Do you currently paint eyes for dolls, teddy bears, carvings, sculptures or other mediums? Do you use certain tools or have a particular brand of paint or color you prefer to use when painting? We'd love to have you share your ideas, tips or tricks for painting eyes for your creations.
Over time we have received some e-mails from customers asking for advice on how to paint glass eyes and plastic safety eyes. Some customers like to purchase clear eyes to paint in colors that coordinate with their creations. Jerry originally painted the clear glass eyes for decoy carvers. Gradually he expanded his painting to the clear plastic safety eyes. He enjoys working with a variety of colors and occasionally experiments with swirls, patterns, and three color eyes. For Jerry, painting eyes requires focus, patience, and attention to detail. Over the years, he has developed some techniques that help to avoid smudging, dripping, uneven dispersement of color and other problems resulting while painting eyes. He has two different approaches to the eyes depending on if they are glass or plastic.
For plastic safety eyes, Jerry uses acrylic paints. In order to have better control of dispersement of paint on the small surface of the back of the eyes; He pours the paint from large bottles into small open tip squeeze bottles. He applies the paint in a circular motion as he rotates the eye holding the stem with the tips of his fingers. He removes bubbles that some times occur using the tip of a wire to pop the bubble.
For even drying of the plastic eyes; Jerry uses two kinds of boards. For the small plastic eyes; Jerry created his own peg board using a clear plastic sheet he purchased from a hardware store. He drilled holes into the plastic sheet for holding the 6mm to 8mm size eyes. For the 9mm and larger size safety eyes, he uses a regular peg board that he also purchased at a hardware store. After the plastic eyes are painted, he places the eye upside down in the hole so it is flat for even drying.
Jerry paints the backs of the glass eyes on wire with enamel or acrylic paints. He uses a paint brush to paint the back of one glass eye and attaches the wire to a magnet so the painted side of the eye is facing up for drying. When the eye is dry, he paints the eye on the opposite end of the wire and attaches it to the magnet facing up to dry. You can purchase Glass Eyes On Wire and Plastic Safety Eyes in many colors, sizes, and styles at https://www.glassEyesOnLine.com
Do you currently paint eyes for dolls, teddy bears, carvings, sculptures or other mediums? Do you use certain tools or have a particular brand of paint or color you prefer to use when painting? We'd love to have you share your ideas, tips or tricks for painting eyes for your creations.
6 Comments
Joy Woodruff
8/18/2015 07:23:53 am
I really enjoyed reading your blog Carolyn and Jerry. It's refreshing knowing that I am purchasing my eyes from a small family owned company that cares so much about their customers and sharing their knowledge of the craft. I see that you not only care for your customers but work hard to promote their finished products that they create with the eyes that they purchase from you. I look forward to reading more! Thank you
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8/18/2015 12:32:02 pm
Thank you Joy! Over the next month; stay tuned for more Blogs about what goes on Behind The Scenes and some personal experiences with "Being Married and Raising A Small Business"
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12/4/2015 03:36:13 pm
Thank you so much for your informative blogs!! I love when an artist shares their tip and tricks to others who also wish to create!
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