Guest Author - Mike Walters




Supplies:

Molding compound and sphere

Devon Clear Two Component Epoxy (from your hardware store)

Dry tempera paints.


To create the eyeball mold:


Your mold needs to be a one piece mold that opens at the back. You can create your own mold (Mike recommends molding silicone from Burman Industries…you can purchase the materials from them as well as get the information on how to use it at http://www.burmanindustries.com/)* using a sphere in the size “eyeball” that you want, such as a Ping Pong ball or a large marble.


To Create The Eyeballs:


First, mix up a small amount of epoxy and use the black tempera paint to make it black.

VERY CAREFULLY, using a toothpick or some similar tool, collect a blob of the black epoxy on the end of the toothpick and carry it to the mold. Let a pupil sized drop fall right into the middle of the spherical mold. Don't let it hit the side of the inside of the mold and run down to the very bottom, you must hit the center/bottom of the mold on the first try. You are creating the pupil of the eye, and it must be perfectly round!

As this sets up, mix a larger batch of epoxy and tint it the color that you wish the iris of your eye to be. Using the toothpick again, or better yet a cheap disposable paintbrush, collect a dollop of the iris colored epoxy and drop it into the mold right on top of the black pupil that you have just created. Of course, the iris color should flow beyond the srea of the pupil. Again, hit the center/bottom of the spherical mold the first time! to get a perfectly round iris.

While this epoxy is setting up, mix a larger again batch of epoxy and tint it a cream or white color. This will be the white of your eye. Mix enough to pretty much fill the rest of the mold. Pour it into the mold and it's best to let the whole thing set overnight. The following day, de-mold the eye and see how it looks. If you are happy with it, and since most dolls, figures have TWO eyes, you now get to make a second eye just exactly like the first! Good Luck!

Once you have your TWO eyes, I would lightly sand them both to get rid of any
textures that may have formed on the surface of the eyes. Once they have been
sanded evenly, coat them both with an untinted coat of epoxy to give them a wet
look. Sometimes a second or even third coat of clear epoxy is needed to get a
uniform coating. This is a really “down and dirty” way to make fake eyes.

About The Author: Mike Walters, the creator of these amazing eyeballs, owner of FX Masters. You can reach him at allegra11@mindspring.com.

About The Photo: Laura Kane is an artist and art doll creator. All of the art dolls pictured were designed and made by her using Mike’s resin eyeballs. You can reach her at fuzzyvelour@yahoo.com


* Some other molding options include using pre-made candle or soap molds in the size you require, or using a compound such as Repro-Rubber. Repro Rubber isn’t clear, but it is flexible, making it easier to remove your pieces once they are cured, unlike polymer clay molds!