The secret to painting eyes on miniatures!

Learn how to paint those pesky tiny eyes on miniatures with these few methods and tips in the video.
This is great for beginners and gives you an understanding of how I go about painting teeny tiny eyes!
I hope that you will find this video useful :)
*PLEASE NOTE
𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘴 - 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 100% 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 :):)
𝘌𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺!
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[@SwordsandBrushes]

With miniature painting the term "Faces and bases" is used a lot, so after the eye video why not give this beginners basing video a try - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZniacqmAi8uffNE :)

[@Paplok]

It's worth remembering that the dark part painted in the middle is meant to symbolise both pupil AND iris, so it has to be sufficiently big. By painting just a thin line in the middle you might end up with lizard-looking eyes which are useful if you're painting the royal family but probably not with usual characters 😉

[@SwordsandBrushes]

add politicians to that list as well! lol My main method is the 2 dots one, after trying all of them, thats the one that seems to work the best with me. But the line painting is definitely my style for goblins, and a Lizardmen i painted recently :)

[@frogblasttheventcore69]

@@SwordsandBrushes what do you mean 'lol'? Queen Elizabeth isn't dead, she just shed her skin and took on a different personality. if you live as long as her then humans will find out the lizard-y truth...

[@spook9155]

​@@SwordsandBrusheswaiting for the Boris Johnson mini

[@ghasl1]

I use the toothpick method just paint the eyes white let it dry then use a toothpick drip in paint and do two eyes. So much easier than holding steady a brush.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

a very good idea! thanks you for sharing, hopefully others will see this comment and give that a go as well :)

[@mysidia]

I'm going to try this, thanks!

[@thegreatveritas]

ok, you never stop learning. When I started 40k I quickly switched to Marines. Because: No eyes! Then I switched to Orks. Just some red and boom, Eyes. Currently I paint Imperial Guard. Lots of Eyes. So number 2 it is for now. Usually my eyes look just as you said. I used a white spot and add some black. But that dot-thing seems just great.

[@AwkwardBirb]

Wooof! 32mm scale eyes are so hard, thanks for the guide and all the different methods! Now if I can just get the eyes to point in the same direction. 😂

[@SwordsandBrushes]

oh yes, and 28mm Middle Earth ones are a barrel of laughs also, especially the elves in helmets! lol

[@Alien1979x]

The most glamorous Yvraine ever! 6:55 Thanks for all, the best tutorial!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Glad you liked it! Haha yes that Yvraine likes to dress up and party!

[@ZzokK]

the "if you dont want your mini to look like a complete psychopath" got me laughing way too hard in the office lmao

[@SwordsandBrushes]

haha, you come here for a paint video - you get a smidge of comedy for your efforts as well :P

[@durzod2052]

A warning about using the pen method: varnish the eyes before using any washes. Unless you want a raccoon effect. The wash will reactivate the ink from the pen. I had to repaint the faces of a whole ten-man squad of British infantry to learn this.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thanks for sharing about your experience my friend! and it's good to know :) Sorry to hear about the squad. Now it's getting me thinking that i could do some interesting weathering and oil leaks etc with pens and washes :)

[@andreacook7431]

Use like a micron pigma. They're waterproof

[@breadroll3967]

Great video. Method 2 is what I usually go for though I only tend to do eyes for characters. Regular infantry whether they be WW2 Germans or Uruk Hai don't need eyes where they're going.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

haha won't they bump into things? :P

[@VianneyAlauzy]

oh thanks a lot for this ! I started painting really recently, and the eyes are a real struggle for now. I'm still in an "experimenting phase" to find what works the best for me so it's really appreciated to have multiples methods like this !

[@SwordsandBrushes]

You are very welcome! and also glad to hear that you have started recently! What have you painted so far? :)

[@elizabethmilward8301]

Yeah, I'm in that boat too.

[@xulles74]

Very useful! Thanxxxx

[@SwordsandBrushes]

You're welcome! :)

[@Shockwave377]

Thank you so so much. This was very helpful.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Glad to hear that the video was helpful! :)

[@christopherpeery7436]

Great idea with the pen. I might actually try it

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Hope it works out well for you :):)

[@timbuktu8069]

To me, the eye is *the MOST* important part of the figure. So, I *always* paint them first followed by the face. I paint the whites, followed by the pupils then comes the eye socket finally the flesh tone for the face. Notice I'm always working out. That way I don't need the skills of a surgeon to get the effect I want.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Great tip! Hopefully that may help someone else that reads the comments to give that a try :)

[@katahdin5300]

I off-white paint the eye, give it a light brown wash, dot the pupil with the eye color then use a tiny tipped artist marker to dot the center of pupil.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing your method wit us :):)

[@brentblanks1067]

Thank you very much. helped a lot.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Glad to hear that! Was there a method that you preferred the most? :)

[@samuelleask1132]

Thanks for this!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

My pleasure! :)

[@dead2ritesCrosshairs]

Just a little tip I have come up with in answer to how especially Warhammer minis seem to always have their hair or hoods in a way that partially covers one eye. Or it's great if you just don't feel like painting 2 eyes. Find a bit that is rounded and roughly a little bigger than the eye socket and cut a small chunk off (I like using scope ends). Then just cut around the eye enough to fit it and you get one of those cyborg looking lense-type optics. It has come in handy on more than several occasions.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thats a cool idea! And i suppose would work great if you have a bunch on minis that may also have duplicate heads to break them up a bit and make them different :)

[@8-bite393]

I always do a white background with a dot of black and finish it with a little white point that should be the reflection of the sun

[@MrWood-nc3bt]

I paint the eyes of a mini with the bulls eye way. The eye socket is painted with a dark flesh colour and then washed so you get a very dark flesh eye socket. Then a white eyeball and then the black dot. I have also a brush only for the eyes similar to the psycho brush. The firm and short tip helpes to get the black dot there where you want hit. Btw. thank you for this video.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

ah a good method also with the dark flesh tone and wash :) Thank you for sharing. Glad that you liked the video! :):)

[@theknobgoblin2855]

I like the Bolt Action heads!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

5 points! with another 5 if you can guess the sprue :P

[@theknobgoblin2855]

@@SwordsandBrushes Uhm...I'm going to guess something in the British 8th Army starter??

[@SvartElric9]

@@SwordsandBrushes Desert Rats frame?

[@acokami2041]

If you have trouble painting the figure's eyes, I have an easy solution for this. Start collecting greenskins figurines (orcs, goblins, trolls, etc.) and paint their eyes only with red, orange or yellow. You will save time and nerves, but you will waste money on new figurines.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Haha this comment wins! 🤣

[@luciogibilisco3047]

Great ideas and well explained! (although I will never get the two dots technique, isn't painting a single dot in the middle already painful enough?) I would add something that I've seen even great painters get wrong: you can't see the white of horses' eyes! (unless they're really agitated/scared)

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Thank you, glad that you liked the video :) For me i think the two dot method is my preferred way these days and the one i'm most comfortable with after trying the others in the past :) Hmm i never really thought about that until a quick Google, it's probably just to emphasise that it's there on a miniature, especially if you hold it a couple feet away from you - good to know though! :)

[@eekbeatsofficial]

I like to paint the white then use a 0.25mm acrylic pen to add the pupils

[@bronks1200]

I’m new to this hobby and trying to paint eyes made me almost throw the whole thing away. Even trying to put a little paint on the very tip of the brush is enraging. The harder I try the more I shake. I think from now on I’ll just avoid the eyes or pay someone else to paint it for me.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

i HATED it in the early years, they just looked like eggs lol

[@theblackantonio]

One slight mistake you made is placing the eyeballs dead center. If looking straight ahead, both eyeballs should be off center towards the nose.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Cool Tip! :)

[@drewross3221]

Both of you have helped me immensely in less than 10 minutes, thank you!

[@tuvaaq]

Method 3 reminded me of 1970's Gene Simmons from KISS 😝

[@AwkwardBirb]

I was totally having “The Crow” flashbacks 😂

[@SwordsandBrushes]

haha that is so true!! And now im thinking wouldn't it be cool to have Kiss as miniatures to paint up! They are awesome live, really enjoyed watching them couple years ago. :):)

[@tuvaaq]

@@SwordsandBrushes lol 3d printer goes buuuur.

[@tuvaaq]

@@AwkwardBirb not seen that movie but every time the subject of eyes comes up in mini painting I can't scrub the mental image of plastic Fellowship Gandalf staring at me!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

@@tuvaaq haha, i don't have one - but i always imagined it to be more of a humming sound

[@JarottM]

How would you tackle larger eyes like anime or inhuman eyes like feline?

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Good question, ive only done it a couple of times in the past (on cat creatures) i tend to make the pupil much bigger and then put a really small off white dot in the upper part of them. For the left eye as you look at the model then the dot is more in the 10 o clock position and for the right - the 2 o clock position. But if you only use digital clocks then that wont help :P

[@TheKurfer]

Thumbnail too funny lmao

[@SwordsandBrushes]

haha thanks! sometimes i like to be a bit silly! :)

[@marksminis]

I only have eyes for you! Thanks for breaking the ice - I'm going to paint some eyes dammit!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

aww shucks thanks! :) EYE thought this would be a nice little video to make as i see the question float around online. So if it helps anyone then i'm glad :):)

[@atinybard6594]

Darkest Dungeon method, just darkness

[@PerssonHenrique]

Secret to painting eyes: Don't 😂

[@SwordsandBrushes]

I had to start off with that one haha That's what I did for my early years! 😜

[@PerssonHenrique]

Hahaha, love it! I still avoid painting eyes but love the techniques you showed here! Might give it a try in the future (probably not 😅)...

[@JarottM]

Problem i keep having with tiny brushes is the paint dries so fast on the brush

[@SwordsandBrushes]

aye yes they do sometimes which makes you want to paint faster but then not mess up! haha Try adding a tiny amount of medium or some airbrush flow improver on your paint palette, that will slow down the drying time a bit. Or a wet palette does the trick as well :)

[@Nothingtoseehere997]

Warlords bolt action commonwealth/canadian heads

[@maj187]

Bolt action dessert rats sprue!

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Not far off! It was the British & Canadian Infantry sprue, which came free with a Wargames Illustrated mag a while back! :):)

[@johnnyb5271]

I hate when it 'spluffs'.....

[@SFTaYZa]

"impackful" it's not even a word and you still got it wrong.

[@SwordsandBrushes]

Impactful - "having a major impact or effect" :)

[@SFTaYZa]

@@SwordsandBrushes Effective is the word. Impactful is not a word.

[@echoechoecho7142]

Cringe. @@SFTaYZa

[@SFTaYZa]

@@echoechoecho7142 maggot