An Eye For Art

See how makeup professional and Internet sensation, Tal Peleg transforms her eyelids into stunning works of art

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

You could say that young Israeli makeup professional and social phenom, Tal Peleg was born with an eye for art. In fact, she’s transformed her eyes into art by creating miniature masterpieces on her eyelids using eye shadow, eyeliner, and small appliques. The results of her long hours of work (ranging anywhere from one and a half to five hours) are colorful, imaginative, and immensely detailed illustrations that have captured the attention of people from around the world. With 142K Instagram followers, 196K “likes” on her Facebook page, and a loyal Twitter following, it’s clear that Peleg is redefining what it means to be a makeup artist.

Ostensibly, it’s not just Peleg’s stunning artwork that has touched so many people, but her piercing blue eyes at the center of it. Although it’s cliché to say that the eye is the window into the soul, when someone gazes at Peleg’s intricate illustrations, they are inevitably locking eyes with the artist, and often, feeling a strong human connection with Peleg and her work.

With such intimate and intriguing creations, Urban Agenda NYC had to ask the talented illustrator more about her craft:

How did you begin creating artwork on your eyelids?

Makeup and art was always apart of my life, but I tried to push the limits of conventional makeup. Over time, I developed my own style of illustrations on the eyelid. I really love illustration, photography, design and makeup, and eye art is a way of mixing all these passions together. For me, eye art is a way to tell a story and express emotions. I use my eyelid just like a painter uses a canvas.

Do you have a background in art?

Yes, I have been painting since I can remember because art was always a big part of my life. My mother is a ceramic artist, so I grew in a very artistic home where I was encouraged to create. I studied art in school, and later, I studied four years of visual communication (there I learned design, illustration, photography and much more).

Where do you get your inspiration for your artwork?

It may sound a bit cliché, but my inspiration is everywhere. I look for the things that I find interesting in the world, and give it my unique artistic interpretation using makeup. It can be emotions, fairytales, movies, animals, favorite foods, anything. I’ll even turn things that I find interesting and challenging into makeup like my grandmother's dementia, mania-depression, or the story of Anne Frank. I’ll also use my art exposure to raise awareness towards important matters like anti-bullying or adopting pets from shelters.

Did you ever anticipate getting so many followers? What has the success meant to you?

In the beginning, I never anticipated getting so many followers, and it's still really amazing every time I think about it. The dream of many artists is that their art will get exposure, and I feel like I made this dream come true. It's amazing to know that everything that I post will be seen by so many people, and it's great to know that so many people from all over the world appreciate my creations.

What’s your biggest make-up tip?

"If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary." - Jim Rohn.

That's more for the makeup artist...If you want to stand out (there are so many makeup artists out there) you have to find your own unique style. Don't be afraid to step outside of the box, fail, or make mistakes. That's part of the process.

: “I created this eye-art as a way to raise awareness for bullying. A lot of people (especially children) from all over the world suffer bullying on a daily basis, both in the “real” world and online. In this work, I tried to express how it feels when bad words are thrown at you (like many sharp knives) and the loneliness it creates. After I published this work, I received many messages from people telling me how it touched them and how important a matter bullying is. I was so happy to know that my art influenced people and could be used to help in important matters.”

: “This was one of my first eye art creations and it went viral. I especially like this work because it was dedicated to my beloved black cat Louis, when he was still alive. He died a year ago after a long time of poor health, so this work always reminds me of him and remains very sentimental to me. I have a framed print of this work in front of my working space, because I feel like it represents me most.”

: “I created this image as part of Barbie’s campaign “Be Super”. The campaign was all about the power of imagination and creativity, so in this work I tried to express a little girl’s imagination, as asked by “Barbie”. It was one of my most challenging works (because of all the tiny doodling on the eyelid) but I guess it was worth it and I was really happy with the result. It was also a great pleasure to work with a brand like ‘Barbie.'”

: “This work is from my fairytales series. I absolutely love fairytales! This was really challenging to create; I think it took about 4.5 or 5 hours. I usually don’t use color lenses because I have sensitive eyes, but in this work it was necessary, because the eye was supposed to be the pea, and it needed to be bright green (and my eyes are blue). So, I used a green lens that I put on right before I shot the finished look. It gave my eye an infection… but it was still worth it!”

: “This movie was one of my favorites as a child and remains so today. I just had to create eye art inspired by it. I chose the famous scene of Maria singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of music” in the beginning of the movie. I like this work because I’m happy with how I was able to capture this beautiful scene on the eye, so you can feel both the movement and the song.”