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Custom Eyes the windows to the soul.
By admin | August 13, 2008
Well not for the everyday job, but there are times when you need something special. Mainly for marine fish and mammals, but also for crocodiles and large reptiles.
I will focus on fish, since that is my main area of focus.
Sharks, Marlin, Tuna, and Tarpon all have a very unique pupil shape. And Glass eyes are just not an option if you are shooting for realism.
A highly realistic eye can add so much life to a fish mount or replica.
In this tutorial I will be focusing on an eye for a large bull shark.
Shark pupils are very unique some have vertical pupils and some horizontal. but most do not have a slit pupil like that of a snake or a cat. The pupil normally has a slight widening at the top and bottom of the slit. If you look close this is actually a series of fissures that contract in brighter light. At night these open up and the pupil will be oval or even round.
The tissue around the pupil is normally darker and has a slight texture, this tissue contracts when the pupil opens.
Here is the referance photo for the project.
Here you can see the darker tissue around the pupil, and the flaring of the pupil at the top and bottom.
we start by sculpting they eye in clay. I use polymer clay (sculpey)
Remember the eye isnt a half sphere. It is domed up at the cornea (the Corneal bulge) this is VERY important to replicate accurately if you wish to achieve a natural depth.
Here is the sculpted eye.
And you can see the corneal bulge. The bulge is the only part of the eye that is “clear”
The eye is molded with silicone. I used silicone caulk with a dap of acrylic paint, smoothed over with dishsoap.
Its a low cost alternative to the other silicones. Although this mold will not last as long, but for this project it fit the bill.
After the silicone set I removed the mold, and poured in a 50/50 blend of bondo.
A registration line is drawn on the casting and the mold so we can line it up perfectly later on.
Here is the finished cast. This was cleaned and lightly sanded smooth.
Next I drew the basic shape of the eye. I will next carve away the corneal bulge and create the dished Iris of the eye.
Here you can see the Iris dished out. I leave a small bulge in the center where the pupil sits. this replicates the lens of the eye under the tissue of the iris.
Next I carefully draw the shape of the pupil. This will now be carved out using a dremal tool and a small metal grinder.
Here is the carved out pupil. BE CAREFUL! this is a tight spot, you want to not just carve down but also hollow it out a bit.
Also remember the flaring at the top and bottom of the pupil, this is carved lightly into the iris, not going as deep as the pupil itself.
Now the fun begins, PAINTING!
Since this is species specific I will not go into the painting. Just take your time and look at the referance.
Here is the eye, you can never have a big enough referance picture for this. the potential for detail is endless.
I only painted the Iris with a little overlap onto the sclera (White of the eye)
Now the tricky part. Casting the clear portion of the eye.
Clean your silicone mold and fill it half the way with clear resin.
Here we put the resin into the mold.
At the same time fill the pupil and iris of the painted eye with resin. This will help prevent bubbles.
working quickly we put the eye back into the mold. Line up the registration line.
I find it best if the eye is rolled into the mold gently rather then pressed straight down. this helps avoid bubbles.
The eye is pressed down and the excess resin flows out. this is sanded off later.
After a few hours the resin is set and the time has come.
Here is the eye out of the mold. I normally place the mold under a lamp for about an hour before handling it.
This helps cure the surface of the resin.
Here you can see the corneal bulge right where it should be.
After the resin is set, I will polish they eye if needed. More often then not, all that is needed is a gentle buffing over a cotton cloth.
Next I paint on the surface membrane around the cornea, as well as the sclera.
The eye is then covered with a hard lacquer.
Here is the finished eye, ready to set.
I normally set them after all painting of the fish is finished. If they are set before I would cover them with molding latex to prevent scratches.
And here is the referance photo again.
As always, Good luck!
And if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Thanks for reading.
~Josh
Topics: taxidermy |
October 31st, 2008 at 11:21 am
Hi, I’m fascinated by your website tutorials. Currently, the one on creating the eye. It’s great. I do have a question tho.. you say mix 50/50 Bondo. Is that untypically 50% resin and 50% hardener?? If so, why so much hardener?
Thanks.. Bill