# Moving Eyes Painting



## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

I've finally got some progress on this project, so I thought I'd get a thread started. 

I posted a while back on HalloweenForum that I really wanted to do a painting that had moving eyes looking out from behind eye holes, like those you see in the old movies. I had lots of great ideas thrown around, but nothing that was going to be within my abilities that would be what I was envisioning.

DaveintheGrave was one of the posters there, and he let me know that he'd been thinking about trying something similar, and that he'd be happy to experiment with the idea and send me a moving eye mechanism if he could get it to work... and he did. I'd wanted a pause in between movement, and it works so perfectly - it is a beautifully simple idea, but no one had thought of it before. (can't thank you enough, Dave!)
http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/77851-moving-eyes-mechanism.html

So I have the pupils (courtesy of Terra's eye patterns) and gloss coat on the eyeballs complete:









I had a large frame picked up from the thrift store that I spraypainted black and then did aging with gold metallic paint.

I am doing the painting on cardboard, and mounting the eye mechanism on plywood that will be behind the cardboard. The screw mount will be behind, but the screws will be hidden behind the cardboard.

Here is the beginning paint job of "Mortimer"









And the finished version - still have to do the clear coat to simulate the varnish. 
Updated final paint pic - had to fix the highlights and I adjusted the colors on screen for a more accurate color portrayal. 6/14









I haven't painted in quite a while, so I wasn't planning on Mort being really detailed - sort of a primitive style portrait, and I think he turned out rather well. I am a graphic designer, and used to be a fine artist, but it's been a while since I really sat down and did "art" that involved handwork and not a computer... 

Hope to get the eye holes cut into the plywood and mount the eyes tomorrow if I'm lucky.

Still have to get side panels to mount on the frame to increase the thickness of the frame itself as the motor needs about a 6-7 inches clearance from the wall. I figure on getting some wall molding to mount and then paint up to match the frame and it will look just fine.

I'm really really excited about this - can't wait to get it completed. It just may go up now, and stay up until Halloween.


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## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

Wow! Very cool! I love your painting - can't wait to see the finished product. Nice job!


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## Demon Dog (Mar 30, 2009)

Very nice, Frankie's Girl! That's going to be a creepy addition to your haunt. I like the pause in the eye motion also. I can't wait to see it all come together. With the typical darkened room, were you planning to have a small spot trained on the painting, have the eyes glow with LEDs, or anything else to highlight it?


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## Wildcat (Nov 3, 2007)

WOW. Nice painting. Can't wait to see the progress.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Great job on the painting and the eye mech, can't wait for a how-to on the eye mech.


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## The Archivist (May 31, 2009)

*Moving eyes how-to?*

Does DaveintheGrave have a how to online? I've been looking to do something similar but can't figure out the mechanics without getting too complicated.


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## Bone To Pick (Oct 23, 2007)

Very cool, FG! And I like the eyes mechanism - already have a few of those motors myself. Hmmm.....


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

The Archivist said:


> Does DaveintheGrave have a how to online? I've been looking to do something similar but can't figure out the mechanics without getting too complicated.


If you follow the link in my first post to the Moving Eyes Mechanism, he is planning on doing a detailed how-to over on Halloween Forum, just been too busy so far. I'm not sure if he is a member on here as well, but once I get my portrait finished, I'll link to any how-to he eventually does as well just in case anyone wants to attempt this project.


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

Demon Dog said:


> Very nice, Frankie's Girl! That's going to be a creepy addition to your haunt. I like the pause in the eye motion also. I can't wait to see it all come together. With the typical darkened room, were you planning to have a small spot trained on the painting, have the eyes glow with LEDs, or anything else to highlight it?


Not sure about lighting yet. I may put a small light behind the frame and shine upwards onto the eyeballs to highlight them, but I'll have to see what the effects are and decide once it's all together.


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## The Archivist (May 31, 2009)

FG, are the eyes hollow? If they are, you might want to try using LEDs. Lots of light, no heat.


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

The Archivist said:


> FG, are the eyes hollow? If they are, you might want to try using LEDs. Lots of light, no heat.


I don't want the eyes lit up from the inside (they are ping pong balls) because I want it to really look as if a person is behind the painting looking out. Having a light source coming from behind the painting may look as if there is a light source in the "hidden passage" and still cast enough light on the eyes to give off the effect I want.

I have an LED book light that I'll attach behind the frame to see if it will give this effect, but if not, then there may be no lighting at all behind and just the ambient room lighting. It isn't necessary for the moving eyes to be the first thing that people notice - I want them to see the painting first, THEN notice that someone is watching them.


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

This looks great!


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## spideranne (Jul 17, 2006)

oooh, that is going to be cool. Can't wait to see it all put together.


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

*DaveintheGrave's tutorial up!*

Dave's tutorial is here:

http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/78087-moving-eyes-mechanism-pause.html#post674056

Looks to be very detailed and lots of pics. 

and I also updated my finished pic of the painting to correct the color in my original post


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## Don Givens (Dec 2, 2008)

Great job! It's going to be very cool when you get it finished.


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## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

Looking good. Would love to see the finished product.


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

*UPDATE - 90% done!*

Halloween 2009 :: DSCF0680.flv video by ljw1972 - [email protected]@[email protected]@http://vid140.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid140.photobucket.com/albums/r6/ljw1972/Halloween%202009/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@r6/ljw1972/Halloween%202009/DSCF0680

Sorry for the angle, couldn't get it to turn.

The painting in the frame, the DaveintheGrave eye mechanism attached, and I know how I'm going to place it on the wall, with drapery and a skull head finial at the top. 

Sorry for the delay - my dad had a heart attack and open heart surgery end of June, and I was out of the state for just over a week, and then came home and had to get caught up on the mundane junk (housework, work-work). BUT my dad is doing really really well. He got released from the hospital last week, and may be cleared to drive next week and is staying with my sister until then.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Looks great, that is gonna be the talk of the night. The painting is amazing, very impressive work.


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

That is a great project, very well done!


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