Friday, October 29, 2010

"Glass" Eyes for your dolls- Tutorial

Hello my pretties! Come on in and sit a spell. I've got something fresh out of the oven and hmm, well..you might not want to eat them, especially when they LOOK at you that way. *Cackle* Oh my another wave of Halloween spirit swept over me for a minute there! I'm afraid the wonderful smells are merely from the Pumpkin Pie Spice tarts melting in the warmer heheee! SO! If the last tutorial was a mini-tut, this might be a mega-tut. I DO feel like sounding the trumpets for finally getting it done, but that might be mega-tuting my own horn? Ha! Ok ok... I've gotten the eye tutorial finished. I'm so grateful  for all the information artists share that have helped me along on my artistic journey. I've always sworn once I figured out how to do something cool I would share it, and I think these have turned out pretty cool! I've attempted to do this tut for awhile now, but I end up getting so involved in the creating that I forget to keep taking pictures along the way! This is my way of doing them, with a few variations stuck in here and there. I even had a few "Aha!" moments getting new ideas as I was taking pictures. So I don't know if this is the right way, wrong way or crazy way...just my way :)

~~ Supplies can vary because much of this can be stuff around the craft room, bits and bobbles you never thought of as tools.

~~ You will need some clay: This can be whatever brand you like (Premo, Sculpey, Fimo, etc). Experiment with the color of the whites of the eyes. Straight white can work, depending on the look you are going for. Sometimes I might mix a tiny tiny pinch of blue, or flesh color to make them more realistic. But my mixture is 2:1 transparent to white. That means I use half as much white as transparent clay. Try different ratios to see what color works for you. Mix them very well until you can't see any streaks. A pasta machine is very helpful with this :)

~~ I also use a glazed ceramic tile to sculpt on, as well as baking the eyes. I picked up a 6x6 inch tile at Lowes. (Today I picked up another in black so I can see the shape of the eye better in contrast to the tile).

~~ You will need Liquid Fimo and a Heat/Embossing gun.  I've tried other brands of Liquid Clay and found that they didn't get as clear as the Liquid Fimo, they were also much thinner and hard to get a nice "domed" cornea shape that magnifies nicely.

~~ Paints of your choice (acrylic, Genesis Heat set paints).
~~ Baby Powder/Talc or corn starch to keep your tools from sticking to the clay.

Ok..if you really want to spoil yourself and make things uber easy, I absolutely LOVE Pat Moulton's Perfect Eye Tools. They come in lots of sizes, from life size eyes down to tiny 2mm. You can see them in the pic below. You can buy them on her website under Tools http://www.patmoultonsbabycollection.com (I am not affiliated with the website in any way, I just think these tools are FAB!)



I also use these ball stylus tools. I got mine from a Nail Supply Shop, I think they call them "dotting tools". There are lots of tools and cool stuff you can find at Nail/Beauty Supply shops much cheaper than from an Art Supply! Especially teeny tiny detail paint brushes!




I was also experimenting with another style/shape of eye using the Kemper circle cutters. You could also use a cap, lid, etc to cut out circle shapes. Trying to think of alternatives for you if you don't have the "uber cool tool" lol. Of course, you can also roll little balls of clay, place them in your freezer for a few minutes, then cut them in half. If they are cold before you cut them they wont get smooshed so easy. Ok, first I rolled out some clay on the thickest setting on my pasta machine. Dip your circle maker of choice into your powder, tap off excess, press into clay like so:



When I move on to using the Perfect Eye Tool, I fold the clay in half so it will be thick enough to fill the dome of the tool (For this tut I'm making 6mm eyes). Again, with any tool, I dip in powder, tap off excess, press into clay, repeat. I might seem tedious to keep doing it every single time, sometimes I can get away with ever other time. But usually it just ends up getting stuck in the tool and I have to pick it out and start again. Press down until you feel the tool against the tile, give it a little spin and lift off.


Let's do a few shall we?


You might notice there is extra clay around the eyes, where it has been smooshed out by the tool. I take a small stylus or tooth pick and clean up the edges. This doesn't have to be perfect at this point, we will do it one more time in a bit, then we can get nit-picky ;)


And here they are all cleaned up:


At this point your clay should be sticking nicely to your tile, this is a good thing! We wont be moving/removing them from the tile until we are completely done. Unless you are feeling adventurous and like chasing little eyeballs all over the place when you use your heat gun ;)

Now I use a stylus, and make a shallow, gentle dent. By gentle, I mean just use the weight of your hand holding the tool, don't press. At this point the clay has been compressed, and too much pressure too fast will cause little cracks around the edge of the iris. These will then suck the paint right into them, bad thing. This first dent determines the depth, now we're going widen it a bit. Place your stylus in the dent and start to wiggle it a bit, building up to a tiny circles until it is as big as you want it. You can see the progression of the iris size in the three I've done below, the top being the largest.


Ok, now the next step is important if you need to be precise with the size. I started with a size of 6mm. but I've displaced some of the clay, thus making them too wide. I could probably start with a 4mm, then widen up to a 6mm....another test for another time! So for now I'll use the Perfect Eye Tool once again to bring them back to the right size. More clay will squish out the sides.


Time to clean up the edges for the final time. This is where the black tile will come in handy so I can see if I missed anything (obsess much? why yes, yes I do haha). Cause these really are no fun to try to sand at this size :) You might also want to turn on your oven and let it start preheating.

Now give them a good look over. If your iris have shrunk from the last step, gently widen them again, it will only take but a nudge. Also make sure that you have matched pairs (iris are roughly the same size as the one next to it). 


Time to bake! Read the instructions on the brand of clay you are using for temperature and time. I bake mine at 275 F for about 12 minutes. An oven thermometer is a big help as well. I have a convection oven that I use just for baking clay, and I find the temps get about 5-10 degrees hotter when I'm not using the fan option, so pay close attention and adjust your temperature accordingly. 


I've experimented quite a bit with different tools, shapes and paints.  Don't feel bad if you find yourself surrounded by eyes....it's quite addicting hehe. On the blue one on my finger below I used the clay itself to create the dome, then glossed it with Liquid Fimo. It looses it's glass 3D effect this way, but I just wanted to show you some other options. I created the groove for the darker contrast color and the dome at the same time using tubes. You could also use straws, caps, lids, even those little tube sleeves that come on your new paint brushes. This is how it looks:



For final dolls sculpts I prefer to use Genesis Heat Set Paints for things like blushing, shading, lips etc. But for the eyes I found acrylics to be MUCH easier to use. I tried mixing both types of paints with the Liquid Fimo to build the color that way, but it was quite fussy and not as clear as I would have liked. If I used the tinted LF, I had to decide when to add the black dot for the iris. Under, it wasn't clear enough. Over, and it looked like it was floating, sometimes even casting a shadow. If you look at your own eyes (and randomly start starring at peoples' eyes ha, yep...guilty!) you'll see the color of the iris doesn't cover the black pupil. I had trouble getting the genesis paints thin enough to work with. The Genesis Thinner is the consistency of Vaseline, and the instructions say not to us more than 40% or they might not set correctly. I also tried mineral spirits/turpentine to thin the paints. I found with the small amount of color needed, they didn't mix as well as I would like, and evaporates quite quickly. You can see my "experimental pallet" below.


If you want to try Genesis, they can be spendy. But there are samples kits and testers available. The large containers are ones I bought, then emptied the plastic tubes into them for easy use. The smaller containers I bought from a "Reborn Supplier". You can get a lot of different colors in small amounts this way for a decent price.


In the end I found I prefer working with acrylic paints. They flow better, can be easily mixed, and really...I didn't notice any difference in the final product between the acrylic and Genesis. I made a little paint pallet by taping a piece of Freezer Paper to my table. Experiment with colors and have fun! Here I'm showing the Metallics by DecoArt in Bronze. I like the way this looked as an over coat or mix in with the brown, creating an orange sparkle effect. 



I used a tiny paint brush to color the iris, two coats, drying in between. You can either paint your darker color first, then go over again with the lighter/accent color...or if you have steady hands you can paint the lighter color, and paint the darker ring around the edge after it is dry. I find a needle tool, or awl is easier for this. Wipe it off often and reload, when you paint the edge, think of painting eyebrows on a mouse..tiny little strokes :) It's hard to see, but my needle tool has dark blue paint on the tip!


If you make a mistake, wait until after the paint has dried and you can scrape it off with a needle or your finger nail. If you try to wipe it off wet, it tends to smudge and stain the whites of the eyes. I just scrape my nail across the top to get rid of any excess.


Now use a clean dry paintbrush to get rid of any dry paint that has been removed.


While I was taking photos for this tutorial I had three "Aha!" moments. Are you ready? I think they're pretty exciting, maybe I'm easily entertained :) Ok ok...I was asking myself....self...what if the people reading this don't have a ball stylus? Hmmm indeed self, this could be a problem. BUT...what if they have a needle tool/awl and a ....drum roll....BEAD!? Yes a bead! See the nice little dent it makes in my scrap clay? It's cool huh? I thought you would agree. 


Ok that's my "Aha!" #1. Thennnn I thought....wow...what if I turn it the other way and press it into the clay? I would have the pupil dent AND the iris, BAM! "Ahaaaa!" #2. Yeah you totally have to click the pic to see it's full coolness. Ahem...


So for "Ahaaa!" #3, as I'm "eyeing" (harhar) my bead box...I spy with my little eye some seed beads! Now whaaat iiiiiiff...I stick that in the clay. (This experimenting stuff is FUN I tell you!) Voila..you have a iris. Just add a dot of black in the middle. Just don't use plastic beads, they might melt :)


Okay okay where was I...oh yes..we need our pupil! Use a small stylus, or needle, or toothpick etc. I like to drag my little puddle of black paint a little...so I have an even littler puddle, not as deep if you will. It's easier to control the amount of paint you pick up this way. I dip the stylus in the black paint, take a deep breath, exhale, then dot the center of the eye. Wipe off tip of stylus, remember to inhale, and repeat. It's not frustrating, it's Zen...don't forget this :) 



Once your paints are dry, it's time to gloss the whites of the eyes. I used an old (but clean) small paint brush, and poured some of the Liquid Fimo on a clean piece of Freezer Paper. Don't be tempted to fill in the iris, not just yet. Heat set this layer first. You can pop them in the oven for a couple minutes, or use your heat gun. It happens pretty quickly, be careful not to burn them...keep at least 3 inches away. They will start look dull, or frosted/hazy on the whites, then they will get glossy. As soon as this happens take the heat away.  I tried to do the cornea and the eye white gloss at the same time and it tends to run...something about surface tension here. Doing it this way makes the pupil dome stay put better. Notice I have another (12x12 marble) tile under my ceramic tile so my counter top doesn't get hot- Warning: the smaller tile will be HOT, even after only a couple minutes. I wipe the excess liquid clay from the paintbrush then clean with rubbing alcohol.


Now we're going to fill the iris. Using a toothpick or preferred tool, drop some Liquid Fimo into the iris. Look at them from the side to make sure they are fairly similar in the height of the dome. (Move your head, not the tile, or you'll be crying over spilled cornea *giggle*)


Now...let them sit a minute (no fans, cats, kids etc). Let the eyes a rest for a few, yes yours too! Let the oven heat up (turn off the convection/fan option!) and grab a cup of tea. Psst...we're giving all those pesky potential bubbles a minute to show themselves. Sometimes they do if they don't think we're watching them! Bet you didn't know that about bubbles did you, they are quite sneaky!

Now, when you come back you might notice a few bubbles. Use a toothpick to gently pop them. Turn the toothpick around and use the other end to pop the next one. A dry toothpick works better, again....something about surface tension. Now carefully place the tile in the oven and bake them for 5 minutes. If your oven is far away from where you are making your eyes, you might want to plan ahead for this step so you don't have to carry them as far, and fill them near the oven :)

Once the tile is cool enough to pick up, bring it back to your work station. They will be slightly foggy at this point. Now here's where the magic happens. Turn on your heat gun, let it warm up a few seconds, then hold it over each eye for 5 seconds or less. Presto! Nice and glossy!


Despite my best efforts, sometimes those pesky bubbles are more clever than I. Eye? So it's a good idea to make a few of the same color just in case a couple don't pass inspection :) 


Wait until they are no longer hot, but still warm to remove them from the tile. They will pop right off. Now they are ready to use! When you go to use them in a sculpt and you've been working with raw clay, wash your hands before you place them in the head. The clay on your hands will stick to the eye and make it look hazy. This might happen anyway, just make sure you wipe them off before you bake the head/sculpt. When you are all finished with the baking process you can put a thin coat of Sculpey Glaze/Gloss (or your favorite gloss product) and they will sparkle again.
*EDIT: I discovered after using Sculpey Gloss coating on a finished practice head that it looks great, but because such a thin coat is needed, if any pressure or contact made to the eyes might crack it ( like me poking it with my finger nail). This is because there is a little flexibility in the Liquid Fimo after it is curred. So I wouldn't recommend this if you are selling/shipping your creation. I did try putting another thin layer of Liquid Fimo to fix it, but I would heat set this for a minute in the oven. I *really* was being careful with the Heat Gun, and still ended up burning an eyebrow (the sculpts, not mine heh). 


Whewww it feels good to get all of that out of my head and into a blog finally! I hope it all makes sense!  Now...I have this recipe that requires eye of newt, I wonder what color those would be? *Laugh*

See those little symbols right under this post? (I haven't figured out how to make them bigger, brighter or more eye catching...yet) Feel free to share this post! If you make some eyes feel free to leave a link in the comments I'd love to see them! Happy creating :)

~*Aimee*~

57 comments:

  1. We have just discovered your gorgeous tutorial - how good to hear STAEDTLER FIMO liquid could help you to make these awesome glass eyes!
    We'd love to meet you on our facebook fanpage http://www.facebook.com/STAEDTLER.headquarters - it would be great if you became a fan, too, and showed your artworks to all other FIMO fans on our page.

    Hope to meet you soon and best regards from STAEDTLER headquarters in Germany, Yvonne

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sometimes, I go to bottom of what shows, at bottom of my post [before posting] and scroll up, to where my writing ends. Put one period, just under my last line. And this MAY trick Blogger to end my post, where I want it to end. :-)

    May I please jump in here and ask you to please come over and give a "Thumbs Up" to my Sat. post ,-) I know I'm a bit *frank,* but... Difficult times call for unique measures. ,-)

    Gentle hugs...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow Amiee! Fabulous instruction (you are a really good writer!). I had no idea about this technique. I've been making my eyes the hard way!! You've given me some wonderful ideas and I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You were sweet, to try to help me out, on re-sizing pics. But I'm on a Mac. The site you sent me [faststone dot org] works with Pc. -sigh-

    This is a big problem, for me... I love my iMac, but it's hard to find free downloadable programs, which work with it.

    Oh well, I'll work it out, some way. :-)

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm here to say THANK YOU for taking the time to comment a reply, to my blogging Questions. Thank you!

    Gentle Winter hugs...

    ReplyDelete
  6. oh cool! Thank you so much for this tutorial! Found you through OWOH and coming back so I can try this!

    ReplyDelete
  7. oooh, you are the queen of the universe! since seeing your eyes a few moments ago, i started stalking your blog. these are absolutely magnificent!!! i wish i had all the tools you do, and the patience... i'll probably end up with polk-a-dot blobs, but i thank you so very much for this tutorial! you rock!!

    x
    alicia

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aimee, This is such a wonderful tut, I found it while googling for glass eye makers!!!!!!!! Now if I could just learn how to work in polymer, I could use this!!!Thanks bunches for sharing!!!
    blessings,Flora

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks Flora! You could probably use the same idea with paperclay, if it can handle the 265 degrees in the oven to cure the Liquid Fimo. The fimo might get cloudy though if it comes in contact with the wet paperclay..hmmm. There is another product I want to try, "Gel du Soleil" UV curing resin, 1 step, no mixing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you so much for the tutorial! It was wonderful! I've been looking for something like this for a long time. Have you ever used Trick Thick Glaze Gloss? I've been wanting to try it with this tutorial of yours...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank You very much for turorial -the best in internet about making eyes for dolls! You made very good work! Best withes!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I keep reading this over and over since I found it. I haven't had the chance to actually try it yet but your directions and photos are so well done that I'm sure even this senior gal can do it. Thanks so much for sharing. Bless you. Some artists don't want to share saying it took them a long time to find out how to do something so we all should just do the same. You are a sweetie. Diane K

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm so glad this tutorial has gotten such a great response! I love to experiment and share what I can, and I'm so grateful for all the tutorials that have helped me along my artistic journey, including learning to sew! I will continue to share what I learn through my own experiments, more to come :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi!!! I couldn't find the 2mm circles on the site http://www.patmoultonsbabycollection.com :( It's not the pack 1 or 2 is it? those sizes seem a bit too big .. am i looking wrong? Also... thank you so much for this tutorial!!! I've been searching and experimenting for years on how to do this an easy way *hugs*

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Madi, you didn't have an email to reply to but I hope you peek back on these comments :D
    I contacted Pat and the website is being updated, I couldn't find the small set before either. It shows up now as "out of stock" but you can click the "Notify Me" link and you will get an email as soon as it is in stock again. The small set has 2,4,6 and 8mm :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi!!! I love this tutorial, and I started to make my first eyes (I need to improve my first results). I want to ask you about the liquid FIMO. I found that it's really dense and result strongly difficult to gloss the whites of the eyes without making a mess D: . Do you have any tip about this? I think that liquid FIMO could be dissolve with alcohol, but I don't know if this could be a good idea.

    Hugs!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Yukari, so glad you enjoy my tutorial. I use a little paint brush to first gloss the whites in a thin layer, then cure it before I build up the dome of the iris. This helps the dome to stay in place and not run into the whites. When glossing the white of the eye it is ok if the edges get a little messy, because when the eyes are placed into the sculpt this part wont be seen, but you can cut away any "spills" or overrun with small scissors or a nail file :)

      Delete
    2. When you say on your conventional oven you have the option to have the fan on/off is this a specific oven feature? I'm thinking of buying one but everyone I've looked at so far doesn't have this feature that I can tell. If you can clarify that would be great.

      Delete
  17. thank you a lot for this tutorial ...
    i have to give this a try :D with the prices on glasseyes this is really a wellcome option for me.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you so much for this tutorial. I already knew a similar but less reliable method and all the information here just makes everything so much easier!I bought the perfect eye tools because of you and they work absolutely great.

    I hope you don't mind, I posted a link to this tutorial on my blog and the forum ooakguild.com.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Madeleinemai! Aren't they the greatest tools? Feel free to share my tutorials wherever you think they will help :) Oh..and be sure to check out part #2 (the resin method) at the bottom of this post. A few more ideas for easier iris and pupils.

      Delete
  19. This truly is an amazing tutorial! I did have a question though, I make clay faeries out of super sculpy and was wondering: If I make these eyes and - then- have to rebake them in the oven, will that just mess up the eyes again? I think you mentioned it but I wanted to be sure. Plus is there a way to get by without using a hot gun? Thanks so much for all your help!!!
    -Tori

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tori thank you! The only way I've been able to make them nice and clear is by using the embossing heat gun, once they are clear they can handle multiple baking sessions. The downside to the liquid fimo is it will get cloudy if you touch the eyes with raw clay residue on your fingers during sculpting. I made a 2nd tutorial using resin, I'm much happier with this method now. The link is at the bottom of this tutorial. Happy Creating :)

      Delete
    2. Ok great! I'm so excited to get started! You're officially one of the coolest people on the internet! :D Thanks again!!

      Delete
  20. Okay, say I would like to try this method but I go ahead and substitute Fimo for the resin in tut. 2. Would I just follow the same steps here minus the heat gun? Like gloss the whites first bake and then do the center and bake again? And while baking would I just follow the instructions on my particular clay brand for heat and time? That's a lot of questions, sorry. I may be too excited about this. ¦)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can mix and match techniques from tut #1 & #2. The only difference would be the fimo has to be baked to cure, and the heat gun is a required final step to make them totally clear. With the resin only the UV lamp is required for the clear parts. I bake the clay parts at the temp on the brand of clay I'm using at the time, even though fimo is a different temp/time they still do fine when baking in the sculpt again at higher temps. All has survived multiple bakings at 275 F up to 30 mins, hope that helps :)

      Delete
  21. I make my eyes in the same exact way. I came across the same problem when I used the 6mm eye tool and did redo mine with the 4mm tool. It worked great for the size I sculpt in. Also the opposite side of the tool makes a perfect indent on the eye itself without having to use the ball stylus. I also used the 2mm tool and pressed it in the indent to make a perfect outline for the outer circle of the pupil. Just a few things I discovered that works for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks lootahooty, I might have to try that! I changed my method a bit in Tutorial 2 so I can paint the iris separately without getting paint on the whites, and it's a bit easier for me to see what I'm doing on the 4mm and smaller sizes. The resin is much closer to looking like glass.

      Delete
  22. Wow! Best, most in-depth tutorial I've ever read! I've never felt compelled to comment before, but I am so impressed! THANK YOU! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Eleanor! I love comments, it lets me know there are people out there reading :D

      Delete
  23. Hello Aimee.
    Just found you tutorial, WOW!!!!!! it is Fantastic.
    Thank you so much for sharing this, Not many people are willing to pass on this sort of knowledge, without expecting something for it.
    I'm sure I speak for many when I say a huge Thank You.......
    Can you please tell me where I can but the Perfect eye tools?
    I live in the UK, are they available here?
    Thanks Again.
    Tricia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're very welcome Tricia! I get my Perfect Eye tools from Pat Moulton, I believe she ships world wide :)

      Delete
  24. I am looking for a pair of light blue doll eyes that I can sew on to a doll I'm making for my grandaughter.I need them to be about the size of a penny. Can you help? My e mail address is patriciaprose@myfairpoint.net thank you.. I love the doll in your picture box... if there is a pattern I would be interested for my other grandaughter.....thanks... Patty

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your eye tutorial is the best I´ve seen on the web. I do a lot of dolls, and have a lot of tutorials (collected from the web), yours the funniest and the best. A true Doll maker spirit. Keep this going, you inspire us
    Lena Wennberg from sweden
    (I´ve got a Facebook account where I put pics of my dolls if you like to see them )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Lena, you made my day! I would love to see your dolls, feel free to add me (link on sidebar)..I tried to look you up but yours seems to be a very popular name in Sweden so there are many :D

      Delete
  26. When I do this, my liquid fimo wont get clear :( It just look ike broken glass.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there! Are you using the heat gun in the final step? This is critical to getting them to clear up after baking. This is the type of heat gun sold under embossing supplies, it gets hot but doesn't blow a lot of air around. Hold it a few inches above the eyes, moving around so you don't burn them, once they get hot they will clear up in an instant..as soon as they do pull the heat gun away. I hope this helps!

      Delete
  27. Hi Misty, I wanted to let you know that I linked your blog to mine, as well as putting up one of your photos for the finished eyes. Great blog, and great instructions.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Love them . Thank you for sharing. Im excited to try. Now to find the fimo glaze. Hard to find in the USA. Hugs. I will be watching for more great ideas. Im also the distributor for From Polymer to Art magazine. Stop by and say hi. Hugs, kimberly Www.kimisjewelryandgifts.blogspot.com
    Www.kimis-jewelry-from-the-heart.artfire.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. I Love these Eyes you made too,but I dont have the Patience to make Granny Apple Head and Nylon Sculpted Dolls...Can I Buy them from you?

    Looking fwd to your reply...My email is: dolldoings@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank You for posting this great info, I will certainly use it. I am new to sculpting. Mostly do reborns.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Had this tutorial sitting in my bookmarks forever and I finally get to use it! This will be great for my Monster High doll redo (Hair, face, clothes, the works :P) I'm so glad you posted this!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Do you sell this if so where can I buy some?

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hello Aimee,
    Thank you for this great post, can you tell me please what size eyes do people normally do when making an ooak sculpt, the ones that are 9" tall ?
    I have been making white eyeballs that are 5mm on mine, but the eye tool you mentioned doesn't come in that size, and I think 4mm is too small. Do you know where I could get an 5mm eye tool ?
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there! I usually sculpt newborn/infants and my formula is 6mm for a 6 inch, 8 mm for an 8 inch sculpt. Maybe a little larger for the large eyed look. Babies heads are "5 eyes wide" but adults are a little less on the outside, usually around 5 eyes wide counting the width of the ears. (But still the width of the eye measurement between the eyes) If you sculpt one perfect 5mm ball, the easiest way would be to make a mold of it from clay or molding compound using a little powder in between the baked and raw clay so they don't stick while baking. Some of my favorite tools are the ones I made :)

      Delete
  34. Hello!

    Thank you so much for this tutorial, it was super helpful!

    I was wondering, would you happen to have any experience using air dry (paper) clay to make doll eyes?

    If so, what can be used as an air-drying substitute for Fimo Liquid in order to make the transparent dome over the cornea? I've used clear nail polish and certain types of varnishes to seal air dry clay before, and I was wondering if I can use those (instead of a thin layer to seal, just drip a few drops into the cornea area until I achieve the dome shape), would that work?

    Thank you again!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I there, thank you :) I do have experience with paper clay, but have not found an air dry solution for creating the dome. I have tested the polymer clay eyes in paper clay sculptures and they work great using the UV resin to make the dome. Unfortunately air dry varnishes just don't get thick enough to make the glass effect. Another option might be to add a flat-back clear glass marble on top of the painted paper clay?

      Delete
  35. Your tutorial is amazing! Can you please tell what kind of polymer clay did you use? I wanted to make them using sculpey, but I don't know how to turn them into whiteish color.. :( should I use the clay that is already white? Also what is a transparent clay that you mixed with the white clay? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sarah, thanks so much! If you are using flesh colored sculpey, you would want to paint the whites after your sculpt is finished. I only use flesh color when sculpting closed eyes, it makes it easier to sculpt around. Otherwise I use the white/transparent combo with either Fimo, Premo or sculpey. Whatever brand I happen to have on hand at the time.

      Delete
  36. Hi Aimee, this tutorial is awesome! I have a few questions and i hope you can help me.
    1: can I use Translucent Liquid Sculpey? (I can only get Sculpey where I am) or does it have to be Fimo?
    2: What exact Liquid Fimo do you use? I have found a few different kinds, Deko Gel and Liquid Gel. I have to order it online, so I would love to know exactly what to get, before I spend all of my money on shipping fees!
    If you can help me thank you so much!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cleo, thanks so much! You might be able to use the TLS as a gloss layer if you aren't trying to create a dome with it. It just doesn't get clear enough unfortunately. My liquid fimo is deco, short for decorating. That's what it is in the USA, but I think they call it deko in other countries? Scroll to the end of this tutorial for the link to part 2 where I use UV resin, my favorite method now.I've been using Gel de soleil, but have heard others have had good results with Magicgloss resin that may be easier to find. Happy creating :-)

      Delete
  37. http://www.kisiyeozelheykel.com

    Sculture clay personalized

    ReplyDelete
  38. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Talk to me darling! (July 11, 2013- Sorry for the inconvenience but Anonymous comments are temporarily disabled due to the large amount of spammers lately, we'll try it again later *smile*)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...