Owl Eye help

[Shmush]

I agree Pogart “understanding of the skull, definitely will benefit while shading the face features, etc.”. It explains why so many good artists have books on skeletal structures as well as actual skeletons!

Thank you Mile and Laurene on your positive comments concerning the feathers. There is always room for improvement, but gaining understanding of negative drawing is extremely helpful!

As to the eye, so do you think it is okay if it is round, even though it is seen from the side? Just change the highlight? Getting a front perspective from the side was part of what discouraged me from trying again. I have about 8 different pictures of owls, all slightly different and I was getting overwhelmed with how to correlate the information into the look I wanted.

[Mike Sibley]

As to the eye, so do you think it is okay if it is round, even though it is seen from the side? Just change the highlight? Getting a front perspective from the side was part of what discouraged me from trying again.

I'm going to stick my neck out here and tell it as I see it - accepting that I might be mistaken

There are three seemingly minor elements in the Nielsen drawing (right) that I think are essential.

SMUSH-Owl-eye.jpg

1: Perhaps most important... Above, and to the left of the highlight, is a small section of the top of the eye socket, or top lid. I think that's essential, because it explains the boundaries between hair and shadow to either side of it.

2: The top-left feathers. That little section of socket allows me to follow the line through the shadow to the continuation of the socket lower down. That is, I can easily imagine where the boundary is. It would appear in your drawing that the feathers are growing vertically out of the eyeball - because there's no indication of where the eyeball stops and the feathers begin. That doesn't exist in the Nielsen drawing either - BUT see #1 That all-important section of socket.

3: As I mentioned previously, I'm certain the highlight/reflection is encroaching, at its left-hand end, into the shade cast by the feathers above and to the left of the eye.

Those three combined serve to alter the perceived angle of the eye. Where the Nielsen eye is looking forwards, to the left of its beak, your eye is looking directly at us.

Wait... I just realised something else too... You have a dark shadow travelling, right around the eye. It's unbroken and doesn't vary in width. The Nielsen eye is lighter - to the point of having no shade - at the lower right. That tells me the eye is looking down the left side of the beak. Whereas, your shading tells me the eye is pointing directly at me - there's no variation in shading value, so it must be.

It's a really subtle difference, but I feel the Nielsen eye is tucked back into the feathers, and the Smush eye is pushed into the feathers. That said, everything else about your drawing is simply superb. It's just the eye that is slightly troublesome.

[Shmush]

Thanks for the insight! I knew it wasn’t right, but was unsure how to fix it. I’m going to see if I can copy your reply so I can print it- allowing me time to think this through. (It didn’t help that it wasn’t until AFTER I drew this I realized, unlike other birds…owl eyes are on the front of their head )