Painting eyes. Yay or nay?

[Redshank]

By which I mean whites and irises (and pupils), rather than just a deep shade.

I haven't gone there myself, even with my 40mm stuff. Main reason: I don't have the skill.

However I have to own up that I haven't been minded to develop the skill, either. Given I paint exclusively for tabletop game use (not display), I try and work on a "3 foot rule" basis.

Also, I have rarely if ever seen it done well to serve as an inspiration. In fact, literally as I type this I am looking at an advert in the banner across the top of the forums for Oathmark Elf Cavalry, and the painted-in eyes look a bit off to me. Not askew, just somehow "uncanny valley". (No disrespect meant if the painter happens to read this; it is a much better job than I can aspire to!)

Still, I wonder if I'm just being lazy.

Any skilled eye painters that can set me straight?

[ced1106]

I paint eyeballs on generic fantasy humans and demihumans, while leaving monsters red.

But you can't see them when gaming. No point painting what you'll never see, even though I'll do it.

[Cat]

I can, but usually just a light grey base and then pupil and eyebrow with a .005 Micron pen.  Even on 15mm, I tend to use the pen to draw in a comma.
 
Doesn't show up so much out on the table, but it does in any close-up game photos! 

[Mr. White]

Nope. The risk/reward on the effort to paint eyeballs isn’t worth it. I mean, if you do a good job, no one will notice. If you do a bad job, the mini looks like trash. “Faces and Bases make models look Aces”

Besides, as mentioned, you never see eyes at arm’s length on the tabletop.

As the closing statement, here’s a “real world” image depicting a shot closer to the subjects than you would be to a mini at arm’s length. No eyeballs visible.

[snitcythedog]

I use to do it all the time but there is little reward so I stopped on most models.  Now it has to be something special for me to make the effort.  That and my eyes are going in my old age.

[pixelgeek]

Nope. The risk/reward on the effort to paint eyeballs isn’t worth it. I mean, if you do a good job, no one will notice. If you do a bad job, the mini looks like trash.

This.

I only do it for large monsters like ogres, trolls or giants

[Fitz]

I do it as and when it's worth while, and that pretty much just means big critters these days. I might do it for character models, not mooks, but only because they tend to get picked up for close examination -- for pure tabletop use, there's no point. When I do eyes on 28mm humanoids, I generally go for an understated look: no pure white, for example, and an indication of the pupil rather than an exact scale replication.

[Dukewilliam]

Only on fantasy models where they're supposed to look weird/funny. Otherwise, IMO it NEVER looks good. I've seen so many otherwise nice models ruined. They all look like Chihuahuas with goiter issues.

Steve

[Redshank]

As the closing statement, here’s a “real world” image depicting a shot closer to the subjects than you would be to a mini at arm’s length. No eyeballs visible.

I think this hits the nail on the head - you often can't actually see eyes very clearly at any distance, hence the uncanny factor if they pop out on a model.

[zemjw]

I keep trying to talk myself out of doing them, but then I put the Optivisor on and the 3ft rule goes out the window.

Pupils shouldn't normally be surrounded by white, only really at the sides, so I tend to go for a bigger circle than really needed, and then trim it back with flesh afterwards.

However, I'm only ever happy with it maybe 30% of the time, so no pictures will be provided

I actually have more of an issue with eyebrows, partly because I keep forgetting them and partly because they end up looking massively out of scale.

[boneio]

I do, and often fairly badly ( ), because I play skirmish games far more than mass battle. En-masse, doing eyes is probably highly optional.

For close photos and for skirmish games, it's not about 'realism' - the proportions are all wrong anyway on most models, they're generally miniature representations of characters, not fine art sculpture*.

In other words to me it usually looks wrong if the eyes aren't painted, as the models have exaggerated features and look rather creepy with skintones where eyes should be. 


*To be clear, they are still art and good art at that, I just mean they're not photo-realisitic portraits.

[Ben Waterhouse]

Unless you are modelling M?ori or Marty Feldman, no.

[freerangeegg]

I'm definitely in the no camp, but then all my stuff is 15mm or 6mm 

[BZ]

Skirmish games and characters? Yes
Mass battle? Not anymore
I have a a pretty easy to do method (by far the easiset that I tried so far), but it still doesnt make much sense for a mass of miniatures:
- Paint the face skin color
- White blob, wehre the eyes should be
- Pupil with a fineliner
- Drying time, fineliner needs it!
- Paint eyelids with skin color
Its much easier to paint upper and lower eyelids on the white blob, than panting a precise white almonds for the eyes.

[JollyBob]

Used to be a point of pride, all my figures had eyeballs (sometimes even looking in the same direction!), but now only if I feel like really pulling out all the stops on a mini or if its big enough to demand it.

Honestly, a combination of not having the time, my own eyes not being up to it and the general "meh, close enough" that comes with age have made it slide down my list of priorities for what makes a finished mini.