Drawing the eye: a window that must stay alive
Why the catchlight matters more than the lashes, and how to give the gaze direction.
February 2026 · 1 min read
The eye is a wet sphere, not a flat almond. It is the smallest white dot on the iris, the catchlight, that gives the gaze life. Leave it out and the eye looks dead.
The upper lid usually casts a shadow over the top of the iris. That small shadow is what seats the eye into its socket. Without it, the eye looks stuck onto the face.
