Make Glassy Eyes for Dolls and Puppets

While you can purchase glass eyes, they are limited to the size and color offered by the manufacturer. With this article, you can create any variation of eyes that you can think of.

Steps

  1. Find a sphere that is the size you want your eye to be. Wooden balls work well if they are sanded really well. If you want a color, try plastic spheres. They come in more colors than wooden ones do.
  2. Paint the ball, including the iris and pupil.
    • Paint the iris first, which is the colored part. Do that by painting a circle on the front of the ball the size you want.
    • Now paint the pupil by painting a smaller dot in the middle of the iris. Make sure the paint you used for the iris is dry before you try to put the pupil on.
  3. Gloss the ball. Making sure the ball isn't able to roll around, paint a layer of gloss medium over it by getting a clean paint brush and dipping it in the gloss, and covering the eye. Do not do the bottom, or else it will dry to the table.
  4. Let it air dry. Don't use a fan, as this tends to dry the crust of the gloss medium first. Wait at least 12 hours before even lightly touching it. For best results, wait 24 hours.

Tips

  • Play with the size of the pupil (as compared to the the iris) to achieve different emotions. Example: bigger pupils indicate a curious, interested look. Whereas smaller pupils could b interpreted as mean, or mad.
  • Use wood glue to make a touch of realistic eyes if the eyes are wood.

Things You'll Need

  • Paint (your choice of color for the iris, and black for the pupils)
  • Balls/spheres for eyes (could be wood or plastic)
  • Gloss medium

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Make_Glassy_Eyes_for_Dolls_and_Puppets&oldid=281433"