Eye Painting Process
This tutorial is about process. As with all things, practice improves results.
Fortunately with porcelain doll painting you can keep wiping it off until you are sure you want to fire your work.
Don't rush, your results will be better.
This process is not DE or DDP or of the earlier vintage and antique styles though lends aspects from all those styles.
Fortunately with porcelain doll painting you can keep wiping it off until you are sure you want to fire your work.
Don't rush, your results will be better.
This process is not DE or DDP or of the earlier vintage and antique styles though lends aspects from all those styles.
Some considerations before you start.
There is much to be said about colours but I will not pretend to make this an art course.
Simply - if you want Hazel eyes - start with a very light brown.
You will be able to build brown, blue or green hazel eyes on this base.
If you want strong single coloured eyes - start with a light bright shade of the colour eye you want.
All eyes need to feel right and therefore should indicate some variations in the iris for the rods and cones.
Nearly everyone's eyes are darker rimmed as well.
There should be allowance for shadows in the upper iris.
Reflections should be natural - this can be achieved with a gloss base - harder to paint on but no highlights required.
IMPORTANT NOTE - only paint eyes in moulds that have a rounded eye in them - if the mould has a flat or badly sculpted eye you are better to cut out, size and use inset eyes.
The larger the doll, the larger the eyes, the larger the canvas, the more detail you can paint.
The pictures below are on two 18 inch Molly dolls from moulds by Dianna Effner
Simply - if you want Hazel eyes - start with a very light brown.
You will be able to build brown, blue or green hazel eyes on this base.
If you want strong single coloured eyes - start with a light bright shade of the colour eye you want.
All eyes need to feel right and therefore should indicate some variations in the iris for the rods and cones.
Nearly everyone's eyes are darker rimmed as well.
There should be allowance for shadows in the upper iris.
Reflections should be natural - this can be achieved with a gloss base - harder to paint on but no highlights required.
IMPORTANT NOTE - only paint eyes in moulds that have a rounded eye in them - if the mould has a flat or badly sculpted eye you are better to cut out, size and use inset eyes.
The larger the doll, the larger the eyes, the larger the canvas, the more detail you can paint.
The pictures below are on two 18 inch Molly dolls from moulds by Dianna Effner
Apology :)
All the photos have been taken in our studio - facing our windows for natural light with a box for backing - unfortunately - the daylight conditions for our studio vary dramatically with the weather so there is some inconsistency with photos regarding colour balance.
Step 1 - the whites
Lay in the whites of the eyes first and fill the whole eye shape.
I tend to do this by "dot and puddle" with a cat's tongue brush,
from the centre of each eye.
Be extra careful with shape along the bottom edge of the eye, any extra little flicks
or puddles will stand out on the finished doll and be unrecoverable -
there needs to be a rim of pink for the edge of the lower lid.
(between the eye white and the roots of the lower lashes).
Step 2 - Pupils and upper eye rim
So, where is your doll looking??
This doll's face (Molly by Diana Effner) is sad and poses well with head a little downcast,
so it suits to have the eyes to look slightly upwards.
"Please take me home!!"
Place the pupils where you want them to "look" - hold the doll at full arms length to check - look straight at one pupil and without moving anything ensure the other is looking at you as well.
A fine line across the top of the eye should extend from the very outside edge of the white of the eye over the top of the white and should stop at the upper edge of the area where the tear duct (eye dots) will be painted.
There is opportunity to make the pupil a little larger later if needed.
This doll's face (Molly by Diana Effner) is sad and poses well with head a little downcast,
so it suits to have the eyes to look slightly upwards.
"Please take me home!!"
Place the pupils where you want them to "look" - hold the doll at full arms length to check - look straight at one pupil and without moving anything ensure the other is looking at you as well.
A fine line across the top of the eye should extend from the very outside edge of the white of the eye over the top of the white and should stop at the upper edge of the area where the tear duct (eye dots) will be painted.
There is opportunity to make the pupil a little larger later if needed.
Step 3 - Iris foundation
No matter where we are looking the Iris and the Pupil are two concentric circles.A general rule is that the Iris should be about 3 pupils wide.
The larger the pupil in the centre of the eye the more you are "allured" by the eye.
It does however have its limits and "too large" pupils can look very "spaced out".
When Pupils are small they tend to look mean or angry and if too central in the eye can tend to make the doll stare.
Even at this first stage of painting there is opportunity to begin to build the rim of colour around the edge of the Iris and deepen the top above the pupil as well in an arc that tends to reflect the shape of the upper lid.
Why are there two sets of eyes - there will be two different colours built up on these foundations. The bottom set will be brown and the top will be a Hazel Blue.
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Begin to add the dominant eye colour.
As we can fire often, along with our students' pieces, we tend to take our time to build colour over many firings. This allows for real flexibility and control of the results. |
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Back to eye colour
Time to play some more with your finest liner.
Build the rim and the upper eye colour whilst still maintaining variations in texture which align radially. You can use related colours to build the primary colour and character of the eye. 2 or 3 related colours allow you to build definition and strength. |
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More Context
Note, particularly on the blue eyes, how the interplay of the brown underneath and blue combine to give a random dark rim.
The paints fuse together in firing - learn to use this to advantage - it will happen anyway. To keep a feel for how things are building it can pay to deepen contours. Lower eye rim, nose "dots", eye "dots", lips, around the nose, eyelid creases. And even more context - :) A wig frames your work and in this case tells me there is more colour depth required in the eyes. This is, of course, a matter of taste and intention however I think there is more yet to be done. First foundational layer of lashes both top and bottom. Upper lashes are hard to paint on a doll without cut out eyes - the brush tends to bottom out at the beginning of the stroke and bend = bad lash - ah well - practice practice :) Always remember the colour of your wig when painting lashes and brows on a modern doll. Lashes can tend to be darker or even black but unless it is intended the brow should be a match for the hair. More eye colour added for depth. |
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Still more context.
Lashes have been strengthened some more. Note that the lower lashes do not start all the way back to the eye whites Eye dots, nose contours, filtrum and lips have all been strengthened. Eye dots fill in the inside corners of the eyes and are approximately triangular in shape First layering for the brows. |
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I was going to do more lash and brow detail next but ........ They seemed a little pale and contrasty so ....... more complexion/skin tone. |
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Lay in another stronger colour around the rim of the iris and pull some radial flecks of paint from the edge towards the pupil. The area below and close to the pupil needs to be left lighter as this gives the feel of light reflecting back out of the cornea. |
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Step 6 - More depth
More depth to the rim and the arc over the pupils.
Of course you will be painting other features on the doll as you progress with the eyes.
I would suggest getting the first 3 or so steps done before much other paint goes on the doll.
This way the reds that can be a little kiln shy will hold their colours better.
Of course you will be painting other features on the doll as you progress with the eyes.
I would suggest getting the first 3 or so steps done before much other paint goes on the doll.
This way the reds that can be a little kiln shy will hold their colours better.
Finished ?
Of course your eyes complement the rest of your doll and may dictate
colours you use to dress the doll.
I have found that having the material I wish to dress the doll in when it is finished
can be a real help to deciding when skin colour and eye colour are right.
colours you use to dress the doll.
I have found that having the material I wish to dress the doll in when it is finished
can be a real help to deciding when skin colour and eye colour are right.
More practice = Better eyes.
