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This isn’t the way you’re “supposed” to make taxidermy eyes, and we need to do more experiments – but it’s a good start.
It was fun to see how nice the eyes looked after they were glued to the glass cabochons – even the ones I painted really fast.
But I do hope you have some suggestions for ways to glue them to the glass so we don’t get the cracks or greying. You have to look really close to see those flaws, but it would be nice to find better glue. A clear acrylic gel, maybe? If you have some good ideas for us, please let us know in the comment section below.
To see how to paint directly on the back of the glass, see Pia’s post here.
Don’t miss Jessie’s “Simplified Landscapes” workshop.
Click here to learn more about the workshop
If you’d like to sculpt a bongo antelope from scratch, watch the two videos about the one I made 9 years ago (but remember that I was doing a lot of experiments when I made him, and I wouldn’t necessarily do it the same way now):
Be sure to subscribe if you’d like to be notified when my new bongo antelope pattern is finished. Or just check this page to see if it’s available, and to see all the other patterns for masks and sculptures.
Update, 6/24/2023 – I hope to make glass eyes for a sculpture of an alpaca that Jessie and I met a few weeks ago. If you’d like to see the amazing farm we visited, click here.
I made a glass cabochon eye using the paint on paper method a couple of years ago. I used a product called Diamond Glaze to adhere the cabochon. It dried very clear and has held up well. I didn’t want to paint on the cabochon either : )
Thanks, Teri! 🙂
Hi,
Love this side by side video. 🙂 I have a quick question. When you are painting the yellow rays on the eyes you are using a specialized brush. It has four sections that are perfect for making the rays. Did you buy this brush or did you make it by trimming a regular brush?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Dot. I bought the brush because I ruined one my daughter recommended to us, called a ‘grainer brush.’ That brush was great for making fur marks and I loved using it, but I managed to ruin it with a little hot glue accident. When I looked for a similar brush to order I found a set that isn’t exactly the same, but it had several brushes in different sizes so I ordered it. I used the smallest one in the video, and it was fun to play with. This is the one I ruined, and this is the set I bought to replace it. 🙂
Mod Podge Dimension Magic (3d varnich)
You can also paint directly on the flat side of the glass cabochons. If you want to test and see what effect it gives.
You can also paint directly on the flat side of the glass cabochons ?
I would use a glossy gel medium. It sticks very well, and can handle the kind of card you used easily.
That’s a great idea. I did try the gel I happen to have on hand, which was supposed to dry clear, but it stayed white under the glass and never cleared up. Do you have a recommendation for a brand that would work better?
Both Golden and Liquitex gel gloss mediums are very good. They are in tubs, not bottles.
Thanks for the link to the cabochons
You’re welcome. 🙂