Ears, a unique feature to draw

Ears are a very interesting feature to draw because each person has a unique pair of ears. Some are easy to sketch, but others require a lot of studying.

The ear is dish-like in shape , with a turned-over rim designed to catch sound and channel it down to the ear canal.

Ears come in different sizes with many variations of the basic shape; they may have unexpected lumps and ridges.

The sketches drawn on Figure 1 contains just a few shapes of ears. Carefully study how they have been drawn. Then start doing pencil sketches and later do a complete drawing with pen and ink.The sketches done on Figure 2 are the ears seen from behind. They have a different shape, more like a rim stuck on the side of the face.

You may observe that there are no straight lines in the human body; all are gentle curves of one kind or another. Be uninhibited about changing what you see into what you want to draw.

Feel free to chop out, pop in, shift curve, bend, straighten or whatever. Remember you are an artist not a 'camera.' Amature artists tend to ignore shape and accuracy both through lack of knowledge and laziness to put down accurate lines. Be confident enough to observe and study in order to tackle drawing straight from the human figure or from photographs. Practise until you become confident.

Try also to draw by memory to gain self confidence. If your drawing goes wrong it is always because you have not observed the object or a figure properly.

Here are some assignments you could do to improve your skills.Draw the ears of four people, both from the side and the front. Record accurately the face of a young person, a middle-agedwoman and a pair of ears belonging to an elderly man. Try sketching the shapes of ears from Figure 1 and 2 until you can draw them accurately.