I need help with eyes, please!

[CrazyYoungCatLady]

I like making Monster High customs and I got a Moxie Girl for the outfit she had on and thought it might be fun to customize her. But I have so much trouble with eyes! Not only getting both eyes to be the same shape and size, but the type/consistency of the paint. I have tried a white marker, watercolor pencils, and acrylic paint. I have tried watering down the acrylic paint, globbing it on, doing multiple thin layers and it always ends up crusty and inconsistent. Can anyone share tips on how to get the eyes the same shape/size? And what in the world do I use to paint the whites of the eyes?

[Pleasesaveheart]

How watered down do you make your paints? I notice if I do it too much it won't pile up as well. I would make it like a droplet on my brush, put it on the place you would want it, and taking a clean brush, and push it around. I'd also like to take the actual paint, drag it into a puddle of water and swirl it, then put it on the vinyl. It's one of those tricky situations that you gotta play with before you get the right consistency. Painting dolls is extremely hard.

[Nella]

I've had trouble with using water to thin acrylic paints, so I use a product that is made to thin the paint while maintaining the vibrancy of colour. Basically, you want the paint to be the consistency of ink and without any clumps. For the eyes, you can use a pencil to lightly sketch the shape and use that as your guideline. For painting the whites of the eyes, you can simply use acrylic paint. The thing is to remember that the whites of someone's eyes are not a true, pure white. You'll want to go with a slight grey or ivory colour instead.

[MeltedCaramel]

Hmnnnnnn. Okay, first a BIG question is: What types of acrylics are you using? If they're not artist-grade you're going to have problems, both with flaking and with initial painting in the first place. I personally use Testors acrylics, because they're already really thin to begin with so little to no solvent/water is needed, plus the pigments are extremely bright.

Also, if you're having trouble even making a presentable eye (hey, it happens to all of us! And I'm using this next technique to make a custom look like a factory-made doll), you may want to think about using this option:

Vector a pair of eyes on the computer. You can find pictures of pre-existing eyes, or draw your own, but vector them onto a computer program, and make sure to print them in a few different sizes. Print said eyes on water compatible based transfer paper. Get the clear version, it saves a headache in the end. The papers from different companies have different instructions, and sometimes you'll need to use something like Kryolon matte clear spray and spray a few coats on top of the transfer paper to create a clear film for it to stick to. Just pay attention to the instructions.

Cut them out (the eyelids and eyebrows can be added onto the transfer paper for for even easier customizing!), picking the side you think looks best for your custom, and follow the instructions to remove the decal. Use tweezers. Paint acrylic on the back of the eye where you want the whites of the eyes to show, or paint it on the doll, using a soft ruler to make sure you make the white parts even, and cover them with the decal. The decal will be wet for a few seconds so you can make some adjustments, rarely does anyone get it right the first time.

Look at the finished product. If you like it, make sure and seal it in with a coat of your matte spray of choice!

[voodoolie]

And if you get really frustrated, you can always carve those bad boys out and pop in some fancy dancy glass eyes ;P

[CrazyYoungCatLady]

Thanks, everyone! I've been using the cheap craft paints, so I'll have to try Testors. I also like that transfer paper idea.

[MeltedCaramel]

Thanks, everyone! I've been using the cheap craft paints, so I'll have to try Testors. I also like that transfer paper idea.

<3333333333 Soooo happy I could help!! Yeah actually the transfer paper thing? Makes dolls look damn good, and you can even cheat if you have an unsteady hand since you're just vectoring the eyes on the computer and now working on a tiny vinyl face!

As for the acrylics: BINGO! I think you will find Testors is so remarkably different than regular acrylics. The consistency is so much thinner, and they're brighter, nicer, don't goop up on you....just....ahhhhhhh I love my Testors paints! The only thing is they do tend to be on the expensive size ($4.00 or so a bottle for a small amount, like 1.something oz), so if you just want to use them as a trial thing I suggest getting one of their "Pint Size Projects" kits (http://www.amazon.com/Testors-Pint-Size ... s+Acrylics). Always make sure it says "acrylic" and not "enamel", and sometimes there will be "flat" colours, THOSE are the ones you need!

[Nella]

Some other good paint brands are Golden and Liquitex.

[MeltedCaramel]

Some other good paint brands are Golden and Liquitex.

I've never tried Golden, but Liquitex tends to be a bit iffy for me sometimes. The main reason I always pimp out Testors is because of the incredible vibrancy of their colours (you can also buy their acrylics in airbrush ready form too!) and how smooth and easily they go on. You have to work HARD to make this stuff clump up on you!

[Nella]

Some other good paint brands are Golden and Liquitex.

I've never tried Golden, but Liquitex tends to be a bit iffy for me sometimes. The main reason I always pimp out Testors is because of the incredible vibrancy of their colours (you can also buy their acrylics in airbrush ready form too!) and how smooth and easily they go on. You have to work HARD to make this stuff clump up on you!

I only have one tube of Liquitex, which absolutely needs thinning to be used. One of the nice things about Golden is that it's very vibrant yet still a thin enough consistency that you can use it directly from the bottle.

If you can go to an artist supply store, I would recommend doing so and asking for paint suggestions. They'll know their products best after all!