I used a 1" oval, they came in a pack of 8 at the hobby store for just a couple dollars. They're fun to make, and pretty simple. There's lots of room to play and customize. Since the materials are pretty cheap, and you can't really ruin it, no need to be afraid to experiment!
I use Delta Ceram Coat and Folk Art acrylic paints. The colors used in this project are as follows:
Delta: Black, White, 14 K Gold
Folk Art: Blue Sapphire Metallic, Peridot Metallic, Emerald Green Metallic
The paint goes in the following areas:
Pupil Highlight: White
Pupil: Black
Iris Highlight: Gold
Outer Iris Highlight: Peridot
Inner Iris: Sapphire
Outer Iris: Emerald
It's easy to change the color scheme, like if you wanted a red and gold eye. You could replace the inner iris with red, the outer iris with orange, and do a metallic red outer iris highlight.
You can seal the back with a topcoat like Mod Podge.
You'll also need a small brush, some water to clean up and a rag or paper towel.
Let's get started!
I'll add some explanation to the pictures in the morning, but I think it's pretty obvious from the pics.
*Updated with text*
All painting is done from the flat back side. The front curve will magnify what you paint, so keep that in mind. If you don't let your paint dry between each step, you risk smooshing the other layers! Be patient and let it dry.
Get a bead of white paint on your brush. Paint a thick white dot, placed to one side and above center.
Front View of Highlight Dot
Since you're not painting over it right away, you can rinse your brush and move on to the next step! Get some gold paint on your brush, and put a dot near the center where the pupil will be. You want it to be outside the pupil area. Drag the dot outwards so it comes to a point. Repeat around the edge. I try to make them similar in size and placement, and keep the sides symmetrical.
Back View of Gold Lines
Front
Next we paint on the pupil. I went with a slit pupil, but you could do round too. Go slowly, and paint it on thick. You can do multiple coats if needed, but the paint will slide if it's not dry between coats.
Back
Front. Starting to look like an eye! See the lower center gold line? I made it too high up.
You can easily wipe paint off these, or just not worry about being perfect.
Take your light green metallic (or lighter accent color) and paint some lines just how you did the gold ones, but further out from the pupil. You could do this with several colors, make them wider or longer.
Back
Front
This part is hard to see in the picture. Take some gold and lightly make a line just to the outsides of the pupil. This gives a nice definition to the pupil when it's finished.
Wait for your paint to dry. This next step could easily smudge everything you've done so far!
Is it dry?
Really?
Okay.
Glop on some blue in a thick curved line around the pupil. Fan it out with your brush, making it kinda pointy towards the outside. Work from center to edge.
Backside, globby line
Globby line fanned out
Front side
Repeat on the other side, trying to keep the distance it spreads out even. Make sure to get the top and bottom!
Wait again for the blue to dry. I mean it!
Take your dark green, and paint all around the area that's still clear, overlapping the blue. This fills in the rest of your eye.
Back Side
Front Side, All Done!
That's all! Seal the back with a top coat if you want.
- Kym Lewis, Squirrel Creek Creations
