A Great Stenciling Tip for Making Eyes Look Alive

[?] Subscribe To This Site

A Great Stenciling Tip for Making Eyes Look Alive

Have you ever heard someone say, "That picture keeps looking at me." Well, here are two stenciling tips for adding realistic effects to eyes. The best way to breathe life into a painting is to get it to look back at you. So, let's get to it!

The first tip gives eyes a wet and round appearance. Use a very thin artist brush and dip it into white paint. Brush the paint in a half circle motion around the iris (black center) of the eye. The paint of the eye must still be wet so that you get a blending effect.

If the eye color has dried, pour a little on your palette and swirl it around with the white in the half circle motion. Don’t blend the white paint too well. You want the white to leave streaks of the lightened eye color to give the appearance of a deep, glassy look.

The second stenciling tip for eyes is so easy. Use a very thin artistbrush and dip the tip straight down into a dab of white paint. With the same straight down motion, paint a dot or even two just off the center of the iris. This will give the eyes an appearance of light reflection.

Here are some examples using each stenciling tip described above:

Notice the swirling motion that the white paint left when blended with the wet black paint of the eye. You can see where some of the black paint was pulled back into the white paint with the brush. This really contributes to the glassy effect.

What do you think about the two white dots? Do they remind you of light reflection?

Check out the whole painting below.

I’ve added two more samples of eyes finished with these techniques and the whole picture for you to see the effects. Notice how this works with different shaped eyes.

There is nothing like a pair of puppy dog eyes to pull at your heart strings! I hope these hints and tips help you get that effect in your next painting project.

In an effort to bring to you a complete solution for all of your stenciling needs, we now have a catalog for you to browse a large variety of designs. So, check out our Stencils Catalog for your next project.

Below is a sample of the design books that we offer. This book includes the stencils used as examples on this page. Each book will come to you as a down-loadable pdf file in your e-mail. Just check your e-mail after purchase for the link to connect to your file and print or save. It's that easy!

All designs can be adjusted to fit your project size. Instructions are included. Pages are 8.5” x 11”.

Zoo Babies: Stencils for a Nursery

This collection includes 7 designs- an Elephant, a Giraffe, a Hippo, a Lion, a Monkey, a Tiger and a Zebra.

This purchase is of a PDF file with 40 pages.

Price: $9.95

For more Stencil Designs (like these), that you can open at your computer and print now or save (No waiting on the Mail Man), just check out our Stencils Catalog for your next project.

If you’d rather get these Stencil Pattern Books in Print , then visit our Printer’s Book Shop for the same designs in book format that will be mailed to you.

The Stencil Designs used as examples on this web site are courtesy of Designs From Penny.

Would you like to build a web site like this one and turn a passion into a business? Well, if I did it, you can too. Don't think that you have to be a web designer and know all about computer codes and complicated html stuff. I didn't. With Site Build It! it's easy and they have the tools in place to help you build pages and teach you how to create a successful web site. Want more information? Just click on Powered by Site Build It! here or on the banner below and watch a cool video that will explain everything. I know you'll get excited like I did.

Return to Home Page from Stenciling Tip for Eyes.

Return to Advanced Tips from Stenciling Tip for Eyes.