Painting Eyes- A Process?

So I have been kicking around ideas in my head about a process on painting eyes. There are some on here that are amazing at it and those of us that want to be. I have been running through my head on how some of the bad azzes do it and I think I have an idea.
I make no claim to this being easy or even working but I thought people might want to give my idea a try. I am. My hardest part in this is this stuff is so damn small. So here goes. Feel free to post results and or comments. Or if this doesn't work, maybe a better way of doing it?

Start with a primed eye/ face. Color of primer doesn't matter because it will all get covered eventually but the lighter the base the more vivid the colors become with layering too much paint on. White will make the colors pop.


Step #1- Wash, airbrush or simply paint a pink color on the edge of the eyeball and lid. Rainman uses a lot of pink and a thicker line on the eye lid edges but its should be about your preference. Same goes for color choice.


Step #2- This step I have not tried so I have no idea if this will work mainly with how small this stuff is but here is the notion. With a very sharp and hard lead pencil draw in where the iris and pupil will go. This will just give a reference while painting. Does not have to be perfect, it will eventually get covered.


Step #3- Paint in the iris using one or more colors. Brush strokes should come from the inside out or outside in. Multiple colors can bring more definition and complexity to the the eye. This takes a good solid hand with a really small pointy brush. Dont go too far outside of where you want the iris but a little slop is ok. The closer you stick to the correct size of the iris the easier the next step is.


Step #4- Now we want to shadow the iris. This step needs to be a wash or airbrush because it should be soft. I'm not sure an airbrush could do this but who knows, there are some really good brushes out there, but I don't think I have a steady enough hand. This gets added on the top and bottom, with the heaviest being on the top.


Step #5- This step is a one shot only so make sure you hit it right the first time. The pupil. This will determine where your figure is looking. I have read people use all sorts of tricks for this from cut straight pins to tooth picks and brushes. The good thing about a fixed applicator is hopefully its easier to make the dots uniform. But there are no guarantees. You might also be able to use a pin or marker as long as the ink dries well enough so that when you clear over the eye it doesn't smear. Also it needs to be opaque so it covers the iris paint.Test it if you are using anything other then paint before risking it on a completed, very tricky, iris paint job. Its better to do a lot of testing to make sure the dots are consistent before diving into application too. Not only will this give the much needed pupil but it will also hide all of the inconstant edges of the iris on the inside. So your pupil needs to be big enough to cover the edges.


Step #6A- At this point if you are feeling good about everything and you are certain its dry, it might be a good time to put a thin coat of clear to seal all the work down. I have two thoughts on this. One is it will give the iris and pupil a deeper look to them then the rest of the eyeball. And also, if you make a mistake with the next step, you may be able to do a little clean up and not ruin all your work. But who knows. This is only a theory.

Step #6- This is the point where all the uneven outside edges of the iris are going to be covered up to leave a nice clean rounded edge. Your going to want to two different kind of edges. The edge along the iris should be nice and sharp. The edge along the lid should be a soft transition. So maybe as the paint moves outward switch to a feathering or wash style of painting so that the pink shows through as it gets farther out.


Step #7- Final clear coat over the eyes to give them the wet look and seal them in. I know some use floor polish but I like using gloss acrylic medium. Choices yours. Well I hope this helps. I know people will have questions so please feel free to post up. This technique is a combination of thought and reading and very little practice so I may be completely out of my mind on this but I just figured this may spark conversation and development.

Good Luck!!!

Thanks SO much Robbie! I'll be trying my first attempt at painting eyes in the very near future. A couple of questions:

1. Should you prime the entire head, then paint the eyes and after that paint the skin/hair? That sequence makes sense to me.

2. I'm new to painting and don't own any "clear" paint yet. I think I've seen "clear" and colored clear like "clear red"? Is the point of clear paint to basically change a flat into a glossy finish? I always wondered how people got the eyes to look so shiny, that makes sense.

3. For the white part of the eye, I think I've read that some people prefer some sort of mixed colors because going with pure white doesn't look as realistic. Thoughts?

1. If your painting the whole thing, might as well. I think sequence is all about what works for you. I have always painted the eyes last, but Im thinking about trying a different order.

2. I use Liquitex gloss medium, but I know others use Future floor polish. Its all about preference.

3. I agree but I also think its about preference. Each character has their own look to determine. Never say never.

Thanks Robbie, this will come in handy if I work up the cajones to repaint medi yodas eyes. At least those are bigger than a normal headsculpt.

Have you ever try to print a decal of an eye iris ? Hot Toys did that.

I don't use an air brush, but I think the general idea of what you have is very good. Not sure about the lines on the Iris though... in 1/6 those are going to be so tiny that I don't know how it would be pulled of by anyone but those with a great level of control... whereas with blending of colors this is a bit more realistic for the rest of us to attain.

I posted this a couple weeks ago after I was asked how I painted eyes. With a brush this is essentially what I do...

galactiboy said:

First off paint the "whites" of the eye, an off-white color. I mix a bit of purple in there so its a very pale lilac. After that decide how you want to place the eyes (centered, high, low, off to the side, etc.)

Once you figure out where you want the eye, you make your first/largest/darkenst circle. Then a slightly smaller and lighter circle inside of that one. After that you do the lighter swatch of color on the bottom... I usually cover about the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the iris. Then center in a black pupil.

Once you've got all that done on the eye, you then need to rim the eyes. I use a 50/50 mix of red and a flesh tone. And just hit the upper ridges of the lids and a bit on the "whites" of the eyes. If you get too much on the eyes, just cover it with white. The bottom lid will get blended into the skin tone and the upper lid will get a rim of black to simulate eyelashes. Some people do fancier work on their eyelashes, but I like this simple approach. Usually you can't really see the black since it's such a thin line, but it really helps to define the eye.

(Sorry for the blurry image, but hopefully you get the idea of how the rimmed eye looks up close)

Now the last and most important step is to gloss the eyes, just hit the entire eye with 2-3 thin layers of gloss. Then I set the head looking up and put a tiny (but raised drop) directly on the iris. This gives it a bit of depth and dimension. I know some others will apply numerous layers to do this, but I find the drop works pretty good and is a lot faster.

And three pieces of advice:
1) Use very thin and good quality brushes
2) Consider using magnifying eyewear, makes placement of eyes a ton easier
3) Don't be afraid to redo and go over the same eye until you get it right. A wonky eye can really mess up a figure, and if you thin your paints (like you should) a few extra layers won't hurt anything

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Thanks for posting that. Looks awesome!

Happy to help... I think we all improve if we share ideas like this. And apologies for the purple eye; I swear it was blue when I started

TwelveInchFigures said:

I always mix some colors for the eye whites, unless purposely going for an unnatural possessed look. Same with teeth - no one's eye white and teeth are pure white - just try looking in a mirror and holding bright white sheet of paper next to your eye or teeth and you'll see what I mean.

Even if someone actually had teeth or eyes that bright, you'd likely want to tone it down on a figure just to make it look more realistic (a person can look like a figure, but you want your figure to look like a person ;-) )

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Yup. Great advice. A healthy person will have a slight blueish tint to the white of the eye, an unhealthy person a yellowish tint. Pink can be used for other effects, too

When I paint eyes, I actually do a mix of robbiethepainter's method and galactiboy's method. Both methods have great steps that can be followed exactly, or mixed and matched depending on personal style/preference.

You know you've painted your eyes perfect, when after the clear gloss, the sparkle from the light hits each eye in the exact same spot. When I'm done a face paint, that's always the hold-my-breath moment of truth!

Awesome thread and tips fellows

ebor said:

Awesome thread and tips fellows

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wow galactiboy your way to paint is improved a lot..

i will have just taken one of the last secrets i needed to up my level in this hobby...SMASHING tutorial Robbie!!!...very detailed and super easy to follow!!!! i have always known that there had to be a couple of steps that i missed when painting the eyes on my customs....and you just added them to my repertoire!!!....lol...thanks again dude!!!...now teach us about motting and skin tones...

Awesome thread! I always had trouble applying the pink around the eyes, they end up making the eyes look tired.

Great tutorials and tips! It's interesting to see how everyone has their own methods which work best for them.

I normally paint the whites of the eye in first, then use a little thinned down pink to wash around the edges of the eye. I then paint the iris in black and add the colour radiating out from the centre. For pupils I normally use a black fine line drawing pen. It tends to give me more control than a brush. A coat of clear and that's it.

Stupid question time: Can you use clear nail polish as a final coat over the eyes?

Probably could... but I'd just invest in some clear coat. A $5 bottle will last a long time

Yeah I agree. Its takes some time to get enough coats but its worth the control in the end.

thanks guys

Looks good. Nice job.

Not bad. . . .