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I am really struggling to paint on eyes on my models. I can just about do the white of the eye, but when it comes to the pupil i end up making a mess of it. I just can't get the tiny litlle dot of black paint small enougth.
I have even tried the technique of painting the eye black then doing the sides white, if anything that was less successful.
I am thinking maybe some sort of art black art pen is worth getting, does anyone use one and which manufacturer do you use?
I have seen elsewhere someone saying that a 0.005 size pen is best, but i have no idea.

Micron pens can work. Sigma Sakura is the brand I use and love them. 0.05 I believe is the size that I used.

However I suggest that rather than painting a single dot as a pupil, that you paint a black dot that reaches from the top of the eye to the bottom of the eye. In which ever position you want your miniature looking.

Elsewise at this scale you will get a startled look, and the miniature will just look odd.

You could also try buying a high quality detail brush like a w&n series 7, the tiny ones arnt very expensive and come to a perfect point


Heres an ebay link for a good eye brush.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Winsor-Series-7-MINIATURE-Kolinsky-Sable-Brush-Size-000-/320836710172?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&hash=item4ab35baf1c#ht_1643wt_1081

Skippy wrote:You could also try buying a high quality detail brush like a w&n series 7, the tiny ones arnt very expensive and come to a perfect point

Excellent advice here. A lot of the time when people are having trouble painting very fine detail, the main problem is the brush they are using. I would honestly not have believed brush quality could make such a massive difference had I not swapped to s7 myself and seen the immediate improvements.

If you are using a larger tipped brush, or one without a perfect strong point, painting eyes will be super difficult and using a micron would indeed be way easier, just make sure to not make the pupils tiny pinpoints as was also mentioned earlier.

Lick the brush into a point and come down on the eye at a right angle.

I use an old GW fine detail brush that's lost most of its bristles. It's actually more fine than it was when I got it, and it's still usable I should get some new brushes, one of these days.

I paint the dark colour that is to be the pupil first then paint in the lighter flesh of the eye later by putting a dot of it off to the side. Then if needed I come back to it and clean up the pupil. Avoids the crazy eyes.

For rank and file like guardsmen you can get away with just using a dark wash and avoiding painting the eye.

n0t_u wrote:For rank and file like guardsmen you can get away with just using a dark wash and avoiding painting the eye.

Seconded. A well washed eye looks better than 90% of painted eyes.

During my hours of research I found an excellent tip - it's called the "Slit Eye Technique".

Using a 000 or smaller Kolinsky Sable brush use a paint wash to draw detail from the whole eye and surrounding socket (a darkened brown, suggesting a shadowed or recessed flesh tone). Then, with an slightly-off-white colour paint the eyeball itself. Once dry, paint a black slit right down the middle of the eyeball, don't worry about getting excess above and below the eyeball itself. Once done, touch/cover up any excess. Done!

This is from the Hot Lead DVDs.

Thanks for the replies guys , i'll have a look into the suggestions.

whats up dude, it sounds like the brush definitely, i know its cheap and nasty, but if you are wanting it done and you either cant afford to buy an extra fine detail brush, or any reason you cant get one, and ive done it before when i first started, is to get a brush you dont use much, and pluck out loads of the brush hairs, so there are only a few or one single hair, the water the paint down a fair bit. rest your hand on something and you should be alright.

But anyhow the gw extra fine detail brushes are awesome and they last a fair bit if taken care of.

good luck.

black_crayon wrote:

But anyhow the gw extra fine detail brushes are awesome and they last a fair bit if taken care of.

good luck.

The series 7 000 and 00 brushes are far superior tho. They do cost more, but only £8ish and will last longer (years if you use brush soap)

You dont need to switch completely from gw but i think replacing the fine detail brush with one of those is a very worthwhile investment.