Budget Method For Adding Eyes To A Bust, Statue, Costume, or Display

[shenphong]

Want to make your own budget set of eyes for a life size bust or monster mask/bust?

Give this a try:
1. Purchase a set of blue eyeballs sold on many halloweenshops online, can be found on amazon and ebay too for around $4


2. Carefully remove the plastic clear lens from the eyeball, I used an x-acto knife and just pried them off

3. The pupil area is painted on, either sand and polish or remove the paint with acetone

4. There is a file for different eye print outs found online, I went ahead and made my own sith eyes for use with my Maul bust

5. Paint the eye bulbs/balls whatever shade you desire, they are rubbery so paint accordingly


6. Print and cut out the eye design and lay flat


7. Add a dab of adhesive to the side of the lens, be very careful as some adhesives such as superglue, create a haze. The eye on the right was a rush and ended up squishing it too much


8. Carefully place the lens into the eye ball and you've got yourself an eye!





Hope this helps someone, total cost for me was about $8 to make my two eyes. I would be happy to share the file and provide anyone with my sith eye files if needed.

 

[mykindofscum]

Very cool! Always great to see innovative budget props and costume. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Cameron]

Talk about perfect timing, I'm doing a Luke head right now. This is great thank you!

 

[mau5]

Very cool, some 5 minute expoxy on top of that would really set them off.

 

[shenphong]

NP, yep, I'll be testing out methods to clear coat them, epoxy, even nail polish clear coat as well as adding in veins etc. This also inspired me into seeing if I can cast my own set in resin so that they are easily paintable (the rubber ball will squish and paint may peel) to sell as budget eyes too, not much more expensive then the rubber eyes here and much better in the long run. If you guys needed any eye "designs" let me know and I'll try and mock something up for you.

 

[Cameron]

I need some blue irises for luke if you have any

 

[Pippspriller]

Use red wool fibers for capillaries.


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[Mr Mold Maker]

The same company makes white eyes as well. Not sure how to find them, but I'm sure one of you Google ninjas can figure it out.

They are slightly better because they are hard plastic as opposed to the soft rubber of the clear ones. They'd still need to be painted though.

 

[shenphong]

Thanks Mold Maker, did not know that. I'll have to take a search as the eyes I got were in a open package in a ziplock bag. I was told that red wool fibers or red silk were good for capillaries and Cameron, sorry for the delay, I'll see what I can find for you.

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

Picture to compare.

Wish I could be of more help there. I googled "plastic Halloween eyes" and gave up after about 20 seconds of searching. :lol

If it helps, the hard plastic ones have a brown iris, while I've only seen the clear rubber ones with blue.