Learn how to Paint Ears in 2d Digital Art!

From understanding and drawing ears, here’s where we paint ears with your digital art program. At this point, painting should be easier now since you will begin building on what you already know and can do.

We will start off with creating the background that the ears will go on. Then after that, we will continue to construct the defining shapes that you should already be familiar with.

At the final stages, we will bring all these elements together to make the ear look realistic.

For now, we will only be dealing with one view of the ear. But other views should come natural as you figure out how to manipulate the shapes in different perspectives.

1. The background color

Like all the facial features you have painted with me in previous lessons, you should always start with a darken color to paint light on. This is your under painting.

To make more readily noticeable, we are going to use a gradient tool this time. As we are attempting to paint ears from a perfect side view, we want to distinguish the front of the head from the back of the head.

Hence, the lighter portion of it will be the face while the darken portions will be the back of the head.

Plus, it will make it easier to paint ears as you will be painting a lighter tone of color over the existing under painting.

2. The basic shapes

After you have the under painting, the next step is to create the shape of the ear. Use your digital art brush to begin painting the ear from the side view. Moreover, consider how it will connect to the rest of the facial structure.

In this case, we are using the jaw line of the face as a means to get you to look at the whole picture in regards to where the ears will belong.

Continue with your knowledge of the various parts that consist of the ear. Refer back to the previous lesson if necessary if you have forgotten the different parts of the ear.

3. Creating realism

If you happen to notice, what you have painted so far shows the ear divided into two different levels: the outer level and the inner level.

When you look at your own ears, you need to figure out how to connect these two different level planes.

The first big task is learning how to how to join the anthelix to the antitragus. The second task is joining the navicular fossa to the root of the helix.

To accomplish this, you need to use the eye dropper and pick out the colors of the outer level of the ear. Then, from there, slowly paint over the inner ear. The goal is to join these two layers with various brush strokes over the same area.

This lesson not only teaches you how to paint color in an area over many strokes, but it gets you to learn the gradient lesson you have practiced in the basic techniques section.

Use your dodge and burn tools here!

Also, remember the other tools you have learned so far such as the regular digital airbrush and the smudge brush. Revisit that section if you forget.

4. Continuing to paint ears

If everything is done correctly, you will have beautiful ears. Alas, the finished ear is only part of the picture.

Most likely, your character’s ears will be covered either by hair or some form of decoration.

Your next challenge is creating the parts that will decorate the ear. You can start a new layer and begin to paint the hair of your character that will cover the ear. You can even begin to look at ways to decorate it, such as various types of ear rings of your own design.

The challenge is to figure out how these features will surround or cover up the ears.

Whether you paint ears covered or uncovered, this lesson illustrates one more important point: do not worry about perfection.

That is, no matter how perfect something is, such as the ear, you will begin to change the parameters as you see fit. Obviously, it will depend on your mood.

Keep these in mind as you continue practicing to bring out the digital painter in you!

Return from Paint Ears to Paint Faces.
Return from Paint Ears to the 2d Digital Art Guide.