Awhile back, I promised that I would create a lip tutorial. Well, I finally arrived at that time. Lips are essential to drawings involving people. Sure, you can draw just a straight line, but on realistic drawings, a straight line can look pretty silly. So, we’re going to create lips and smiles and frowns. Lips are great. With lips, you can kiss, and kissing is nice. Hehehehe. Well, are you ready for the tutorial? Let’s go!

EXPRESSIONLESS/STRAIGHT LIPS

The expressionless look is not really expressionless. This look is sorta like our default faces. There’s no smile, no frown– just straight.

1) Draw a straight line.

2) At the center of the straight line, draw two sets of circles: two on top of the line, two at the bottom of the line. The two bottom circles should be slightly larger than the circles on top.

3) Starting at the center of the top two circles, draw a curved line that goes up over the circles, and down toward the center line. Repeat this step for the bottom. Slightly erase the circles.

4) Shade the entire lip area with a midtone. Then, shade the center line in a dark tone. Wherever you want dark shadows, shade these areas dark as well. If needed, refer to the shading tutorial for help. Now, take your eraser and add light sources. This will make the lips look wet. Blend your shading with a tortillion–blendy stick.

5) Add some curved lines. These lines should start at the top and bottom of the lips and resemble pumpkin lines. Blend with the blendy stick.

Here are the straight line lips. Cool, huh? Now let’s move on to something a little more challenging.

FROWNING

For frowning, I have prepared two examples: one that is an all-the-way frown, and another that is a halfway frown, or somewhat smirkish.

Frown One– Complete Frown

1) Draw a line that has edges that are bent down.

2) As with the straight-line lips, add two small circles that are next to each other centered above the line. Repeat this step for the button of the line.

3) Starting at the center of the top two circles, draw a curved line that goes up over the circles, and down toward the center line. Repeat this step for the bottom. Slightly erase the circles.

4) Shade the entire lip area with a midtone. Then, shade the center line in a dark tone. Wherever you want dark shadows, shade these areas dark as well. Take your eraser and add light sources. This will make the lips look wet. Blend your shading with a blendy stick.

5) Add some curved lines. These lines should start at the top and bottom of the lips and resemble pumpkin lines. Blend with the blendy stick.

The Somewhat Frown

This frown is somewhat different than the previous frown, but the later steps are the same.

1) Create a line that looks like a horizontal bow (as in bow and arrow). You will draw one slightly upward facing arc that is connected to another slightly upward facing arc as shown in the image I have provided.

2) Draw two circles that are centered above the line; draw two more circles centered below the line. In this case, draw the two upper circles on the upper portion of the arcs as shown in the image provided.

3) Starting at the center of the top two circles, draw a curved line that goes up over the circles, and down toward the center line. Repeat this step for the bottom. Slightly erase the circles.

4) Shade the entire lip area with a midtone. Then, shade the center line in a dark tone. Wherever you want dark shadows, shade these areas dark as well. Take your eraser and add light sources. This will make the lips look wet. Blend your shading with a blendy stick.

5) Add some curved lines. These lines should start at the top and bottom of the lips and resemble pumpkin lines. Blend with the blendy stick.

Okay, now the last three lips were easy. How about something that is a bit more of a challenge? How about an open-mouthed smile complete with teeth? Scary, huh? Not really.

OPEN-MOUTHED SMILE

1) Create a line that looks like a bird flying. This line will consist of two slightly upward facing arcs, with the left side looking smaller than right. Next, connect the “bird wing” line with a downward facing arc, leaving enough space between the lines so you can create the teeth in a later step.

2) As with the other lips, add two circles to the upper lipe line (the “bird wings”), and two circles to the lower lip line (the lower arc). The circles on the left should be slightly smaller than the circles on the right so you can create the illusion of perspective. I say illusion because I have poor depth perception and if people look at my drawing sometimes, they say my shading and depth is questionable at times. But I try, so I work with illusions.

3) Starting at the center of the top two circles, draw a curved line that goes up over the circles, and down toward the center line. Repeat this step for the bottom. Slightly erase the circles.

Now, we’re going to add teeth. Start at the center of the upper lip and draw little rectangles going from the center to the right, getting smaller as you go right; repeat this for the left. Do not make the teeth lines strong, instead press lightly. If your lines are too strong, your teeth look strange, too “gappy,” or  “fenced.” We don’t want picket fence mouth.

Above your teeth, add gum lines. These gum lines are small triangles with their points facing down.

4) Shade the entire lip area with a midtone. Then, shade the center line in a dark tone. Wherever you want dark shadows, shade these areas dark as well. Take your eraser and add light sources. This will make the lips look wet. Lightly shade the teeth in order to show separation and depth. Blend your shading with a blendy stick.

5) Add some curved lines. These lines should start at the top and bottom of the lips and resemble pumpkin lines. Blend with the blendy stick.

Lips are not that difficult to draw. All you need is some lines, some circles, and a blendy stick. I would also like to extend thanks to Carrie Stuart Parks, author of Drawing Realistic Faces. Without that book, this tutorial would not have been possible. I would also like to thank the makers of the electric eraser. That is an artist’s dream come true! I highly recommend all artists get one of those puppies, they clean images up nicely!

Happy drawing!

Love always,

Marisol

Tags: art books, circles, Digital Art, drawing, drawing books, electric erasers, lines, Lips, Photoshop, traditional Art, Tutorials