drawing anime and this video is beyond useful.
@@fun-with-purpose1436I know you are supposed to be criticizing me but this made me laugh out loud! Thanks for making my day a little better.
You sir are a genius. I greatly enjoy learning from your tutorials. So informative and I’m learning a lot! Thank you!
Thank you so much!!! I'm not a geinus tho, I just draw a lot and ask questions when I don't get something right. that's all it takes ;)
Holy moly finally the tutorial I was looking for! Thank you so much!
Awesome! I'm glad to help!
Thank you for making this! I am a Japanese American artist and I usually draw my characters with the characteristics I have as many artists do, but this part is something that needs to be taught more
I need to find a way to work this into my less realistic style, could be a game changer if I get a handle on it
Thanks for demonstrating!
I found myself struggling with it in a more cartooney style as well. I'll keep working on it and make an update video when I figure it out.
I got your channel randomly recommended the other day, and I'm so glad it did. You have incredibly useful stuff right here
That makes me so happy!!!! Thanks!
This was a very concise and easy to follow explanation! Thank you!
Thanks! that's what I aimed for!
Thank. You. So. Much! I used to think that Asian eyes were further apart than Western eyes, but I did some research and discovered that It was due to the monolid giving the illusion that the eyes are further apart. But what I didn't know is what you said in this video! This really helped!
Awesome!!!! I'm glad to help!
Exactly make the characters make sense in the setting. If the game is fantastical have idealized proportions that fit the hyperbolic nature of the action, if it’s an episodic narrative based game have average realistic models. Make the singing fit the song.
Not all games need to remind us of our everyday lives either, nothing wrong with some good old over the top escapism.
a couple of days ago i was actually looking up videos and refrences on asian eyes so i can draw them more convincingly and then i get this video reccomened to me a few days later lmao, thank you 🤝
Awesome! I'm glad you found it.
i NEEDED THIS! this confirmed all that infound in my art study and research on this topic!
I enjoy how concise this video is
Thank you, I try my best not to waste anyone's time.
Just some nitpicking, the iris is not a cone, it is a flat surface, it _seems_ like a cone because of the refraction of the lens on top of the iris. This lens is also where the specular reflections will be, so for accurately drawing the highlights you actually need to think of a sphere. In profile view the lens will also cause the iris to look like it is bulging out of the eyeball due to how the light travels through the sides of the lens. I would highly suggest studying this.
Thank you for commenting on this. I have some more studying to do. Cheers!
GOD this was so so so helpful! I have no idea why I didn't think of just tracing over the reference first 😭😭
Otherwise, I'd been struggling for months to design the main character for my story specifically because the eyes never looked quite right to me. It's especially damning given that I am LITERALLY ASIAN JFSDFJ so to have this video up was a blessing. Thanks!!
hahahaha that's great! I'm glad I could help!
There are also many westerners who have a monolid, but without the epicanthal fold. Some examples of famous people from history: Alexander Graham Bell, William Howard Taft, and Paul Von Hindenburg. A folded eyelid, without an *epicanthal* fold tends give the opposite impression, that of the outside corner of the eye being lower than the inner corner, but it's the same situation, the eye and eyelid themselves are not inclined in any way, only the fold of the skin is.
Thanks for this information! I didn't know!!!
I'm usually much more used to drawing asian eyes, so this video helped me draw better caucasian eyes
Had never considered the tension in here. It makes sense now! Great tip!
Awesome tutorial!!! For real!!
I knew it would be the epichantic fold. I learn about it on Rey Bustos course. As oppose to eyes in Irish old man for example, the fold goes over the eyes which makes this slanted look in them. I forgot what the term is called
@@sabahbubbler oh cool! Considering you learned about this sonewhere else, did you find any mistakes I might have made in the video?
Really cool Javi. I have been studying that too.
That's great! any tips you want to share?
I always heard the put the end of the eye up thing and thought it was garbage. I don't know where that comes from.
I've always thought it more about the epicanthal fold. A lot of people don't draw the eyelid fold for any characters to begin with, though, which can make it real hard to differentiate Asian eyes in their art style
It can be worth noting that Asia is a large place with many different ethnic groups that exhibit some traits more than others, including the monolid. This isn’t me being PC so much as suggesting a lil variety and consistency at the character level. A few other things to note about the area around Asian eyes: sometimes high cheekbones even if they aren’t as sharp or angular as Westerners, deep set eyes are not common, we seldom have bridges in our noses.
great video!
My mom, who had Norwegian and English ancestors, also had a noticeable epicanthic fold, especially when she was older.
I learned something new today! Thnk you mr Javi
You are welcome! I'm glad you liked it
I have an asian character that I've been working on for quite a while now. This wouldve been a lifesaver a few years ago. Better late than never! Cheers.
I hope it helped!
This is very helpful thank you! eyes have been such a struggle for me to get how I’d like to
Cheers, I'm glad I could help!
This makes so much sense! Thank you!
Awesome!
So helpful! Thank you!
You are welcome!
Damn… Imma use that one next time !
Awesome! when you try it, let me know if it worked for you!
Thank you, I really learnt something new. Subscribed!
Awesome! welcome!
There's an easy way:
Use Ryoichi Ikegami's drawings as referencen when he makes Asians.
Comic authors don't know how to portray Asian people most of times. Manga authors that want to make their drawings more realistic do know how to do it.
Also read Gekiga manga.
thanks im also struggle on eyes to anatomy body
I'm glad I could help!
Thank you. I’m Asian myself but always seeing the way cartoons just slant the eye, I always just didn’t like how it was done because my eyes don’t look like that.
There is more to asian eyes then just the monolid. Eyes exceed the beginning of the nose bridge, noses are different too, the cheekbones are high and very pronounced.
Thanks! I know, I just thought that if I went into a deep dive about asian features It would have been a very long, and more complicated video.
@@Javicandraw
You’d probably would also have to submit it to someone to look over like a beta reader does to a book, to minimize clunkiness in words and unfortunate unintended historical allusions, with how deeply unfortunate things are discussing different features associated with race
Not all asians have high, pronounced cheekbones, since we're being so technical, that can easily lead to issues too, friend. 😂 But yes, the noses are usually very specific.
Thanks javi
You are very welcome!
the epicanthal fold can also be found in westerners especially if they have hooded eyes, and it's not just if they have down syndrome it's just not a common phenotype
Incredibly helpful tutorial! Really eye-opening (pun intended)
lol I'm glad you liked it!
Most mangaka that draw Asian characters in a realistic style really nail the look of East Asian eyes.
Interesting! Apparently, both Top & Bottom Eyelid Creases (anatomic features), in Asian Eyes, seem to be very close to the Eyes/Eyelids Contours. I've been investigating Eyelids for 2D/3D Cartoon Character adaptations, and what I found most interesting in your video, is this method (3:12) of roughing out the Eyes as sketched Eyeballs, and then covering them with the Top & Bottom Eyelids (consequently and possibly, also generating the Top & Bottom Eyelids Creases features); I never really did that on my drawings; it sounds very constructive, for Drawing and in Character Design as well.
That's great!!! Yes, when you thing of eyes as volumes, eyelids are skin that surrounds the eyeball. In asian eyes not so much, but in western eyes most definetely
wow i really like the traditional feel of your brush! is it a pro create brush ?🤩
It's from the "Frenden real pencils" pack. google it like that. I use photoshop but those brushes should be compatible with procreate too (I hate the procreate pencil brushes)
@@Javicandraw Oh ok thanks dude!! 👍😁
I give many of my characters sharp eyes regardless if they're Asian or not. 😂 More depends on their personality (tho I do rarely give white characters sharp eyes, so I guess it is slightly dependent on race). The "monolid" is an interesting thing tho. I always find myself wanting to draw the double lid and hallow the eyelid, but I stop myself. I have a few specifically Asian [a lot are mixed] characters and I think I do an okay job with their eyes. >.> I'm definitely saving this tho~
Thanks!!! I'm eager to design some asian characters myself and see how I can play with variations.
You should watch makeup tutorials! They explain the contours of many types of faces in depth
You know, i didnt think about it and it sounds so obvious now!
this is genius! thank you!
Awesome! thank you for watching
I never thought about this, but with asians you would draw the bottom lid differently too?
@@gorequillnachovidal yes, it is slightly thicker too. Since it doesnt adhere so close to the eyeball, it is a straighter line than with non- asian eyes
As an Asian trying to draw Asian AP eyes but failing miserably because my family doesn’t have typical Asian Asian eyes, ours are like, middle sized? This tutorial helped. Although I felt like an alien being experimented in and researched the whole time :p
So, the epicanthic fold and monolids, being the most common parts.
yeap!
so the bottom eyelid is different too?
yes, also tighter than western eyelids. less round.
Thank you for this! I learned a thing :D
Great! I'm glad you did!
Another fantastic video! Can’t personally say I’m all that interested in Psylock, but I *am* interested in correctly drawing characters like Cass Cain and Rose Wilson vs Damian Wayne and Connor Hawke , Jimmy Woo, Madame Macabre, Talia vs Shiva, the Mandarin, etc. And while I *did* know about the fold resulting in a monolid, I didn’t know how to incorporate it into art without making the eyes look flat. 😅
That's great!!!! Yeah I was a kid when X-men animated first aired so I'm more of a marvel guy. Still, you just reminded me of how many awesome characters DC has. I used to read a lot of DC but I dropped in 2020 when they paused publishing for a bit. Now I only read a few X-Men titles and that's it.
@@Javicandraw Glad I could reintroduce you to some DC on top of Marvel! I’ve been an X-Men fan since childhood as well, but I was always a Cyclops or Iceman kind of guy, lol.
as an Asian i didnt know this lol
Before I started working on this video I didn't even ask myself the question of why we look differente lol
You should check out the Bleach Manga, would love to see how you apply this to their eyes
I never read it! I'll try to get my hands in a volume. cheers!
I have an Asian main character, and drawing her face in the front view is hard. Any tips? Love your video!
hmmmm interesting. where exactly are you struggling?
@@Javicandrawoh hi! Thank you for replying fast :D whenever I draw her from the front view, she just looks like Mulan instead of herself 😢
@@neapaulatan Have you tried what I show in this video yet? It's about consistent characters ua-cam.com/video/wccpkgrP7Yc/v-deo.html
@@Javicandraw I haven't :0 Thanks so much for sharing!
If you wanted a good example of a Japanese artist semi-realistically drawing a Japanese woman for a comic book/manga, I recommend looking at Part 8 (JoJolion) of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, especially covers.
Ill look it up, thanks for the tip!
Also Peruvians and Bolivians have that. They are the southamerican cousins of the asian :)
yeap, all indigenous americans crossed from asia using the bering straight, so they have a lot in common with eastern asians.
@@Javicandraw yes, in their proportions and hair as well. Even in art :)
So glad I’m mixed otherwise I would’ve had monolids. Phew
You don't like the look? I think it's pretty cool
Monolids are awesome.
Coming from an anime style drawing, I actually had trouble drawing NON Asian eyes! 😅 anyone have tips or content I can infer to?
Sorry if this has been pointed out, but you made a spelling mistake with "epicanthic" (extra r) ^^;
I noticed, thanks!
Asians aren’t the only ones who have these eye shapes
I know, thanks, but if I explained every type of eye this video would have been 72 minutes long.
incredible tutorial. however, there's gotta be a better sounding term than "monolid" 😂
Thats the medical term! I didnt come up with it
...how did i never think of drawing the whole eyeball first...?
heheeheh its a very old trick. but don't do it every time, you might risk having all your eyes look the same.
Another item removed from my To Do list…Thx!
Awesome!!!! Let me know if the video helped! What else is in your to do list?
@@Javicandraw Oh yes I put the tutorial into practice immediately…so simple…why didn't I see that?
The next To Do is add more expression/gesture to the character studies.
Love your videos! But the forced subtitles really draw the focus away at the beginning. I'd rather decide myself if I need them or not.
Thanks! Unfortuately, since youtube autoplays videos the moment you scoll over them I have to put subtitles so people can see what the video is about. I'll try to make them smaller tho.
Interesting enough Korean women perform surgery on that skin part of the eye, so their upper eyelid get's exposed more. They consider it to be more pretty for women if they have an upper eye lid visible.
Still interesting points and observations. I also fell into the idea that Asian eyes just have their outer end higher. And little research proves that that is not true. In fact some character stylizations that I've seen that look the most asian...actually have the same height for the inner and outer edge. Thanks.
I didn't know that about south koreans, thanks for sharing!
I draw Asian eyes by default, so if I need to draw a European person I just add an eyelid line above the eye
No way I'm an Asian person who's unable to draw Asians 😭😭
Well if you watched the video now you know!
You didn't speak about the fact that some Asians have double eyelids.
I know, sorry, I thought focusing on the monolid would help people understand the shape of the eye better.
Finally I can draw fetal alcohol syndrome
I'd like to say that there are different asians, each country from Asia has a different type of eye in general. So there's no "asian eyes"
4:10 LOL
hehe you must have been the only one to find that funny 🤣
@@Javicandraw im probably one of the very few evolutionary biologists watching this so ye lol
Bro hurt me deep in my bones with the comparison to people with Down's Syndrome and babies. I just can't look at mirrors anymore without seeing it...
What about Asian babies with Downs syndrome
lol I guess they really really really have it but I didn't google.
Presumably they all have it in that case, since some people with Down Syndrome don’t actually have monolids. I believe about 9%? Forgot the exact reason why.
@@No-longer1 I wasn't clear enough in the video, but I was talking about the Epicanthic fold. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to polish the script in this video so there are some things that could have been clearer that I missed.