"Eyes on 15mm" Topic

So do you put eyes on your 15mm? Ya, people say you can't see them, but still I just have to do it, If the miniature possibly can take them. Are they the best, and can anyone see them from three feet away? Maybe Maybe not, but I still have to.

So most of the time they just get a black dot. I have some .25mm Pigma Micron pens and its as easy as steading the miniature, steading my hand, wearing my 6x reading glasses, and putting a black dot on they eye place. I dont paint any white but just give them a black dot. It makes all the difference from 3 feet away, but I still do it anyway.

I did it at beginning but don't bother now.

I've found a Reikland Flesh wash over flesh paint gives sufficient facial detail at 15mm

Ditto. A dark brown wash over the flesh is plenty.

Those figures look very well painted indeed.
A wonderful standard.

If you can do eyes then that adds to the figure.

Many folk like myself cannot do eyes as our own eyes are not up to the task.
"Doing your best" is always good enough in my opinion.

martin

Painting eyes on 15s is taking the short cut to madness!

Never. Most folks can't paint eyes properly.

I've only seen eyes done convincingly on minis a couple of times ever, and that was on 28mm and larger figs. Unless it's done perfectly it completely distracts from the rest of the paint job. And realistically, unless you're fairly close to a person you can't see their eyes anyway

Shaded sockets/wash. Black dots where appropriate.

Phil

Hell no!

Adds to the chorus of Nays

Painted eyes generally look weird (to me!). Shading the socket is far more convincing (again…to me)

Not even on my 28s…

Played in a friend's 15mm fantasy game, a couple of years ago. Some figures I was commanding appeared to be little green blobs, on the tabletop. I picked them up to get a closer look to see what exactly they were…

Turns out they were Goblins -- or Orcs (not sure which). I am near-sighted, so I looked over my glasses, holding the mini's around two inches from my orbit: they had white eyes, with black dots for pupils! They were superbly, amazingly well painted. At two inches from my orbit. On the tabletop, they were indistinguishable green blobs, to my eyes.

I paint, and game with, 54mm plastic Army Men figures. I do not paint their eyes, nor do I bother painting the eyes on my 20mm – 28mm figures. I apply The Dip -- Royal Walnut (dark, dirty brown wash), and call them done. On the tabletop, they look great. Closer than two feet, they do not look nearly as good. I view my mini's at 3+ feet, 99% of the time, so I paint for the 99%, ignoring the 1%. My figures, my choice. Your figures, your choice. Nothing wrong with either choice. Enjoy your hobby! Cheers!

If they are sculpted clearly I do. Essex is about the only manufacturer who does this. Some Old Glory ones too – all of these are drawn from my blog at flashman14.blogspot.com:

These are TTG?

I don't even put eyes on 25mm … but then, I'm usually painting people in spacesuits, powered armor, or helmets with visors or goggles.

I have 'eyes' on wolves and a bear for Palaeo Diet but they are basic red dots against dark fur. Without 'eyes' the figures just did not look correct.

Most of the planned animals (inc giant spiders and mammoths) will get very basic eyes but as for the hominids, a flesh wash (Relkland Fleshshade from memory) sufficed.

The main driver for this is actually the figure quality and shape as the human faces are not a clean cast as the animals and more 'scrunched' up than the flatter animals.

I have done eyes on 15mm before, but I decided it slowed me down too much.

I can do pretty decent eyes on 28mm, but I don't on most figures. I do Napoleonics, and one thing practically every shaking has is a visor. Looking down on them while standing around the table puts one in the position of the sun, relative to the figure. So you see the visor, not the eyes. So why bother? If you want to see if I can paint eyes, look at the generals – their cocked hats don't have visors, so they get eyes.

It can be difficult to balance my sense of practicality with my more obsessive-compulsive urges.

Many years ago I did this experiment with members of my family, who still talk about it to this day. "Just stand there and look 'normal.'" :-)

Outside in normal light, take a photo of a person facing your camera. (Honestly works in any light.) Shrink person's image until it matches the size of the miniature you are painting. Now hold the image at arm's length, which is how you will see it on the table. Heck, even hold it up closer to your eyes for same result. (No one plays with miniatures 6" from their face!)

I challenge you to see eyes on anything from 32mm and smaller. All you will see is a darker "slit" area where the eyes are. If really really really lucky you might see a small dot of white on outsides.

No one walks around with the eyes bugging out or with googly eyes--that is what most sculptors sculpt or painters paint. I hate those 'deer caught in headlights' figures, which many popular sculptors sell. Stop sculpting eyes! :-)

Actually, I found that *not* painting the 'eyes', making them a darker slit, makes the figures look even more menacing! That is what my non-gaming family said. So goodbye eyes!

I am now stepping off my soapbox.

I'll paint eyes on horses, but not usually on other figures unless they are special characters.
I do this now for the larger ones:

TMP link

;-)

That's why God made black washes. Works just as well for facial features as well as blacklining, if done properly.

I concur with those who cry "nay!" It makes the figures look like they're on a meth binge! Dark sockets are more realistic after all. If I've been walking, or riding for miles and lack sleep, I know I have dark sockets.

One of the main reasons I've stuck with 15s, I don't need to paint eyes.