Why and what?

I received a couple of questions:

1. Why do you cut out the eyes completely rather then just the eye sockets?

First of all, I use larger eyeballs than the standard Charlie sockets will accommodate. Secondly, even when I cut out larger eye sockets, the 1-1/2" spheres never fit right.

• I start my process by epoxying a length of popsickle stick between the eyes to serve as a base for resculpting a nose bridge.
• I mount the eyeballs on an eye tray inside the head free of any rubbing on the sides or front of the head.
• Once the eye tray is temporarily mounted inside the head, I wrap the eyballs in plastic wrap for protection, then sculpt (with Magic-Sculpt) the eye sockets around the eyeballs. In this way, I'm assured the eyeballs will fit the eye sockets precisely.

2. Do you buy something to use for the ball of the neck or do you shape it from wood?

I purchase the control posts from Braylu Creations. They are pre-made to fit the Charlie heads. I have a link to Braylu Creations in my blog's "links" section.