Glass vs. Acrylic Eyes?

It depends on the eye effect you're looking for. Maybe you don't want the deep blank murkiness you get with glass. Maybe you want a sharp bright flat cartoonish color that'll really pop in the doll's face. In that case acrylics are perfect. Or maybe you want startling freak effects, in which case acrylics & silicones are the bomb (Soom makes the most wondrous freaky colors, but their corneas make it look realistic at the same time).

Some acrylics are very awesome. Volks Metallics are the best argument for ten-dollar eyeballs anywhere. I like Dollmore's, because they make an incredible array of colors & funky styles to try out, for very cheap. But the cornea tends to be a little cloudy, which is common in acrylics. Artistiques are also really good, for plastics.

I am personally a huge fan of Gumdrops urethane, because the clarity is unparalleled... and the way they sculpt those irises makes them look 6 feet deep. You can get a deep-toned color that still shows up brightly, even without having to light the doll directly in his face. They are $$$pendy, but I think worth it.

For a closer-to-everyday price, I prefer Soom silicones. Those brilliant light-filled corneas, yum! So gorgeous.

And I also have a massive boxful of $6-$10 acrylics, because I buy whatever cheap colors come to hand. It's like a "tasting-menu".

When I see a perfect glass eye, I will also snap it up no matter the brand.

Basically, if the eye catches my eye, I'll take it, no matter what it's made of.


Re Putty: As mentioned, there are some types of eye putty that will deteriorate the backs of acrylic eyeballs. Actually start 'melting' it into goo, or eating holes in it! After lots of trial & error, I say stick with the pink Volks putty. It's stiff & dry at first and needs lots of kneading, but it's the only brand I've yet tried that stays safe on acrylics for extended wear (and doesn't stain silicone, and doesn't goo up under my nails like plasticine).

 

I definitely prefer glass to acrylic eyes. Acrylic will do in a pinch and are more economical to a point, but I really like the look of glass eyes - They are more realistic and have a reflective quality that acrylic eyes lack. Still, there are some very beautiful acrylic eyes out there too so it really all just as to do with personal preference and how much you are willing to spend.

 

I've had both glass and acrylic eyes and I definitely prefer glass. They have a certain depth to them that I rarely see in acrylic eyes. Acrylics seem to have more color choices but they just appear so flat to me, so now all my dolls have glass eyes. I know they're not part of this discussion but I'd love to try urethane eyes at some point, then maybe I'll have a new favorite.

 

I prefer glass eyes, but they are more expensive and vary less. On the other hand, acrylic eyes feel more dim to me, but have more color and pattern options. Btw I also like urethane eyes. Sometimes you may find them in hand-made production shops.

 

When I first started I had a hard time deciding between glass and acrylics. I didn't want to go the route of urethane and silicone because I didn't want something that would yellow or get really dirty or easily damaged and then I'd have to worry about finding the perfect eyes *again*. Both my dolls have deep set eyes (and one is glaring and the other is half closed) so you can't see the colors of the eyes very well nor do they get a lot of light shining in them. I liked the colors of acrylics. They showed up better in my dolls but I didn't like the look of them close up. When I went to glass, I found that they just both look like they have black eyes. I learned that if you choose the colors lighter/brighter than what you intend for their eye color to be, they show up a lot easier in dolls with deep set eyes or half closed eyes like mine so glass is what I prefer now.

 

I love the feel of glass eyes but I like the look of acrylic eyes so much more. I wonder if it is because I've only seen cheap glass eyes in person? It's hard to get a feel for how eyes look on the other end or a computer screen.

 

I like kanis Augen glass eyes. I have only done urethane eyes if I really needed something bright and custom. However plastics will yellow over time, also acrylic has those pixels you can see and not so 3 dimensional within the iris and pupil area. I generally prefer high quality glass because of the permanence and dimensions. Over time acrylic and urethane would yellow. Not sure about silicone, but the pixels bother me there. However silicone would be more of a realistic material


Sent from my Tardis

 

I will probably be one of the fewer people who likes acrylics over glass.
Don't get me wrong, there are very beautiful glass eyes out there. But they just don't seem to match with my dolls for some reason. I always end up with the acrylics. They seem to pop more.

 

i like both.. if im buying new eyes for my dolls i mostly look for the colour i want.. and how well they were made!!

 

I like urethane eyes the most, but good quality glass eyes can be really nice too.
For acrylics, I think Safrin has some really cool ones. I've owned a few pairs.

 

I also prefer urethane eyes over glass or acrylic, but like glass and acrylic eyes about the same. I really like Safrin acrylics, for the price they are very nice. I was impressed with the quality, they weren't pixelated at all. The color was clear and vibrant, and they fit perfectly. I also bought some glittery green acrylics from Blue Blood Doll and I love them. They are so pretty and will work great for my character I tend to use acrylic or glass as a stepping stone when I'm testing out eye size and color before buying urethanes, but I keep them in the doll if they work well.

 

I use the acrylic simply because I like the DIY kits. I love making custom eyes. I have made my own glass eyes using a torch method I use for beadwork, and a different pair with some cold fusion techniques, but I just didn't get the control or realism I can get with the kits. Also making glass eyes is HARD! and expensive, It's a big process where I only have access to the things when I am using them in class or paying to borrow a facility. So then I get weird looks and it bothers me a lot.

 

I like:
1. Urethane
2. Glass
3. Acrylic

I like the colors and subtle details available in Urethane resin eyes.

Glass has some great colors now... less detail, but catches light nicely.

Acrylic--I think they have some great colors. They don't catch the light or have the depth of glass and urethanes, but can look pretty good considering the price.

... the light and depth in urethane and glass eyes are there because there is some depth (a clear low or high dome, a recessed iris). Acrylics may have a clear part over the iris, but the iris is usually a photo and the acrylic material doesn't have the look of depth and dimension that glass and urethane do, I think.

 

i dont really have a preference. it all depends on the doll and what works best for him or her, so i have a whole variety in my dolls from glass to acrylic, to resin to urethane, but just to add another twist to the discussion, since most of my dolls are smaller the only thing i dont like is high dome eyes! i know some people like them for the sparkle, but in small dolls i find they too often gap or position poorly

 

I definitely prefer glass and urethane over acrylic. They have more liveliness, depth and color to them. And while I would LOVE to get my hands on a pair or two of Ving's urethane eyes, I don't want to worry about them yellowing when they aren't cheap, so I stick to glass. And if anyone could recommend me a high-quality glass eye maker aside from Hand Glass Craft, I would really appreciate it. I don't really know who else to look at aside from HGC.

 

I think glass eyes are pretty but the acrylic and silicone come in a more realistic look.
glass gives the doll that stare off in the distance look were realistic acrylic and silicone eyes give the doll a more human gaze.
it all depends on what look you prefere

 

i'm gonna sit here and say silicon eyes are my babies. and my perfered brand is eyeco.
though i use all three types of eyes pretty much equally.

glass eyes are dreamy and clear and looks best in dolls with large eyes. when you put them in to half asleep dollies or just
dolls with thin slit eyes they become this huge black hole of not catching light at all.

acrylic eyes are more fun since they can be printed into many different colours and patterns. i also like how they are more muted than the glass. sometimes the doll's character just requires a good pair of acrylic. on shinyness i would say they are about the same as glass....a good pair of acrylic will beat a bad pair of glass for the same price. the brand i would say that can compete with glass is the glib acrylic eyes.

and man silicon...silicon is awesome.
i have dolls with weird eye slots that glass or acrylic dont lie flat against.
and soft silicon eyes are like sweet angels coming down from eye ball heaven that just fills up their eye gap perfectly.

 

Only glass, they have natural shine and depth

 

I have both glass and acrylic eyes, but I prefer glass eyes. There just so bright and shiny.

 

I'm going to be in the smaller camp that prefers acrylics. I've used some glass eyes in my dolls in the past, and while the tracking is kind of nice in person, I actually hate it in photos. I really prefer for my doll to stay looking the way I posed it to be looking, instead of looking back at me. I'm also fond of the wide variety of colors and patterns, and generally stick with "metallics" or otherwise reflective eyes, so they can still catch the light nicely.

I may eventually try some glass eyes in my largest boy(s), but definitely in the smaller dolls I'm going to stick with acrylics.