Eyes Homemade Anime Eye Techniques

Sorry if there's a thread like this already!

It seems like anime dolls are getting more popular, and I've recently jumped on the anime bandwagon hard. But early on I realized that learning to properly size anime eyes is very different from standard doll eyes. A lot of eyes didn't fit, didn't catch the light right, or didn't have a suitable iris shape. I bought quite a few expensive pairs of eyes before getting frustrated that nothing seemed quite right.

I've been experimenting with various different (sort of wonky) ways to make them at home and I was wondering if anyone else has any totally different approaches I've never heard of.

So far I have 2 main methods. They both involve buttons... but hear me out. I saw a Chinese hobbyist recommend using these buttons, and they happen to be the perfect cheap eye base for anime dolls. I keep finding that anime sculpts require very large, flat, low arc eyes, and these buttons fit perfectly most of the time and they're bright white. I've tried resin bases, but to be totally honest these damn buttons are just as good.

My most common method (and, naturally, the laziest) is to simply design an iris in procreate, print it out, cut it out, and paste it onto the button with elmers glue. This is perhaps the quickest and laziest possible method, but I've found the results are sometimes surprisingly nice.

Some examples:

Spoiler

(the second image how it looks if you want to take the extra step to coat it in resin)

They are definitely not at all robust, though. Obviously. And if you don't have a great printer (I don't) your image quality will be awful. I consider these test or placeholder eyes.

The other most common method I use is to paint the eye directly onto the button using sealant and paint and pastels, almost like a tiny faceup. For sealant I use Testors dullcote, since the surface doesn't need to be perfect and Testors is much easier and cheaper to buy in my country. Then when I'm finished I top it in a brush-on varnish to protect it from scratches.

To be honest with this method I just troubleshoot it as I go along. I love the effect of these, but they're time consuming and they're difficult to get symmetrical and neat.

Some examples:

Spoiler

Off the top of my head I've also heard of:
- using glass cabochons to make "follow me" eyes
- making special resin eye bases with custom "anime iris" molds
- using pre-made acrylic bases with a lens you can fix in place

But I'm sure there are more methods I've never heard about. Have you ever tried making homemade custom anime eyes before? If so, what methods did you use to make them?

 

@faserwam I was worried about that too, I feel like anime eyes have to be so perfect Also yes I made them, thank you!

 

I'm glad you guys found these methods intriguing! I was really intimidated by anime eyes at first but I'm glad I found something that was more approachable.

@kitsoodles I would be love to see how they look if you try again, seems like they would have a really nice end result! Using resin seemed like it would open up a ton of new possibilities, but to be honest I didn't even know where to start I especially like the idea of having the eye shines floating above the iris, that sounds like it would look awesome. I could also see throwing some tiny glitters in there too for really sparkly shojo style eyes.

 

Quick update!

I recently bought a new silicone eye mold from the taobao shop Cubeco to attempt to make special anime eye bases like I mentioned in the OP. After making the bases I used basically the same method as my painted eyes, using sealant and pastels/watercolor pencils to color the irises. I think they turned out pretty good, but unfortunately they're really round so they don't fit in some of the heads with shallower eye wells.

Spoiler

They're definitely fun to play around with, but tbh I'll probably actually stick to the painted ones. The extra step of casting the eye bases is too much work for my lazy ass These eye molds are only a few dollars each tho, so I definitely think they're worth it if you're interested in making anime eyes like this!