Modification Opening Eyes: Widening Sleeping or Dreaming Eyes

Google is your friend:
http://www.dremel.com/

It's basically a motorized tool used for sanding, carving, etc. They have tons of optional bits that you can buy for different jobs. Most people find them indispensable for crafts and odd jobs.

 

I want to ask all the customiser people, which is easier or is it about the same? Closing eyes or opening them? I'm thinking of getting the minimee service and opening/closing one of the heads so I get a dreaming version too. I would get it sculpted to whichever is easier for the modder to do...

 

I assume that taking away would be easier than adding. Taking away can be done quite easily (as I've been told) with a dremel or exacto knife, whereas adding will need to be done by buying the needed materials, plus tinting or blushing the addition, which will probably not be seamless.

 

I've done both, and I'd say opening is easier. But I might be partial because while I've opened eyes quite often I've only closed them again once. I used super sculpey to remake eyelids after I'd opened them too much for my tastes. :3

 

Heres a tutourial on opening eyes, you can see how the process is done and such, hope it helps!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4Bg0qP9vo&mode=related&search=
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHYZ0vATMqw
part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOE9U51UrL4&mode=related&search=

 

Very helpful thank you!!
.
I am wondering if there are any tutorials that do not involve a dremel... >.>

 

No worries, opening eyes is really easy. Just use an Exacto knife to slice away thin layers of resin until you have them about where you want them and finish by sanding the rest of the way. Here's a page that shows the basic process in pictures.

 

You're modding an El head right? (saw it in the fdoll waiting room thread)
Dreaming El's eyes are already partially open so opening them more won't be too hard cause you only have to really make sure that the top parts are even. Just make sure when you do it that you slice thinly, otherwise you can get the craft knife stuck and having to push hard just causes you to lose your control, not to mention that the resin in that area is thinner so you don't want to put too much stress on it.
Also, you can create a more natural look by slicing the last part at a slant so that the eyewell area doesn't look too thick.

Edit: Oh, and it can also help to keep the eyes you plan on using on hand so you can put them in as you work and see how it really looks. :]

 

Thanks so much for all the info!!! Yes, it will be a Dreaming El head. I am curious though, is it possible to use sandpaper to do this as well? As long as you go slowly?

 

You could use sandpaper for the whole thing but I don't really recommend it. It'll take much much longer, is more dangerous to you because of the amount of resin dust, and gives you less control over the shape of the eye. Using an exacto may seem a little scarier, but it's actually a lot easier in the long run.
Don't worry, you'll get used to the feel of cutting into the resin pretty quickly, and even if you mess up the first part a little bit, that part will just be cut off anyway so it's not a huge deal.

 

I'm really looking forward to modding my MnF sleeping vamp Shiwoo's eyes to 'dreaming' style.
One thing really worries me though. He has really thin eye wells/sockets.
Like, you hold him up to a light and you can see through it. XP

He already has eye sockets inside his head like a normal open-eyed Mini fee.

I'm worried that when I make the initial cut, his whole face will break and fall apart.


Tools I plan on using for the mods:
X-Acto knife
fine grade sandpaper

His head, not painted:


Head (with current face up) in front of a light bulb:











Help or advice please?

 

When I have opened closed eyes, I didn't find that to be true. Resin is pretty strong. Just be careful to not press too hard and use a REALLY sharp knife or scalpel. Watch your fingers, though.

If you drill a tiny hole with a pin vice to begin the opening, there won't be as much stress put on the resin.

Good Luck!

 

I was wondering which do you think the best way to open my Nanuri 07s eyes would be?

I would like them to match my other Nanuri's eyes. I've been suggested to either sand them or use a knife to cut it and I was wondering what you think the best way to do this would be

 

I plan on buying a dozing Sist faceplate and open the eyes a bit. Do I have to get an eye beveler or does the faceplate already have eye wells?

I could always wait till I actually get the faceplate, but I'd rather know in advance. ^^;;

 

My good friend, Kalani, got this Sleepy-eyed Pado girl (named Miyuki) from Dollmore beginning of Dec. of last year. She has been batting the idea back and forth of having me mod her eyes open ever since then. She finally decided to let me do it when she got a very pretty pair of glass eyes put in her and was dissapointed that she couldn't really see them as much as she wanted to. So I took her home and put her under the knife.

I forgot to take a before pic of her face after I wiped her face-up. So here are a couple of older pics of her. Pardon the face-up. It was one of my first and suuucks pretty bad. I realize that now.

(that's my doll in this pic next to Miyuki, you can ignore her...)




These are in progress pictures. The right eye (facing the camera) has started to be modded. The left one has not been touched yet.





And theeeese... are the after pics.My first try at opening a dreaming doll's eyes. I'm pretty happy with the result, and so is Kalani.









I had to get pretty up close and personal with the camera, so the shinyness of the resin is exaggerated because of the proximity of the flash.

 

nice job!!! what knife do you use?

 

Tahnk you all! omgannisadork- I just used a regular exacto knife. One of the ones that comes in a little box with 5 or 6 different kinds of blades.

 

I felt like I should jump on the bandwagon and post the eye opening I did 2 weeks ago xD

Just to start off, forgive all the bad webcam pictures, I didn't have a camera on hand while I was modding him xD.

Let's start off with the before:


Now I've been flip flopy for about a month or two about modding his eyes open they've always bugged me since seeing his eyes is such a main part of his story and these dreaming eyes just weren't cutting it.

So here is with one eye open:

I also have sanded a bit of his chin and jaw but you can't see that too well.

and both eyes open, and sanded smooth:



Aaaaand the finished look with a crappy quick face-up by me:



I think I have done well for my second eye opening. I used an Exacto Knife and some sand paper, face-up was done with MSC, Pastels, Acrylics, and some fake human lashes that were trimmed a lot :3 ​

 

Thank you x3 there's two little nicks on the edge of his eye I need to buff out but other then that I'm pretty satisfyed.

thanks x3333

For so long I was thinking of sending him off to get his eyes opened, but after modding my friends dolls eyes open I decided I should take the plunge and do it myself xD

 

Posting here because I've got a question.

When opening the eyes of a dreaming head [I plan on using an exacto knife]
Should I beveling the eyes first, or should I go back and do that after cutting out the shape?

 

Hi.

I don't know if this has been asked before, but nevermind

I'm considering buying a MNF Woosoo, but i'd like the eyes a little more open - how can I do this myself? Is it quite simple?

Is it a case of simply using a knife to scrape away a little resin at a time?

Hope you can help me!

 

From the Modifications Sticky at the top of this forum: http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=878

 

Oh thanks alot! ^^

 

Hi!

Can anyone help me? I'm considering buying a MNF Woosoo - his eyes are a little narrower than i'd like so i'd like to open them out a little (only vertically)- but only by about a couple of mm.

What do I need to do this? Since i'm only taking off a few mm is it okay to just sand it down with fine sand paper, or maybe use a craft knife?

Also what does it mean to have eyes "beveled" and will I need to do this with my Woosoo?

Thanks!

 

I opened the eyes of both my Limhwa Dreaming Half Elf, Bella, & my Rickman Minimee head:



I used the dremel to do most of it, touching it very lightly & quickly until I had the effect I wanted. I then used very fine sandpaper to smooth the edges & bevel the insides.

While I was at it, I also used the dremel, sandpaper of varying grades, & a very fine exacto knife to put in a slight smile, & sandpaper to give her cheekbones.

Certainly you can use sandpaper. Start with a coarser grade, fold it into a narrow but stiffish strip, & insert in the eye hole & rub.

Beveling is just a term for making the inside edge of the eye hole such that on the inside it slants down at an angle instead of just a straight inward edge. The edge is sharper, & it allows the eyeball to rest closer to the eye opening & look more natural.

I don't have any good photos of the "new" face of my Rickman Minimee yet, tho.

 

Ok All You Guys...who Out There Can Do A Real Beautiful Job On Opening Up A Minifee Sleeping Shushu Vamp Head?????..i Dont Know Anything...shes My First Mini And The Only Shushu Head I Could Get...so I Need Someone With Skills...i Want Sexy Opened Eyes So You Can See Her Eyes...is There Anyone Out There Who Can Help Me....please..i Need A Specialist....

 

I have a Dreaming El I'm considering modding by myself, but I've never modded eyes before. Is there a way I'm supposed to do it so I don't mess it up. I'm thinking about drawing a line across the eyes in pencil and following along it. Is Resin easy to carve through? Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might do this easier?

 

Drawing a line is recommended. I use a small file for the heavy work and sand paper to finish things, but if you want to be carefull, you could use only sand paper and fold it until it's small enough to fit in the dreaming eye.
It takes me about half an hour and find it relatively easy, but keep checking if you are on the right track. It's not that hard to make a mistake and if you keep fixing mistakes you may end up with eyes that are larger than you actually wanted.

 

I see. I thought about using a file or sand paper rather than an exacto knife, like a friend of mine uses. I don't really want the eyes opened that much, just a bit more so I can see the eye.

What kind of sandpaper would you suggest? I don't usually use it, so I have no idea.

 

Use grits 800+ I suggest. The reason why is because if it's too heavy, the resin will come off way more than you wanted with each stroke

 

I don't use a knife, because of my bad luck. I'd just make a mistake and carve into something where the knife wasn't supposed to be. (Resin or fingers, the knife doesn't care. )
I use rough sand paper close to 400, but my files are rougher than that. The rougher the material you use, the faster you can work, but mistakes are also made faster.
If you are not sure, test your materials on a piece of junk resin (neck donut for example) or inside the head cap to get familiar with how it works.

 

I opened the eyes of my sleeping Shiwoo and am going to be working on my sister's sleeping vampire Woosoo soon as I get a beveler. I just used an Xacto knife and sandpaper. Just draw with pencil the line you want and cut carefully a bit short of it so you have a bit of room in case of mistakes. Then cut out the shape and slowly and carefully cut out little bits at a time. It will take awhile, but its not as hard as it looks. And make sure you have extra blades! I used a new blade for each eye just to make sure it was still sharp.

 

I made the eyes of my DZ Yume larger, but because they have to be so wide open, they don't have that line above the eyes anymore. DOes anyone know how I can make that?

 

When I did my Shiwoo I just left a little of the eyelid so that he did have it, but you could sand a little crease into the desired space so it looks like that. Just fold a bit of sand paper in half and use the fold to sand it. that way it only sands the line you want. Other wise if you feel you are particularly skilled you can carve shallow with an Xacto blade then sand or even build one up out of epoxy I imagine.

 

Here's my question. I have a Dreaming (closed completely) head, and I'd like to make it Sleepy (partially closed). Her eye lids weren't completely sealed, so I took an exacto knife and parted them the rest of the way. So she's still dreaming but there's the tiniest bit of an opening (I can barely fit the blade inside the space).

There is an eyewell inside the head, and the resin of the eyelid is translucent enough that I actually thought my faceup had stained her eyes. Nope, just a shadow. XP

Question: Since I'd rather not cut the eyelid and lose the crease on it, is it possible/doable/okay for me to heat her eyes/face and push the eyelids open? Is this too risky? Would I be better off giving her the chop?

 

i've found something about it on youtube...
its in 3 part
1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4Bg0qP9vo
2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHYZ0vATMqw
3- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOE9U51UrL4

im not so sure if it really helps u to understand how to do, but its always nice to see how its done i guess...

 

Well Bluoxyde and Dustbunnie requested for one...
I don't know how it could help anyone though...
I'm doing a "dreaming" squinty eye today~ (time constraints)

Ok here's what we need:

Container with water (impt!- so you don't die from resin poisoning)
Face mask (those surgical mask will do too- so you don't breathe in resin dust)
Head (we have a lishe today~)
Tiny files
Craft knife
Eye Beveller
Sand Paper


Head~~
Here we can see that the resin behind lishe's eyes are quite thin...


So we shall bevel it abit
Turn the eye beveller in circles
REMEMBER: Dip the head in the water often so that the resin dust would not fly around! Keep it wet.


Hold it against the light. You can see that the resin is getting thinner.
Do this often as you bevel so that you don't bevel too much


Here I've drawn out the eye shape I want in pencil


Using the craft knife (note that i used the other blunt side of the blade), I start to scrape of bits of resin following the eye line.
Continue to do so carefully until the craft knife goes right through the eye.


Here we have a little hole~
Lishe: I can see abit!!!


Disgusting looking resin dust.


When the hole is big enough, you can now use the file to slowly file away bit s of resin. Remember to take your time so you don't over-shot the line you drew.( Its easier to take away resin SLOWLY then to add on disgusting epoxy- nope you don't want that)
You can change the shape slowly as you work, putting in the eyes to see how it looks like.

 

THICK EYE WELL OF DOOM! D:


So we bevel some more.


Lishe: My eye has pus!!!! T^T

We're almost done~

We cut a thin strip of sand paper. (Fine grain!!!)


Now this may be tricky.
Pull the sand paper back and forth from the face and the inside of the head
all around the eye socket so that the jagged edges are smoothened out.


Lishe:

Just repeat with the other eye~

Hope it helps~

,
Fayerie

Just in case you are interested..
This is what she became

haha i didn't stop at dreaming ^^

 

That sounds so easy! I'd been hoping to try that eventually. I think I will be ordering a sleeping head with my Shushu after all! Thanks for the tutorial!

 

Sounds great! Looks like I might have to do something with that sleeping shushu head afterall! XD Thanks for this!

 

GREAT tutorial! ^^ I already looked for one before opening my boys eyes, but couldn't find any so I just started working on him... I wish I had waited untill now, because the 'keep it wet'-tip is so handy! I had resin dust flying all over the place =3=

 

Ohmygosh the tutorial! *hugs your leg* luv!
It's awesome=) I gott get that round sanding tool tip!
Did you do this one with a good old luts head or one of them new fairyland heads with thicker resin?
And it's a shiwoo...*squirms* oh god!
You rock my socks

 

I never realized that opening eyes were that easy. I think I'm going to buy some closed eye heads that I saw.

 

Thanks guys ^^

Bluoxyde>> I don't know where this head came from!! Found it lying around at my friend's place and she doesn't want it so she sold it to me. Its a lishe though. Looks alot like a shiwoo

 

Okay, I answered my own question last night. It is doable to make a Closed-eye head into a Partially closed-eye head with steaming.

So long as you have the proper tools, which I did not. I ended up tearing her eyelid.

 

That's a great toturial. Thank you so so much.

*Hugs fayerie.*



Dustbunnie

 

Holy pancakes!! I wish I had friends who have MNF head lyin around ther house XD And the insides of the head state "Fairyland", but isn't the Fairyland resin supposed to be uber-thick behind the eyes? I'll see that on my boy anyways XD I
And don't you tempt me with the shiwoo-ness XD Yeah Lishes look a lot like them exept for the eyes...I loves shiwoo eyes, the open ones :3 Would you post pictures of that head mod finished? I'd love to see what this dreaming version would look like^^

 

Thank you for this. I'd always been terrified of attempting my own eye mods for fear of doing irreversible damage, but this makes it look very simple and not scary at all. Wonderful step-by-steps with great visual aids. I'm saving this to my favorites.

 

I'm in a bit of a dilemma, the dollie I'm getting has completely sleeping eyes, I'm so confused on how to open them and I don't want to risk the face up either...From what I can see, he doesn't have any ridges like your demo head... I ish confused..>< http://www.junkyspot.com/IMAGES/DOLLZONE/dreamxi10.jpg

 

Wonderful tute, will be very helpful

 

Thanks for the great tutorial!

 

Oh one question^^
I have searched around for an Eye Beveller tool, but I have found nothing more but sanding paper, where did you get it? :3 Can something simillar be found on bjd companies web sites?

 

Ooooh, this is great! I'm planning to mod two tiny heads so this is really helpful. *subscribes*

Did you get the files at a local hobby store?

 

I know a few dollie companies sell eye bevellers. I can't remember right off hand which site sells them. But, if you look around, you should find quite a few. ^_^

 

This is where I get my eye beveller tools.

Hope that helped!

 

I have found one on Dollmore if someone is interested ^^

 

I've never seen a Fairyland Sleeping head with such thin resin before.... I wonder if its exclusive to the Lishe Sleeping of the ones I've done DES, Soo, Ruth, Seorin, Ryeon and Woosoo all had REALLY thick resin ie: no eyewells at all!! And since I use a dremmel unfortunately I cant use water so its like resin snow when I'm at work LOL..... (I wear goggles and a respirator)

BTW the end result = *love* She's beautiful!!!

 

thank you ALL!

Whitewings>> i think she could very well be from luts instead of fairyland... I think the newer mnfs do not have grooves behind the eyes... my mnf vampire shiwoo and shushu (all sleeping) from luts had the eye holes behind the eyes.. my ryeon sleeping had super thick eye wells too..

 

I am looking to open my sleeping karsh head. with the thickest ever resin behind the eyes.What tip would i use on my dremel to sand out an eyewell? I would imagine doing it by hand with my beveler would take years lol.

 

A beveler would probably be best. And I think Dollmore already has a solution to your problem. This beveler tip here: http://www.dollmore.net/shop/step1.php?number=6968 looks like it would fit into a dremel or drill like a regular bit. I was thinking of picking up a couple of them myself.