Eyes

[Midnight_Dream]

How important do you think it is to do them? Personally, I don't think that it is that important as I don't do them myself. I have an unsteady hand and trust me when I say that you wouldn't want to see them. The most I trust myself with is eyelashes and even those turn out badly.

So, tell me how you feel about them. Maybe you can convince me to give them another shot.

[sd_dreamcrystal]

I think they are important in terms of some sort of expression/attitude a pony can take on. To me from Sweet to Elegant to Absolutely Evil, the eyes say it all

[SunPony]

I have a love/hate relationship with eyes.  I love to design them, and it is really satisfying when they are done.  I'm working on a custom with really mischievous eyes right now and she cracks me up.      But when it comes time for the actual painting I kind of hate it because I literally have no depth perception (I only have one fully functional eye), so I cannot judge where the paintbrush tip is in relation to the surface of the eye.     I often make mistakes and have to correct them. 

[Galactica]

HONESTLY I say leave them alone if you can't do them right- or get someone to do them for you.  Eyes are the most eye-catching part of a custom. Poorly painted eyes will absolutely ruin a beautiful custom in my personal opinion.

I am saying this because I can't do eyes either.  I can repaint them 75 times, and the best I can do is adequate eyes that DO look like someone painted them on.  However, the customs I love the best are the ones that have eyes and symbols that are absolutely perfect. It is often VERY hard to see how fabulous a custom is otherwise, if it has sloppily painted eyes- since my eyes go there first. Symbols can be more forgiving because of the design elements, but eyes are critical because they must match, have no wobbly lines, no blobs of paint... you get the idea.   I think hannaliten on the Arena may be the master of painting eyes (by my standards), but I learned at a pony meet that even she often repaints the eyes repeatedly until they are perfect (!!).  So even the masters have to work at it.

I think not only does a steady hand help, but also just a ton of practice.  Even with that, I'll readily admit that some of us (like myself) may never get better than barely adequate...

[Midnight_Dream]

I know some artists in the past never did eyes and the rest of their customs were amazing, so I always felt that eyes weren't important. I am never going to be hannaliten, so I don't even try. I figure if the rest of the pony looks good and the eyes Hasbro put there go with the design everything is fine.

[Colorscapesart]

I think the eyes add style and personality to a pony. You can often tell who created a pony by looking at the eyes. For me personally, eyes are more important than the symbol even. I do eyes last and the pony doesnt feel right until I do. 
That being said, if you like the originals it works to keep them. They take a lot of practice, so I'd suggest practice until they are not so intimidating. One bait and some acetone make for hours of fun!

[jupiternwndrlnd]

I used to not do anything with my eyes....until I started using DG fakies....then there really is no choice but to paint eyes. Once I had done that a few times, I started doing all eyes, and I feel it really makes the pony look more complete.

It took me a LOT of work to get eyes to look good. Back then I would do, wipe off, and re-do eyes like, 10 times, until they looked good. Even now I sometimes do them 2 or 3 times.

I don't know if it is much help, but I sorta think that my tutorial makes it...simpler? maybe? http://jupidesign.weebly.com/eyes.html
the lashes are, by far, the hardest part.

[Midnight_Dream]

Your tutorial has helped me get over my initial fear Jupi, but it is my unsteady hand that holds me back. Every time I go for detail it starts shaking up a storm and lines that should be straight end up all over the place.

[NoDivision]

I did one pony early on that I left the eyes as-is, and I've done a couple where I've left a lot of the original eye there and just painted over the iris. But I don't really feel like a custom is complete without the eyes painted. I think eyes are extremely important in the pony having a finished look.

Yes, it takes time and effort and practice - but that is true of ALL customizing. I mean if you're working on improving in other areas, why not the eyes as well? I can't imagine if I'd never bothered to practice my eyes and left them all just factory paint to this day. I don't think people would be nearly as happy with my customs. If you're not comfortable painting the eyes on ponies that are going to go to other people yet, then that's fine - but I don't think it's really wise to never learn, especially if you plan on participating in any swaps or trying to sell customs or take commissions. Get a fakie - or any other bait really, and just keep trying. Paint an eye, wipe it off. Paint again, wipe it off. Just keep working at it in your own time. Even things like shaky hands are possible to overcome if you keep trying - you'll learn what works for you.

[hannaliten]

Yeah, eyes are important. A custom is not done unless you paint them.  You can leave them if they go with the overall theme of the custom, but I never have.

[kaoskat]

Well, I was told once that you can tell how good a customizer is by their eyes. Those are the tell of their skill. My eyes suck but I practice and work hard and someday I'll be better. Someday people will be able to look at my eyes and tell I'm a good customizer. Until then I will keep trying. So I think, if you don't try to improve and you don't try to paint better eyes, you will never grow as a customizer and your customs will never be what they can be. Leaving the original eyes is good for when you are starting out and just learning. But don't just say "I can't" and never bother to try. You are selling yourself short if you do that.

And as for being hanna, why not? Hanna wasn't born making perfect customs (at least this is what I tell myself though sometimes I doubt ). She had to work hard and practice to get there. I mean, maybe you won't ever be on hanna's level, but you certainly won't if you don't try. I guess what you have to decide is, do you really want to be good at this and make amazing works of art like the customizers you look up to? Or do you just want something fun to do when you are bored to pass the time? Either is fine, but the former takes work and time and practice. So if that's what you want, work hard. Practice your eyes. You can start practicing by painting over the Hasbro eyes if you like. It can help. You can do it if you really try. I know you can. If my eyes have gotten better (and believe me they have!) then anyone's can.

[Em_L._Pea_Customs]

I think eyes are one of the most important aspects of a custom.  I actually try to make different eyes/lashes/etc. with every custom I do. 

I started out, years ago, removing the symbols, slapping a rhinestone/sparkle temporary tattoo on and thinking I had really created some boss art.  Ha!  It wasn't until I realized that I was being lazy and not pushing myself, that I began to get better.  I grow with every custom I make.  I learn something new, try new mediums, and try to work outside my comfort zone.  This is the only way to get better. 

So you have any unsteady hand?  Find out what you can do to make the eyes your own.  Maybe try something totally unconventional or different...make it "your" thing.  And hey, if you don't want to paint the eyes, that is fine too...it is your choice.  Just know that to some collectors/buyers/trading partners (if that is what you want to do), the eyes make or break the custom.

Good luck!

[BarbedDragon]

I think they are the MOST important part of the custom. They tie all of the colors together, at least that's how I use mine. The most important thing about eyes to me is layering. The more layers, the more depth you achieve. I has taken me hours to paint eyes before and though it does get a little easier each time it's still quite a bit if work. I would rather have a "blank flank" custom with STUNNING eyes than a detailed out custom with factory.

A few tips that might help you---look at anime eyes. They are relatively simple but combine the stunning aspects found in real eyes. They are simpler, but create depth with light and shadow. I have print outs of real eyes, anime eyes, and animal eyes all over my custom desk. I white pencil them on first and then paint the basics so they are even- then build up. You can always go over a spot if you don't like it

[InkyMomo]

I love customising eyes. It's my favourite bit of customising, whether it be a pony or a doll. I personally feel that is where you can see the artists "style."

I definitely feel that a good set of eyes can make or break a custom toy.

[Mana_Mihara]

I don't feel like a custom can be called complete without painting the eyes. My eyes are always a work-in-progress...I'm always trying to make them better with each new pony. But I feel like it's not truly YOUR custom when the eyes are left factory.