Drawing Ears At Any Angle - Anatomy to Improve Your Art

1. Introduction: Hey, there. I'm Bags. Welcome to my ear drawing class. In this class, you'll learn about the anatomy of the human ear and the parts that it's composed of. You'll then learn how to break down the complex structure of the ear and draw it with confidence. This class is perfect for anybody who wants to scrub up on their anatomy and gain a better understanding of the form of the ear. This class will benefit you regardless of the style that you like to draw on, whether you want to improve your realism or you just want a solid foundation for illustrations. Once you understand the anatomy of the ear, you'll be free to simplify, exaggerate, and stylize ears while keeping them functional and accurate. First, we'll learn about the anatomy of the outer ear and the parts that make up this complex structure. In the next section, you'll learn about how to break down and construct the human ear for drawing, simplifying its forms. After that, we'll have a look at some useful proportions and guidelines you can use to make sure that your drawings are accurate. Then we'll talk about how to correctly place the ear on the head. I'll take you step-by-step through my process of drawing ears. And finally, we'll talk about the effects of light and shadow on the ear. We'll also spend a little time talking about the transparency of the ear when it's exposed to direct light. If you're ready to learn everything you need to know about drawing ears, let's get started. 2. Anatomy of the Ear: Anatomy of the ear. In this lesson, we're going to take a close look at the anatomy of the outer ear. Because this class is intended for artists and illustrators, we're only concerned with the anatomy of the external visible ear. The outer ear is comprised of the auricle and the ear canal. The auricle is the part of the ear that is visible. It is made up almost entirely of a single complex elastic cartilage. This is a flexible and tough tissue, which is primarily composed of collagen. The cartilage gives our ears their unique shape and is covered and find nerves, blood vessels, and a thin layer of skin. The function of the outer ear is to gather sound waves and direct them into the ear canal. The ear canal is the hole that connects our outer ear to our middle ear. The middle and inner ear are responsible for our balance and their heating. The auricle has a complex structure and is partly responsible for giving each of us our distinctive appearance. It's usually wider at the top and becomes narrower towards the base. Let's look at the concha. The concha connects the ear to the heads and project outwards. It has a bowl-like shape. Because it stacks it, it means that our ears don't lie flat against the side of our heads. To observe this ball-like shape, it is best to look at the ear from behind. When viewing the ear from a profile view or when the head is side on, you'll notice that this area appear small, and because it is deeper than the rest of the ear, it usually sets in shadow. Next, let's look at the helix. The helix makes up the outer edge of the ear and has a tubular form. It begins within the concha, separating the concha and to a smaller upper portion and larger bottom portion. This part of the helix is called the cross of the helix. Beginning from the concha, the helix curves up and along the outer edge of the ear, terminating almost seamlessly when it meets the ear lobe. The helix is primarily made up of cartilage, but the lower back portion of it, as it approaches that ear lobe is primarily made from skin. The inside edge of the helix at the top of the auricle is often angular in appearance. The outer edge of the helix can have a lot of variation though. Sometimes it is curved and fairly smooth, giving a rounded appearance. Sometimes it is more angular with sharper edges, and often there will be subtle bumps along its border. Next up, the antihelix. This is a raised, curved form that is inside and close to the helix, running almost parallel too it. Its shape is similar to a curved letter Y. The area that lies between the helix and antihelix is known as the scapha. At the top of the auricle, the antihelix splits into two distinct branches, leaving a U-shaped depression between them. This depression is called the fossa triangularis. The upper portion of the antihelix tends to have a render, softer, and larger shape than the bottom portion of the antihelix. The bottom portion usually has a narrow and more angular form. The bottom edge of the antihelix runs along the top and back portion of the concha. The outer edge of the antihelix terminates into the ear lobe, and the inner edge becomes broader, merging with the antitragus. The antitragus is located above the ear lobe and next to the termination of the antihelix. It partially projects over the concha. Across from the antitragus, there is another slightly more pronounced bump called the tragus. The tragus lies below the helix and partly covers the concha and ear hole, acting as a protective barrier to the ear canal. It usually has two subtle bumps separated by a slight depression in the middle. The tragus and antitragus are separated by a U-shaped area called the intertragal notch. Last but by no means least, let us look at the ear lobe. The ear lobe consists of soft fatty tissue covered in skin, and it's located at the bottom of the auricle. The ear lobe can either be attached to the size of the head above the articulating part of the lower jaw, or it might hang freely. The lobe's very widely and shape in length. Sometimes they're very long, sometimes they're slight and small, and the lobes can also be narrower or thicker in appearance. 3. Drawing - Construction and Proportions: In this section, we're going to look at the basic construction of the ear and some helpful measurements. Let's look at the ear from the side. We have the helix, which is the large C-shaped curve that makes up the outer edge of the ear. Next, we have the antihelix. Now the antihelix is that curved Y-shape that sits on the inside of the helix. You just continue that C-shaped form of the helix trend to create the ear lobe. The tragus sits just below the crust of the helix, and parallel to the tragus, we have the antitragus which connects to the antihelix. Of course, the tragus and antitragus are connected by the intertragal notch, which is another U-shaped curve. Now let's take a look at drawing the ear from the front. Again, starting with that C-shaped helix. Although this time you'll notice that the overall appearance of the ear is not all. You will also find that depending on the person that you're drawing, sometimes the antihelix will protrude out beyond the helix. Sometimes it can completely pass the helix, and sometimes it will just sit over it slightly. Again, with other people, it might not sit over the helix at all. This is something you'll want to make an effort to observe. For my ear, my antihelix does sit slightly over the helix at this forward-facing position. The concha is much smaller at this angle, and the tragus and antitragus are so close together they look like they are almost touching. From the front in some people you may not even be able to see the tragus. Next, let's look at the ear from behind. From the back, we have the benefit of being able to see the concha and feel. We can really see the shape over and how it protrudes from the head. This angle of the concha is very large, taking the majority of the back portion of the ear. From this perspective, you can also see that the shape of the helix has changed completely. Looking at the helix from behind, it now has a gentle S-shaped curve, which is really quite different from the C-shaped curve that we can observe at the angles we've already looked at. From behind, the helix can curve outwards, it can curve inwards. It can go back and forth like mine does. Just pay attention to whoever you're observing and try to simplify that shape in your mind before you begin drawing. Some some people you may be able to see the antihelix. For my ear, you can see that the antihelix protrudes out further than the helix, so it's visible from behind. You can also see how the lobe connects to the back of the concha and the side of the head. Learning to draw the ear from behind is a really useful experience because it really helps you understand the full 3D form of the ear, it's a very good reminder that bowl shape of the concha, pushes the ear out from the side of the head. If you spend a little bit of time getting to know the ear from each of these angles, it will make it much easier for you to draw the ear in more difficult perspectives, and it will give you a very solid understanding of the overall anatomy so that you can draw from imagination or even just adjust your references. Maybe you can't see the full form of the ear and your reference, but you want it to be there in your drawing, so It'll make it a lot easier to understand the forums and fill in the gaps. Now that we understand the basic construction of the ear, let's take a look at some general proportions that can help us when we're drawing. When the ear is divided into two equal parts, the cross of the helix, so the part of the helix that starts inside the concha often lies at the halfway point. When the ear is divided into equal thirds, the bottom branch of the antihelix lies at the edge of the top third. The middle third is roughly the size of the concha, and the bottom third will approximately align with the tragus. Best bottom section will be primarily made up of the lobe. Try to remember as well, that the ear sticks out from the side of the head at an angle, and does not lay flat against it. Pay attention to this angle, and the distance from the top of the ear to the head. This area is best practiced by observing the ear from behind. 4. Drawing - Placement of the Ear: Placement of the ear. When the head is in a forward-facing position or in the profile or side-on position, without any foreshortening of the head, the top of the ear will roughly align with the brow. The bottom of the ear tends to align with the base of the nose. Due to variations in ear size and shape, these measurements are not exact and will vary according to the individual, but they are helpful averages. When looking at the head from the side, the ear begins roughly at the middle point of the head with the ear canal resting just behind the midline. Beginner artists often place the ear too far forward on the profile view of the head. When the head is viewed in profile, you'll notice that there is a lot of space between the outer edge of the eye and the beginning of the ear. The distance between the eyebrow and the ear is approximately one ears length apart. As the head turns, the observed space between the outer eye and the ear changes. In order to accurately gauge this distance, you'll need to measure the spacing carefully. The ear has a diagonal axis that follows the lane of the short angle of the jaw. Just remember that the ear sits at an angle on the head, which is in the same direction as the angle of the nose. Now, let us talk a little about ear placement when the head is at different angles. When the head is foreshortened, the ears appear to change possession. This is because of the perspective that the head is being viewed from. If the head is tilted downwards or upwards, even slightly, the possession of the ears will change. When the head is facing downwards, the ears will appear to be above the eyebrow or the brow line. when the head is tilted back, the ears will appear to be below the brow line. Because of the way that our ears behave when our head is tilted at different angles, they can actually be really useful and important markers when we're trying to determine the direction that the head is facing and how it is tilted. This is a really handy thing to know. 5. Drawing - Step by Step: In this section, I want to walk you through how I like to draw the ear step-by-step. First, I like to establish the axis of the ear. This is the line where the ear meets the head and the reference I'm using for this drawing, the model's head is tilted back slightly so that angle is more steeper than it would be if our head was in a neutral position. After establishing the axis of the ear, I start by blocking in the overall shape of the ear. At this point, I'm not worried about details, I just want to get the overall measurements and proportions correct. Once I'm happy with the overall shape of the ear, I then like to place the crus of the helix. Remember the crus of the helix usually stays at the midpoint of the ear. Obviously this won't be exact for every person and there will be variations. Make sure you're looking at your model or your reference carefully and making adjustments as you go. Once I'm happy with the placement of the crus of the helix, I like to create the overall C-shape of the helix. When I'm placing the helix, I like to pay attention to the distance between the edge of the outer ear and the inside of the helix. I try to make sure that I get the width of the angles and the shapes right. At this stage, I'm not worried about details like little bumps or anything in the helix, I just want to get the overall form and proportions correct. Once I'm happy with the overall shape of the helix I move on to the concha. Now, we know that the concha is split by the crus of the helix to a smaller upper portion and larger bottom portion. I use the crus of the helix and the helix to get the placement and proportions of the concha. As we near the bottom portion of the concha, don't forget the intertragal notch and the triggers. The particular reference I'm using I've noticed that the anti-triggers of this model is very subtle and most use the anti-triggers as a lot more pronounced. Next, I like to go for the U-shaped depression which separates the branches of the antihelix. Once I've placed that, I like to establish the line separating the antihelix and the helix, creating this gaffer. Once I'm happy that I've got all my features in place, I like to go over my sketch and just double-check proportions. Look for little mistakes that I've made, maybe incorrect angles. Have a look at the individual shapes that make up the ear and make sure everything is setting and make great possessions. This is also the stage that I like to go over and look for any subtleties like little bumps or details in the ear that I'll have messed, the block end stage. At this stage, I also like to spend a bit of time to redo any hard angles or corners that shouldn't be there and even establish harder edges where they are required. This is also a good time to mark things that make the ear you're drawing unique. Something else that I notice about this ear is that the cartilage is still very visible where it meets the loop, so usually there is quite a smooth transition between the cartilage and the loop. It's a bit more pronounced in this particular ear, so I've marked that and very lightly just so I don't forget when it comes to shading. For this demonstration, I'm using rough watercolor paper, so my sketch definitely looks a little messy, so just to tidy things up, I like to go over things with a kneaded eraser and then tighten up my sketch a bit further. This will leave me with a nice clean and clear drawing at the end. Once I'm happy with my overall drawing, I find it quite useful to mark any really hard shadows with a clear edge. These will often be the darkest shadows or any cast shadows. In this particular reference, I observed that the helix was casting a shadow onto the scaffold and the concha. When a shadow is cast onto another object it falls across it almost like fabric so it will follow the contour of the shape. The cast shadow rises up over the branches of the Y-shaped antihelix and depths in to the U-shaped depression between them. I also like to mark the darkest shadow shapes of the concha. Because the concha is deep in the ear it doesn't often catch a lot of the light. Basically, if there are any areas that you can identify as clearly being in shadow, it is quite worthwhile to map them. These lanes can serve as a really helpful guide when it comes to shading. No matter what medium you're working in, you can mark these lines and very lightly. Sometimes it helps to look at the abstract shapes that you've created, rather than thinking about your drawing as an ear, just look at the collection of shapes you have, compare them with your reference. Sometimes it's even helpful to flip your drawing over or turn it upside down to have a look at it from a different perspective. But once you're happy with the placement of these shadow shapes, that will help you a lot when it comes to rendering the ear accurately, anything within the bones of these shapes should fall into the darker value group. By making sure that you have areas that are dark, your drawing will become more realistic. You can also do this for the lightest areas of your drawing. This is by no means the only methods to tackle drawing the ear. This is just how I personally find it easiest to break down the shapes. I don't always draw in this specific order, but I've noticed that this tends to be the way that I usually tackle it. Once you're quite comfortable with the overall anatomy, you'll probably find your own methods and ways of drawing the ear that maybe suit you better. All that is to say there really is no right or wrong way to tackle this as long as you are checking your proportions and keeping your measurements in mind, making sure that none of the components are missing. Unless you're deliberately omitting a piece of the anatomy to stylize the ears in your own way. 6. Drawing - Light and Shadow: Light and shadow. In this section, we're going to cover some basic and useful tips to help you shade the ear. As the concha is the deepest part of the outer ear it almost always has distinct shadows. The Y shape of the antihelix is raised, so it's prone to catching the light, and its surrounding areas are lower and therefore usually light and shadow. The inner realm of the helix is a tubular shape, so also usually catches the shadow. The center of the scapha is often lighter than its surrounding areas. Strong directional light can change the look of the ear drastically. Often and very strong light from above, you'll be able to observe hard-edged shadows cast by the helix onto the branches of the antihelix below. By looking at this and references, you can observe that the cast shadows follow the form of the antihelix. Indirectly, the shadows of the ear will have a much softer and more subtle appearance. Finally, let's talk about subsurface scattering. Different lighting situations can change the appearance of the ear drastically. The ear is so thin that strong light can pass straight through it, leaving it semi-transparent. In this type of lighting, you can commonly see the blood vessels underneath the skin. When a subject is backlit, you're most likely to observe this effect, although it can be visible in other lighting situations, such strong directional sunlight. This transparent effect is most visible in the thinnest areas of the ear, usually the scapha and the concha. When a strong direct light hits the ear's surface, it enters the ear and is filtered through the skin cartilage of blood, this directly influences the resulting color of the ear, often giving it a very red appearance. This effect is called subsurface scattering. It's caused when light enters a material and disperses underneath its surface before either exiting the material or being absorbed by it. Humans' skin is fairly translucent and this effect is not just limited to the ears. You can test this yourself by holding your hand in front of a bright light. Your skin will glow red because of the light traveling through the surface of your fingers. You can observe that the resulting light will be brightest in the thinnest areas of your skin. In the human body, this effect can be best observed in the ears, fingers, and nostrils. Looking for this effect and your references can make your renderings more realistic and your lighting more than interesting. With that, let us get on to the class project. 7. Class Project - Let's Draw!: Class project. We've learned loads about the ear in this lesson, but now it's time to put it to good use. For this class project, I'd like to see you draw a full page of ears. I know that's quite a time-consuming ask so if you just want to draw one or two, that's absolutely fine as well. The way I decided to tackle this project was to draw my own ear at six different angles. By doing this, I was hoping to capture the ear in almost a full rotation. I always start it by mapping out the overall size and shape of the ear. The first ear that I've drawn is from the forward facing view, so it's quite narrow compared to the ear in profile view. The ear that is at a three-quarter angle is not as narrow as the one from the forward facing view, but it is more narrow than the one from the profile view. In these first three views, I could see each and every part of the ear's anatomy. When I got to the last three ears, that's when things started to change quite significantly. In my fourth drawing, you can see that as the ear is turned away from us, we can actually see behind the triggers and we can see the ear canal. This is the only angle of the ear that was visible from the photos that I took anyway. But I just thought it was interesting that that piece of anatomy that is usually hidden behind the triggers was visible in this instance. Another observation that I thought was interesting is that on the profile view, so that's drawing number 3, you can see this perspective; the gap between the triggers and the anti-triggers is at its widest. In the first two drawings, it is narrower, and especially in the first drawing, it is at its narrowest. In drawing number 4, as the ear starts to turn away again, you'll notice that the triggers and anti-triggers appear to be closer together. You'll also notice in drawing 4 that the appearance of the helix seems to be thicker. This is because we're beginning to see more of the side of the helix as the head turns. Onto drawing number 5, you'll notice a big change in the shapes that we see here. The helix is very prominent. The ear is very narrow overall. At this angle, you can start to see the back of the concha, and you can also see the antihelix, but you can no longer see the ear canal, the anti-triggers, or the triggers. The overall shape of the lobe has changed quite drastically as well, and as we go to drawing 6, this becomes even more apparent. In drawing number 6, you can see that the concha is at its fullest. The shape of the helix has taken on that almost S-shaped curve, and you can also see where the lobe connects to the concha at the back. My method for shading the ears is pretty simple. I like to put in a cane of midtone to start with, then blocking the main shadow shapes, packet the lighter shapes and then go back and refine with my darkest darks and lightest lights to pull together the form of the ear. Depending on what medium you're using, you're going to find different ways to shade in ears, even if you want to, you might just want to leave it as a pencil drawing. For this class, of course, you're open to use any medium that you like. I can't wait to see what you come up with. If you can, take your own references. This is really useful because it means that you can look at your ear from all sorts of tricky angles, and you'll also get to see how it changes depending on the perspective of it. If you don't want to use your own ears, you might have a volunteer in your family or maybe a good friend that will help you. If not, I have provided some links to various stock image websites where you can search for loads of different ears. It may be more difficult to find exact angles that you want to practice, which is why taking your own references is preferable, really. But the big benefit of being able to use stock images is that you can look at loads of different types of ears. Have a look at the different shapes and sizes and how the proportions change. I think you'll be surprised at just how different each individual's ears really are. Try to have lots of fun with it. Don't stress yourself out. If you do decide to do the project, please post it here. I'll be more than happy to give you any constructive feedback if there's anything that you're struggling with. I would love to see what you draw, or paint. If you've enjoyed this class, please feel free to drop me a follow. You can find all of my social media pages and my website over on my teacher profile. If you have any feedback, any questions, or just want to get in touch with me, feel free to drop me a message, or leave a comment below. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the class and that you've learned something today. I'll see you in the next one. Bye.