The inky blackness of the pupil is not a mere dot, floating on top of a striated convergence of colors; it is a well, a window into the head and into the soul.
Without a properly done pupil, a large glass eye will always look stuffed.
The creepiness of an artificial eye, and of some taxidermy stems from exactly that; a floating dot-pupil will follow you everywhere, something which a real eye will not.
A directional and focused gaze is ‘vital’, so to speak ….
The technique of the very, very few remaining prosthetic glass eye makers requires that the pupil be added last, and simply float on the iris.
For an human iris of 11-14 mm, this suffices admirably.
(The vintage German glass eye is shown here for scale..)
As the scale increases, this ‘uncanny well’ becomes more evident.
By way of example, edification, and elucidation I have chosen to offer the item pictured for sale: A simple glass jar.
These eyes are slightly larger than a golf ball (42.6mm) and range from 43-47mm in diameter.
They are 55-60mm long, and fit a standard wine bottle cork, which they are supplied with.
Prices start around $75.
They are primarily supplied in blues, greens, and grays; the palette of dense browns in borosilicate glass is limited.
(I sometimes experiment with reds, oranges, yellows, and non-round pupils. Demon and/or monster eyes, if you will. Some examples are below.)
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I am very occasionally available for custom work in the special effects, puppetry and taxidermy industries.
I regret that I cannot compete with pricing for commercially available glass or plastic eyes under 30mm.
To see the very few Masters remaining in this craft, to whose ranks I make no claims of belonging:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkeszA7BHTc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbkXFAXUY-w
http://vimeo.com/8320480
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