Drawing DD Eyes for DIY Eyes Tutorial

I decided to try designing eyes for fun and kept track of how I did it in case it helps anyone else design eyes!

 

 

First, I made a canvas for 24mm*24mm at 300DPI. I probably should have made it at 600DPI or higher to make sure it'll be extra crisp, but I started making this with the intention of practicing. I started with 24mm*24mm because it's easier to size down than size up.

 

 

Then I changed the circle selection to a fixed size of 24mm*24mm and made an "eyeball" with red as my base shape, centered on the canvas.

 

 

After that, I experimented with a number of different sizes and positions for the circle and overlaid it on my eyeball shape, making sure that it still follows the center line (up and down doesn't matter as much) for symmetry between the eyes.

 

 

I lopped off the excess that is outside of the eyeball.

 

 

Here you can see the different sizes I tried-- the ones I named with "good" are the sizes I liked the best in the end.

 

 

Then I made the eye in various parts. Usually when I draw eyes for pictures I actually do them in one or two layers, but I made this one in parts so that I could change the colors of each piece easily by adjusting the hue for each component. I named the layers descriptively to give you guys a sense of what each layer is for.

 

The "base" is made up of three hues and colors-- red on top, violet in the middle, and a darker violet for the bottom. "Highlight" is the shiny band underneath the pupil, and was just done by making a shiny strip, drawing in some light-colored lines for the texture of the eye, and then using the smudge tool to smudge the edges of it so that it blends into the rest of the eye better. "Dark" are the little, thin strips of dark lines on the highlight band.

 

"Glow" is a gradient right under the upper edge to make sure the eye doesn't get too dark. "Pupil" is self-explanatory. "Star dust" is literally star dust-- it's from a photo of space. "Fuzzy edge" is the duplicated top part of "edge" blurred and brought lower onto the colored parts of the eye, then the color was adjusted. "Edge" is the dark ring around the eye to make the eye look more gooey and cute. "Kira kira shadow" is the dark shadow behind the eye highlights that is blurred and moved a little to the right-- it makes the highlights pop more. "Kira kira" are the big highlights of the eye-- three strong, opaque highlights (including the heart), and two gradient, translucent highlights. "More highlight" is the gradient laid on top of the upper-right edge.

 

 

What the final eye looks like. Hope this was interesting and helped!

Great post! I will have to give it a try some time!

Wow, good job on this tutorial! The final design for the eye looks really beautiful!

 

I'll have to try all the different layers you put into this when I get the chance.

I've thought about making my own eyes before, but I never had the time to get a design down that I liked.

 

How are you planning on printing this out?

I've heard that metallic photo paper works really well on DIY eyes, but I'll need to get a new printer if I do that. I've tried printing on normal paper but it makes the eye look dull and tasteless, a waste of any good design. So I'm interested in what type of method you'll use to make the eye.

 

Thanks!

I'm glad you guys like it! ! Yeah, I thought about it before I started and decided that keeping it all on layers would be best for the long run, as it'll allow me to tweak the colors individually. I made sure the design worked for that too though. I really like super sparkly eyes, but I'm a bit anxious that the eyes might look dirty from the glitter I drew all over it...! At least with the layers I can just slide the opacity around.

 

Printing on metallic paper sounds so cool! *______* I adore glitz and glamor, so that really appeals to me. I think for the first few ones (I ordered the D.eye.Y bases from Pupa Paradise) I'm going to have to test out what paper works first. When I do prints for conventions, I typically print on glossy, light cardstock. However, I think cardstock might be too thick for a good seal between the eyes even though it takes up color gorgeously? Also, I don't know if having glossy paper is necessary because the clear part on top is nice and glossy. I'm particularly worried about the colors running from wet glue too-- something I read about while going through the forum.

 

I'll probably head to the print shop after the blank bases arrive and try to figure out what paper is thin enough for a good fit between the base and the clear top, along with what paper also takes color fantastically. Hopefully they'll have some suggestions on making sure the color doesn't run. My printer at home is B&W only, haha, but luckily prints are fairly cheap! I'm wondering if it'd be a good idea to use a dry adhesive-- like sticker backing-- instead of wet glue. That also might bypass the issue of bubbling from the wet glue drying. I'll post pictures when this eventually happens!

 

Meanwhile, I'm just having fun thinking of eye designs. I'm trying to think of designs that I don't already see that often in the marketplace, because what's the point of making eyes when I can just support another crafter?

XOHimitsuXO did a lot of experimenting with DIY eyes too -

 

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2801

 

I think he addresses the issue of what kind of glue worked best.

 

Yes, thank you! !!!

Wiwowow I love this woman!

This tutorial was great! Thank you!

uwu You're welcome!

 

The eye bases have shipped eeeeeek! I finish finals in two days. Hopefully after I can make some eyes. I need to edit this first design more too. I added a darker ring around the edge to make them appear more vivid in contrast, and I plan to add a highlight on the lower half to balance them out because the upper highlight is so big. Pictures after finals maybe!

Edited January 24, 2013 by Guest

All the colors look so awesome! I can't wait to see them actually made and worn! I think my favorite is the blur/purple one!

I can't wait too! :,3! So excited for the eyes to arrive ahhh! Here's a test print I did today just to see how they're looking so far:

 

 

 

 

 

The dark grey around the outside was my guide, sorry if it's distracting! I'm happy that they look so deceptively shiny even though it's just paper. Awesome!

 

FYI, the diameter of the iris on a 24mm Volks animetic eye is 13mm.

Woooow these are so pretty, I love the design! I want a pair so cute >u< !!

Finally had some time to sit down and get them into the eyes. I printed them at the local OfficeMax, haha. I haven't glued them in yet, but here's how they look.

 

 

Measure the iris of the eyes, and then resize the eyes to fit the iris. Make a big sheet of them to print out.

 

 

After printing, double check to see if the size is right.

 

 

Cut a strip of eyes from the large sheet for easier handling, and then trim the eyes out. I had left a faint square around the eyes so that I knew roughly how much to cut.

 

 

Put them into the eyes and place the clear part on top. I haven't figured out how I want to glue these in yet, though I have some ideas thanks to the other threads on the forum. If you do not glue them in, the eyes will reflect oddly. This is just a test-- I plan to pop the clear part off later and then test out some glues.

 

 

 

 

How they look in Sporkaroni's DDH-04 that is painted to look like Silica from SAO.

This looks great! I wanna see all the eye designs you came up with!

 

Oh snap! I didn't realize that was my head until I got to the bottom of your post! lol She's looks amazing too! I can't wait to get her back.

 

I need to get a DDH-07 head to you now! I have an idea for it already!

They look amazing, I love the little heart in each eye!

I wish I had the talent to do things like this.

 

 

If you were to sell these you'd make bank... lol

Nice eyes

Previously i used clear paint to adhere the cutouts to the lens, but i have notice some color bleeding on the printout (using an inkjet printer). I didn't notice them until weeks later. I will probably do some D.I.Y eyes again, but i will use clear epoxy resin instead.

Wow really awesome...

I have some diy-eyes also here, but i think i am not that talented to fill them *__*

Wish i had your talent >__<

You guuuuuys. :,3

 

I used clear acrylic gloss as my first test. I don't have any clear epoxy with me, but thank you for the suggestion! I'll look into it.

 

First, I put down one layer of gloss to adhere the design to the flat surface of the eye. After that dried, I wiped the back of the clear lens and dropped it onto the design after applying another coat of gloss on the flat surface. I'll let you all know if any bleeding occurs! For the 24mm, I had issues with air bubbles-- I think this had to do with how snug the clear part fits into the dip where you put the eye design, because as you're trying to squeeze the lens in some air manages to get underneath the clear part. I tried again and again but still had some air bubbles. Then I put a 4 lb weight on it, which pushed most of the air bubbles out. However, over time some more air bubbles made it back in. I think perhaps a clamp with some padding to prevent breaking the eyes would be good for drying them.

 

The 22mm clear part is a little smaller than the opening to put the design in, so I was able to drop it in from the side and get no air bubbles. I did it cover slip style for a microscope slide, haha!

 

Here are some photos of the eye that turned out nice:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a tsundere DDH-06 owned by Bobness. : )

Edited January 11, 2013 by Guest

Niiiiiiiiiiiice

Gaaaah thebobness' 06 turned out so nicely!

 

I got him the prepainted 06 as a surprise Christmas gift in 2011 - but I know he wasn't happy with her faceup and wanted to make her extra special~ ^_^

That's beautiful!! The hearts are super cute!

There are some tutorials on DoA, and they mention that sealing the paper with ModgePodge works really well to stop the ink from bleeding. It's also suggested that you "glue" the eyes to the lens first and use a pin or toothpick to smooth out the bubbles, and when that's dry, you put a really thin layer of adhesive on the back and pop it into the eye.

 

Can anyone tell me where you can find metallic or pearlescent paper? The best I've found is a semi-glittery looking paper that I just don't think fits the bill. I'd love to figure out what Cohullent uses for his eyes.

 

I've been working on my own set of eyes for a while, including how to make resin eyes... but I'm not a very good artist. XD So we'll see if I ever manage to make some of my own.

great work I like your design

Amazing job! O.O

Can anyone tell me where you can find metallic or pearlescent paper? The best I've found is a semi-glittery looking paper that I just don't think fits the bill. I'd love to figure out what Cohullent uses for his eyes.

 

I saw some pearlescent paper when I was looking for wedding stationary about 2 years ago. I'm still to scared to go back into any wedding stores so I'm not sure if they still make it.

I've been looking to print on Kodak Endura metallic paper recently. It's a bit pricey though, so I have to make sure I set it up juuuust right before I make the plunge. I'll let you guys know if I get it done, but that's all the info I have for now on metallic paper. It makes the whites look like chrome.