Custom Twinkle Eye help?

[StarGazaar]

Hey everyone!!

I've decided to go on the mildly stressful journey of making a custom! I've done more than a few rehairs and symbol paints before, so I think I've gotten enough practice to try my hand at an original character!

The main issue is...well, my base is a normal G1 earth pony but the character I'm trying to make is Twinkle Eyed  I have gems in the right size, I'm just unsure on how to go about getting them in place and not look like they're bulging out...does anyone have any tips or tutorials? Thanks!

[BlackCurtains]

What kind of gems are you using? Are they flatback? If they are, you should just be able to glue them in place. Don't use super glue as it melts the foil backing. If they are pointed back, you're going to have to cut a hole to fit it into and glue it in place around the edges.

Real TE eyes are like a plug. Which is also something you could do if you wanted to sculpt it.

As far as bulging goes, they are going to do that a little. If it bothers you, the only thing I can think of is cutting a hole to sink it into. But really, if you have the right sized gems they should look fine.

[StarGazaar]

Ahh, thanks!! Mine are flatbacks, I was just having trouble getting them to look right on the pony's head
I think my plan now is to smooth down the original pupil and then glue on top then

[vampyrefay]

Its normal for twinkle eyes to bulge slightly

[Twizel]

I did twinkle eyes on one of my customs before. This might be more work than you want to do, but I carefully cut out the pupil and iris of the base pony, then pushed the gem into place from the inside of the pony's head, securing it with duct tape or glue.

Let me go find the result:
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[LadyMoondancer]

Great Mimic custom, gorgeous!

I did a custom set of G3 Twinkle Eyes once and I cut out the pupil and inserted the craft gem from the inside.  I used epoxy, against the back of the gem / the inside of the pony's head, to hold the gem in.

[Eruna]

I made a twinkle eye custom from a super baity Gingerbread. I had to cut the gems out and rebuild the eyes from the inside of the head with Apoxie sculpt, then set flat-backed Swarovski cabochons as the eyes.
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[Toilandtrouble123]

I'm just in the middle of casting my first set of TE's taken from a Sweetstuff bait.

Aiming to do casts of the TE ponies too, with the eye holes too, so I can make TE customs whenever. If casting the head with the eye hole doesn't go to plan, I'll look for  leatherworking hole punch that's the right diameter instead. I've previously found just sticking on rhinestones somehow doesn't look "right", even after sanding the eyeball down a bit...  hence this project.

Once I've perfected the process, I can let you know, and maybe send you a pr of TE's in your chosen resin colour.

The aim is to insert them from the inside, then secure with hot glue. Then mix nail art pearly pigment powder with clear sealant, and apply a thin layer over the outside of the eyes.

[TwistedRiver]

I haven't done it yet due to needing both the right size gems and a proper bait. I know when I do get around to it I plan on cutting the iris and pupil out to make room for the gems.