Needle Felted Eyes: A basic picture tutorial

Because so many people have asked me how I make eyes, I figured I'd post a simple, picture tutorial.  First off, I needle felt directly onto the crocheted surface.  I've never tried needle felting eyes separately and sewing them on, so if anyone has, I'd love to hear how it worked!  Anyway, these pictures are in order from left to right, top to bottom.

Picture:

1.  Supplies you will need: Wool roving-depending on what color eyes I'm making, I use a bunch of different shades of that color in order to get an effective color gradient.  I also choose a base color, in this case, black, and white will be used for the eye reflection.  You'll of course also need your handy-dandy needle felting needle!

2-3.  I first start with a small amount of the base color.  You don't need much.  You are simply going to make a basic outline/shape for the eyes.  Don't worry about show-through at this point.

4.  Once you like how the eyes are shaped and positioned, add more of the base color until there is no more show-through.

5.  You're now ready to add the iris colors!  I start off with the darkest color first and add it where needed.

6.  I then add a smaller amount of the next darkest shade within the confines of the darkest shade so that you can still see the darker edges and base color.

7.  The lightest shade is then added just to highlight the colors that are already there.  Lastly, add the reflective whites.

And there you have it, needle felted eyes!