The eyes have it

[Nadsworld]

The minature Snowy Owl, by Keith Mueller started this mess.I was going to do it in a piece of white alabaster, and inset the yellow glass eyes..Did not have yellow eyes so tried a red eye and a scrap piece to do the eye slit, hollow it out and see about getting the glass eye in and positioned..Main problem is that the material is opaque with thickness, As you thin it down,it becomes cloudy glass. You will see the eye inside the head. That and, a good twenty to thirty hours an eye, hollowing and fitting against a very fragile eye lid, says, "Do something else".The owl and eyes will be totally carved in one piece.Stylized, but with most of the feather groups.A much easier project.....Not willing to leave well enough alone.i called Bob Green who plays with Human eyes in carvings.Got him interested when I mentioned the artist who created the Cyclops type family.He mentioned how difficult it is to fit human eyes from the front.Even worse than birds in getting that buggy look...If not properly placed, even on a flat surface, a single eye will be amazingly off...InThe Art of Woodcarving,byTeixido and Santamera, there is a bust,"The Man" by Antonio Lopez described as "hyper realistic".The wood covered by opaque material (paint??).There are inserted human glass eyes looking out at you..I assume they are positioned ,and covered over with a molding material, then the opaque colors added....The question I have is ,how would you determine the thickness of the eye lid if you wanted to insert the eye from the inside of the head.? Reason for that question? I got on EBay last night and talked a seller into a "buy it now" price..The glass eyes will be here next week.....I will eventually get around to carving the bust, there are all sorts of fun things that can be done once you realize my back yard is on the other side of The Outer limits,two blocks down ,,to the left... cordially Nad