How to Paint Glass Eyes on Dolls

The lifelike look of glass doll eyes can be achieved using much sturdier painted materials.

Glass doll eyes, though lifelike and beautiful, are also delicate, breakable and expensive. Luckily, the look and color of glass doll eyes can be achieved without fear of their fragility by painting sturdier, regular clay doll eyes in a particular way and applying a clear polyester casting resin to the eye. With a few basic tools and techniques, you can paint your own "glass" doll eyes in a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• White polymer clay
• Paintbrush
• Acrylic paint
• Clear polyester casting resin

Instructions

1. Decide on the size of doll eyes you require. If you are replacing old doll eyes with new ones, use the old doll eyes as a reference. If you do not have old doll eyes to use as a reference, follow this general rule: the size of an average human eye has a 1 inch diameter. Adjust this size to the scale of your doll -- a doll that is made to a 1/8 human scale would have an eye with a diameter of 1/8 inch, while a doll that is made to a full human scale (such a baby doll) would have an eye with a diameter of 1 inch.

2. Shape two pieces of clay into two ovals that are rounded on one side but flat on the other, and that are appropriately sized for the scale of your doll. These white pieces will serve as the sclera or white of the eye. Lightly press a perfectly round object (such as the end of a paintbrush or pencil) into the center of the sclera to create the indentation for the eye's iris. The iris should have a diameter that is roughly half of that of the entire eye, so use any round object that suits your needs.

3. Place the eyes onto a baking sheet. Make a tent out of aluminum foil and place the tent over the unbaked clay. Place the baking sheet into an oven that is preheated to 215 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Polymer clay can be baked at any temperature within this range; however, certain brands of clay require baking at specific temperatures, so check the clay's packaging for the manufacturer's recommended baking temperature and time. Bake the clay for 30 minutes or for the amount of time specified on the clay's packaging.

4. Remove the eyes from the oven and let them cool completely. Paint the inside of the iris the color you want your doll eyes to appear. Let this paint dry completely before moving on. After the paint is dry, add a small black dot to the center of the iris. This will be the eye's pupil. The pupil should be no larger than half the size of the iris. Let the paint used for the pupil dry completely.

5. Apply a drop of clear polyester casting resin to the center of the iris. The goal of the polyester casting resin is to build up the clear bulge on the front of the eye -- the cornea -- and give the eyes the glossy look of glass eyes. After the first resin application has dried, apply another application. Continue to apply resin applications until you have a bulge over the iris. After the final resin application has dried completely, paint the entire surface of the eye with the resin to give the entire eye a glassy shine. Let the eyes dry completely before putting them on your dolls.

Tips & Warnings

• If you bake clay frequently, do not use an oven regularly used for food. Instead, use a conventional oven or toaster oven that you use only for baking clay.

References

• Noni Dolls: Making Glass Eyes
• Marinas Dolls: Making Glass-like Doll Eyes
• CIS: Parts of the Eye
• Polymer Tutorials: Polymer Clay Baking