Cartoon eyes are easy to draw once you know a few styles: dots, ovals with a shine, half-closed sleepy eyes, angry slanted eyes and huge surprised circles. The secret is placement: keep the eyes close together and about halfway down the head, and your character will look right every time.
10 cartoon eye styles
- Dot eyes. Two small dots. Simple and cute.
- Oval eyes. Two tall ovals, filled in black.
- Shiny eyes. Big circles with a black pupil and a small white circle of shine.
- Sleepy eyes. Draw a half circle, flat side up, like a closed lid, or a line with lashes.
- Happy eyes. Upside-down U shapes. The character is smiling so hard its eyes close.
- Angry eyes. Add eyebrows slanting down toward the nose.
- Sad eyes. Eyebrows slanting up in the middle, pupils looking down.
- Surprised eyes. Big circles with tiny pupils, eyebrows way up.
- Silly eyes. One big and one small, or pupils looking in different directions.
- Cyclops eye. One giant eye in the middle. Perfect for monsters.
Where to put the eyes
- Close together. Eyes too far apart is the most common beginner mistake.
- About halfway down the head. Cute characters often have eyes a little lower and bigger.
- Same height. Unless you want a silly look.
On a How to Draw page, the gray guide shows exactly where the eyes go, so kids learn good spacing by drawing it. See how a How to Draw page works.
Pupils tell a story
Where the pupils point shows where the character is looking. Both looking up means thinking; both to the side means sneaky; one up, one down means goofy.
Eyebrows do half the work
Eyebrows change the feeling more than the eyes do. Try the same pair of eyes with five different eyebrows. See cartoon expressions for kids for twelve feelings to draw.
Practice ideas
- Draw a row of circles and give each one a different pair of eyes.
- Draw your family as cartoons with eyes that match their personalities.
- Try a free funny faces lesson.
- Turn a fruit into a character just by adding eyes. See food monsters.
The book that helps
Silly Faces and Goofy Faces are full of fun eye styles, each one built step by step with a light gray guide showing where everything goes.
How to Draw: Silly Faces
How to Draw: Goofy FacesAs an Amazon Associate, FirstArtBooks earns from qualifying purchases.
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Questions
How do you draw cartoon eyes for kids?
Start with two ovals or circles close together, about halfway down the head. Add a black pupil and a small white shine.
Why do my cartoon eyes look weird?
Usually they are too far apart or at different heights. Move them closer together and line them up.
How do you make cartoon eyes look angry?
Add eyebrows that slant down toward the nose.