Drawing the Ear

Continuing with the theme of drawing the portrait I will cover drawing the  features. Now in January I covered drawing  eyes. So I thought it would be fun to continue with one of the most neglected features, ears.

Step 1

Starting with the “?” Shape and the “C” Shape

The basic ear shape is comprised of two main shapes. A “?” shape for the outside of the ear and a “C” shape or rhythm for the inside.

C + ?

Step 2

Start with the outside Contour

Now if you look at an ear you will see that it is a little more rounded than a simple “C”. To get the main shape start by establishing the main angle changes of the outside of the ear.

Step 3

Soften the Edges

Change you straight “plane change” lines into soft arcs and you will end up with something similar to this.

Step 4

Outside Cartilage Ridge or Helix of the Ear

The cartilage that follows the outside of the ear called the helix actually starts from inside the ear behind the ear flap called the tragus, look closely in the mirror to observe this. The helix follows the ear but transitions into the ear lobe.

Step 5
Adding the Tragus ,and the Antihelix

Now we add the tragus which transitions into the “?” shaped part of the ear called the antihelix. Once we add these features we have a very accurate contour drawing of the basic ideas of the human ear. Study the ear and draw to become more familiar with this fascinating feature.