Create Life-Like Characters
FREE LESSON + FREE 7-DAY TRIAL
Make real progress on your character design goals by painting 4 eye styles in real-time with me. Access our entire library of past course broadcasts plus new LIVE courses!
Learn By Doing
Start Now – Watch the First Lesson Free!
From organic creature eyes to tech-inspired robot optics enhanced with LED effects, learn to paint realistic eyes with me for life-like addition to your projects and characters.
I’ll show you how to get incredible results for projects of all kinds like puppets, masks, animatronics and other electronics projects using affordable materials and painting techniques that beginners can pick up quickly, with a few airbrush modifications for more intermediate artists.
$19.99/MONTH + FREE 7-DAY TRIAL!
40% OFF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS
Paint With Me Side-By-Side
Get the Materials
Although you can watch and participate without painting anything, getting hands-on with the process is where the real learning and growth happens.
1″ / 30mm Glass Cabochons
1″ Acrylic Half Spheres
30mm Acrylic Balls
Acrylic Paint Set
Fine Detail Brush Set
Airbrush Set (optional)
Airbrush Paints (optional)
What We’ll Do Together
TAKING A COURSE IS JUST THE BEGINNING
Unlike other course platforms, your creative journey doesn’t end after the last lesson. Accelerate your growth with a supportive and inspiring group of peers as a member of our Engineering Artists community.
In addition to this course, members have access to:
COURSES
- All live and on-demand courses for a more well-rounded skillset.
- New LIVE lessons with real-time chat every month.
- All course activity feeds.
- Updates & revisions to all courses.
BUILD TOGETHER SESSIONS (via ZOOM)
- LIVE virtual community making sessions where we dedicate time to our projects, share skills, showcase what we’re working on, ask questions and interact with peers.
COMMUNITY
- A community of supportive and engaged makers who are excited to offer encouragement, accountability, and feedback on your projects (including me).
- A mobile app to help you stay connected with our community anywhere, anytime.
$19.99/MONTH + FREE 7-DAY TRIAL!
40% OFF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS
Previous Live Recordings
Watch On Demand, Create & Paint in Real-time
Lesson 1
Painting Eyes on Glass Cabochons (Dome Tiles)
We’re kicking off our course on everything CREATURE PEEPERS with perhaps the most budget-friendly option of all – painting eyes on glass dome cabochons. The flat bottom makes for an easier painting surface and the curved top gives your design believable depth and movement. Cabochons also come in a variety of shapes from round and oval to tear drop.
Lesson Content
- Introduction to Materials & Techniques
- Prepping and Masking Options
- Painting the Pupil
- Shadowing the Limbus
- Adding Striations to the Iris
- Filling in Transparent Areas
- Final Layer and Sealing
Lesson 2
Painting Eyes on Acrylic Hemispheres
We’ll be getting more practice by painting another style eye using a different color palette. You’re welcome to continue using the glass cabochons from the last lesson, or if you were able to get them, acrylic hemispheres. The higher dome shape of the half spheres give your eyes even more depth and movement than the shallower glass cabochons. Either way, the brush painting techniques are the same. We’re also going to be breaking out the airbrush for even more realism and better shading.
If you don’t have an airbrush, no worries. I’ll show you techniques with your brush to achieve some great results!
Lesson 3
Painting Acrylic Spheres with Pupil Reflection
Full sphere eyes are a great option if you want maximum rotation and movement with your eye mechanism. Unlike the cabochons and half spheres where all the artwork has happened in the back of the eyes, we’re now going to paint the entire surface. Another advantage to full spheres is that by masking a pupil shape beforehand so that it’s clear acrylic at the end allows you to look deep into the eye and get a realistic reflective effect inside.
We’ll be using our airbrush to basecoat our spheres black and white but you can also basecoat them with regular spray paint. With cabochons and hemispheres we layered paint from the top to the bottom but now we’ll be going in the reverse order.
Lesson 4
Robot & Cyborg Eyes with LED Backlight
Up until now we’ve done a variety of animal and creature-themed eyes so it’s time to move towards the other end of the spectrum – from organic to tech. We’ll mask off a more complex pupil and paint mechanical elements on our eye. Then it will be time to wire up an LED, drill a hole at the back of the eye for it and watch the light shine through our pupil!
Grab another roll of tape because this one will be our most masking-intensive eye yet!
FAQs
Still have questions? Free free to contact me!