How To Make Cut Out Eyes – Question and Answer, read right through…
Ok. So over the weekend we are going to make cut outs for our eyes. We are making cut outs so that we can:
- Move our eyes around a bit before we actually draw them in
- Make sure both eyes are exactly the same.
Doodle it!
If you have managed to get hold of some tracing paper, or greaseproof paper, you will need it now. If you haven’t got any tracing paper or greaseproof paper then make a photocopy of your face before you draw in your eyes.
If you can’t get to a photocopier in time and you are itching to start making your eyes then you can go back to your original pencil drawing (the one you copied from real life) and draw your stencil on that.
What am I drawing?
You are drawing the white bit of your eye.
How do I draw that?
You should already have chosen what the white bit of your eye is going to look like. So dig out your draft drawing.
Do I draw straight on to my cartoon face?
No, because when you have drawn an eye you are happy with we are going to cut it out and make a stencil. Make sure you draw on to one of these things:
a) Tracing paper or greaseproof paper. This is the best option because you will be able to see your pencil guidelines through tracing paper or greaseproof paper, which will help you to make your eyes the right size, in the right place.
b) The next best option is to make a photocopy of your cartoon face. You will probably be able to make out your guidelines on a photocopy if you look carefully, and you can always go over them again in pencil.
c) If you can’t do either of the above then draw onto your original pencil drawing that you copied from life. You can make some guidelines on here if you think it would help you.
If you followed the tips for younger readers…
Then your eye might look something like this OO, ()(), xx, ” and so on…
If you have drawn a small eye that you think would look better coloured in black, then you have probably drawn a pupil.
My pupil is very small, won’t it be a pain to cut it out?
Yes. Yes it will be a pain and very fiddly. That is why, if you have drawn a pupil, you will be drawing it fresh (freehand) each time your cartoon man appears. We will be drawing in a circular guideline to help you understand where to put it and how big to make it.
But isn’t that harder? I am only a younger reader.
It sounds hard, but we will be drawing an ‘imaginary circle’ as a guide, in pencil, for your eye to move around in. And I think you can do it.
What is an imaginary circle?
It is a circle, probably about the size of a 2p coin, that you can draw in to help you decide where to put your pupil each time. When you are happy, you can rub it out again.
Why is this good?
An imaginary circle is good because it helps you decide where to put your eye, and makes sure that it is in the right place every time. It also makes sure that your cartoon eyes are expressive. Your cartoon eyes will be able to look up and down and left and right, and still look realistic, as long as they stay within the imaginary circle.
But I spent ages drawing the white of my eye and it’s exactly the shape I wanted. It really looks like me, but I want my cartoon man to be able to look up and down and left and right.
Don’t worry. That is why we are making a cut-out. Your cut out will be a stencil you can draw round to make sure the eye of your cartoon man is the same shape each time he appears. But you will also be drawing in a small, round pupil fresh (freehand) each time.
This is too hard to understand, I’m not really sure what I’m meant to do…
Your right, it is difficult to understand without a diagram (factual drawing) to help. That is why I will be posting a picture on Sunday to help you.
Watch this space!
P.S
- If you have drawn a small eye that you think would look better coloured in black, then you have drawn a pupil and probably need to find a 2p coin to draw around.
- If you have drawn a shape that would look better mostly white then you have drawn an eyeball and will be drawing the same shape again on your tracing paper.
- You will be able to make sure the size of your eyeball fits the size of your face by looking at the guidelines and the overall shape through your tracing paper.
- After you have drawn your eyeball or imaginary circle you will be sticking the paper to a piece of card and then cutting it out.
- So you will need to find, some tracing paper, a pencil, a felt tip pen, a piece of card and some glue or sticky tape by Sunday
