i cant quite figure out the eye of a whitetail. ive got plenty of referece photos. after dried, they look really good from the side, but he looks drunk from the front. i cant get them to look like the photos. i put the eye in the socket, put a little clay along the bottom, then alittle on the top, shape and mount. when you look at it from the nose, i cant see enough of the front corner of the eye, ive even tried not using clay around that area. i have a page out of the WASCO catolog that shows how to apply clay to an eye but its not working with me. any thoughts?
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Most of the forms on the market at a little heavy in the front corners. You must rasp away some of the form. This allows you to shape your carnucula and most importantly, it allow the deer to see forward. Yours and the deers view has been blocked by the mannikin. Cut a small inward "v" out of the front corner on your next one. Sand it smooth and see if this helps both of you see.
maybe not enough. i didnt want to because i thought my mckinzie form was suppose to be correct. it looked better but not good enough, but you explained it pretty good, my deer cant see forward. should i go more?
you will make great strides in giving your eyes a natural look
you are on the right track using minimal clay in the area you speak of
you need to create some brow above the eye and a lid, run a straight edge from top lid to bottom lid and your eye should be very close to this line, if its beyond your not building your brow and lower lid out enough this will give a buggy drunken look, you can alter this methode to create any expression you wish, and did i mention to buy good eyes, i like the epply tru eyes although not scratch resistant
the Joe Meder eyes are an excellent choice also,in my feeble little mind if your eyes dont look good the rest of the animal wont either
Mannikins are an interpretation of a specimen by a particulary artist. There is no law stating they are 100% anatomically accurate. All mannikins have theirs flaws. It is our responsibility to correct these. McKenzies are one of the nicer forms on the market. The front of they eye anatomy is more of a molding essential than an anatomical inaccuracy. That's why most are that way.
The fit is simply beautiful. No rasping or "v" cut outs required.