Does anyone have any good tricks for painting eyes?

[Callynne]

Hmmmm, do you mean paint or 'shine'? For painting I use acrylics, painting the white part white if I'm going to antique them (that makes the white less stark looking). If not antiquing I mix a tiny bit of light blue paint in, just enough to make it 'off white'.
Paint the eye whatever color you chose, put the pupil in, then add the white highlight to each eye.
To finish I use high gloss varnish or Treasure Crystal Cote. The varnish takes a few coats, the Treasure Crystal Cote is very thick and 'rounds up'. So far I just use it on animals, it can be tricky to use. Hope this helps! Callynne

[Donna_T]

Hey Mel,
Callynne makes GOOD eyes. About the only thing I can add is to NEVER NEVER make the iris (colored part) of the eye perfectly round unless you're doing a WIDE OPEN, SURPRISED look eye. In reality, when you look at most people's eyes in a normal relaxed look, about the top 1/5 of the rounded circle of the iris won't show--it will be behind the upper and lower eyelids. (spend a few minutes to look at different people when they have various expressions and see how little of their iris shows)

Another hint I have found that works is to not do the eyes with the iris dead center...that 'glassy-eyed stare' -- it's difficult to make them exactly centered and matching and most carvings will take on some movement is you turn the eyes slightly -- anywhere but straight down the center...look up, left, right, etc.

Ditto on the Crystal Cote. Before I found this product from my carving friends on this message board, I built up the glossy finish over a painted eye by dropping a drop of high gloss varnish with a toothpick onto the center of the eye, letting each coat dry before adding another--up to 6-7 coats.

I use this technique even on animal eyes--except I don't put a white fleck for a highlight. If you feel the need to make a highlight in an animal's eye, use a tiny fleck of irredescent before putting on the gloss.

That's what I do and it works for me (until I learn something better from the good people here!) and I get regular comments from people about the life-like eyes that my carvings have. Many years ago, I did ceramics and tolle painting and there is a paint chart that ceramic lovers have that's called an 'EYE CHART.' It shows all kinds of people and animal eyes and is a good reference.

Donna T

Thanks for the tip Callyne and Donna, no more round eyes for me, now I'll probably stare at folks and see what their eyes look like. Hope I don't get in any trouble.

[santagibbs]

Good tips Donna T and Callynne.... The eyes are the windows to the soul and they are the most important part of the face to me. So many expressions. I love painting different expressions, but a lot depends on the way Curtis carves them.
I start with the white of course and then put the iris in as you said, the direction you want him to look. add the color and then I add a fine line of the same color on the sides of the iris, maybe blending a little darker color, by using some blending medium mixed with the paint into parts of the iris. Then add the pupil and where you place the pupil makes a difference in how the eyes look too. Higher etc. Then I add my tiny white dot, you can add two if very small. One on one side and one on the other. I then make a very light line above the eye with a medium brown and some on the bottom but not a straight line all the way across. Just on the sides. It just comes to you after you have been doing them for awhile.
Then I finish up by adding a few very very light lashes on ends of the eyes... Well, that's just the way I do it. There are lots of ways of painting eyes... Charlotte

Great tips ladies, thanks