[Mike-in-WV]

"One" of my biggest strugles in carving is the eyes. It seems like no matter what I do I can't get anything close to this. I know some on you have the eyes down to an art form and I hope that someday before I leave this earth that I will be able to ad eyes like this to at least one carving. Got the picture off a Google site searching for pics of carved eyes.
The other post about eyes has gone a little off subject and had me laughing so much I thought I would post this new one so we could get back on track, hope that's alright, Mike

[Kenny_S]

Find a good eye study guild or stick as they call them and practice, practice and practice some more. I don't have the eyes down pat but 100% better than last year. Some are naturals and others(me) takes a while.

Keep at it Mike and you will succeed.

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Kenny's got it ... piles and piles of practice sticks ... still working at it, but getting better and the piles gettin' bigger.

[Clifford_Parker]

I would suggest you download Stu Martins eye tutorial and then get some sticks and practice, practice, and practice some more.http://216.106.57.179/eye1.html

[Old_Gord]

Hi Mike-in-WV, your eye image looks like it could have be done by Ivan Whillock but maybe not.
I did mention in another thread about Ivan's books , I also mentioned Loomis as well but unfortunately there was no response at all to the post which surprised me to no end.
Anyway I'll try again and mention Ivan Whillocks book "Carving Eyes, Features & Expressions" as it does show how to carve eye's similar to the eye image posted.
Maybe Rick's on-line tutorial will provide similar steps guess we have to wait and see.
There are a number of web sites that have eye carving tutorials but I will wait till someone asks for them before I bother to post them.


OG.

[Mike-in-WV]

OG, I will take all the help I can get. It's not that my eyes are bad as most of you have seen some of my carvings but improvement is always on my mind.Wood spirits can take on many forms but on the latger ones I would like to see more detail.

I have found that you can get to carried away on small carvings or small eyes because the features you strive for won't show up anyway and it can make an eye look bad from a distance. Mike

[Kenny_S]

Mike,

I have found that a badly carved eye is just that, "a badly carved eye", even if it is to represent a realistic eye on a realistic human. Try a study stick, most carving supply stores have them. It will help a lot. Stu Martin is a fantastic carver and do not down him, but I felt his tutorial lacking in the eye relationship to the nose. Yeper, you can carve an eye now but how does it look? Like a one eyed no nose piece of wood.

Practiceand more practice. Just finished a bark wizard and left the eyes with out pupils. Wizard are mysterious anyway and it does look good to me without the pupils. Blind Wizard. When I finish with the coating and buffing, Will post it.

Keep trying my friend, can't do anything but make you better.

[Old_Gord]

Mike-in-WV, I posted some eye carving web sites awhile back in the Beginner Forum under the subject Books On Carving Woodspirits.

OG

[Mike-in-WV]

Thanks Old Gord, I have a couple books on it and many pictures but I'm always looking for more. I'll check you the links you have provided.

It's not so much carving the eyes as it is getting the eyes to match the expression I want , Mike

[Mike-in-WV]

Thanks OG, I'll check out the sites. have more of a problem with the right expression on the eyes than I do carving the eyes. Thanks again for the help, Mike