74 replies to this topic

[Argentee]

I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes.

*deep breath*

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Spent all morning, did not get the eyes right on a single mini.

[recruittons]

I have to say, after practicing eyes, I LOVE painting eyes! Oftentimes, it becomes the only part of the mini I'm truly proud of. The rest of it, I can see so many things wrong, but the eyes I can generally get to look good. It requires no blending, or fancy thinned paints. Just my slightly bent #1 taklon brush licked to a crazy thin point poking into the eye sockets of a miniature.

[Argentee]

I have to say, after practicing eyes, I LOVE painting eyes! Oftentimes, it becomes the only part of the mini I'm truly proud of. The rest of it, I can see so many things wrong, but the eyes I can generally get to look good. It requires no blending, or fancy thinned paints. Just my slightly bent #1 taklon brush licked to a crazy thin point poking into the eye sockets of a miniature.

Do you live in Florida, Recruittons? If you do, I will pay you $50 to come paint these for me if you do a decent job.

[recruittons]

I live about as FAR away from you as I can while still being in the continental U.S. Washington state

[Exwilly]

tell us how you really feel about painting eyes. eyes are eyes as long as its not the eyes of march.

[Panzer_Engel]

Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.
Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first. Then always paint the eyes first.

(*Deep breath*)

No, really, it will save you a lot of grief; First because you can correct the outline as you lay down the skin tones, and second. . . . (sighs) Well, if all else fails, and you're looking at so many repeat attempts that your victims eyesockets are rapidly filling in, you're not losing anything but a primer coat if you strip the mini and start again. . . .

Yes. Been there. . . .

[Argentee]

Believe me, I am painting the eyes first. I have five minis lined up on my desk. I put down the whites (polished bone). That goes fine. I then try the colored iris (swamp green). I lose half of them at this point. Rinse with water, put aside. I then try to do the outlining... and lose the rest. Rinse, put aside.

I then put down the whites...

[Panzer_Engel]

(Shudders)

They say hell is eternal repetition. . . .

[Pingo]

I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes. I hate painting eyes.

*deep breath*

Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Spent all morning, did not get the eyes right on a single mini.

Don't hold back. Tell us what you really think. *

...

That said, my sympathies. I used to only paint eyes using what's called the almond method (I worked from experimenting and old Dragon Magazine articles). I recall it working pretty well, but I think I have rosy memories of my old minis. One or two even ended up accidentally with irises and pupils, owing to wet white paint underneath.

Now I'm trying the Bette Davis method, which seems an OK variation although everyone looks a little bruised with only one layer of skin color on their faces.

And I look at some of these minis with elaborately shaped eyes and irises and pupils and multiple highlights and just wonder. Wow. Back in the day I was pleased at managing lavender eyelids.

BTW, a really simple way to do eyes is paint a brown almond, then put a tiny white dot tucked in each corner a little below the midline.

I've also noticed that my male figures have eyes a LOT smaller than the females, even the half-elf.




*(woohoo, I used a smilie!)

[MonkeySloth]

I have to say, after practicing eyes, I LOVE painting eyes! Oftentimes, it becomes the only part of the mini I'm truly proud of. The rest of it, I can see so many things wrong, but the eyes I can generally get to look good. It requires no blending, or fancy thinned paints. Just my slightly bent #1 taklon brush licked to a crazy thin point poking into the eye sockets of a miniature.

I'm the exact same. I spent a weekend trying to get the eye correct on just a few miniatures, one actually got painted, and now they're super duper easy for me and probably the only thing relating to this hobby where I'm willing to say "I'm good at that".

My trick? Choke up on the brush and do 3-5 dry runs for that specific eye to get use to how it feel, how close you need to move the brush, how much pressure you need and so on. Then put paint on and do it again. I was using this method at the paint and take at Gencon, letting people use my brush since it had a point, and everyone painted very decent eyes and most of them had never painted a miniature before.

[Girot]

I also hate eyes. I stopped painting unhelmeted heads because of them. That or I paint the models that have glowy eyes or bionics or something. For some reason I cannot get the right amount of paint on my brush. Its either so little that it dries from the pallet to the eye or too much and I end up having to repaint half of it's damn face to cover up it's new mutant birth mark.

Argentee: where in FL? I used to live in Jacksonville for a few years.

[Jordan Peacock]

Do you live in Florida, Recruittons? If you do, I will pay you $50 to come paint these for me if you do a decent job.

Hey, if you show up at Necronomicon with some minis and some paints and brushes, at a time when I'm not running any games, I could paint some eyes. :D

[Adrift]

Metro ATL is too far for $50, but were it that I was gonna be in the area, I'd definitely take that offer.

[Argentee]

I'm in Tampa, FL... And I'll be at Necro though I'm busy most of the time. My husband has drafted me to help in the Trivia and in the performance track, AND I'm running two games.

[MonkeySloth]

Easy enough. Each question that someone answers correctly and you have to paint a right eye, each one that's answered incorrectly and you have to paint a left eye. You'll be a pro in no time.