When you draw lips, do they look like these?

*****pic of lip outline

In this post, we will see one way to turn a simple outline of lips into a more realistic drawing. Of course, not all lips have the characteristic traits that I will use in this drawing. Use this post for guidance, but use a reference photo for whatever lips you choose to draw to make your lips match your subject.
<h3>Add Details to Your Lip Line Drawing</h3>
The first step is to add details to your lips to make your line drawing look more realistic.

Begin by drawing a little outline that borders just above the top and below the bottom lip (if the subject you are drawing has this trait).

You will also want to draw some of the grooves that are apparent on the lips. Most of these are vertical, but most lips have some horizontal ones visible if you look close enough.

This is also a good time to sketch in where shadows and highlights will go.  For this subject, there is a prominent shadow between the bottom lip and the chin. There is another where the lips meet. For the highlights, I drew small individual shapes between the grooves rather than one large highlight.

*****pic of step one
<h3>Create a Tone Drawing with Dark and Light Values</h3>
I usually begin by filling in the darkest values. Then from where the lips meet and the outer edges of the lips, start working in the lighter values that fall between the grooves.

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