Knead a ball of clay about the size of a fist until you have removed all the air bubbles. Do this kneading just like kneading bread. Pound out the clay into a flat shape and then fold it over and pound it out repeatedly for at least 10 minutes. Use a wooden surface for kneading the clay.
Flatten the clay into a square shape. Form a ball about half the size of a fist in the center of this flat shape. Wet your fingers by dipping them into a cup of water. Rub your wet fingers across the top of the ball shape and pull gently to begin to make the top half of the ball smooth and slightly angular. Do this for the bottom of the balls as well. As you gently pull, concentrate on making the shape resemble a football-shaped oval. The right and left ends of this shape should blend into the flat part of the clay.
Place a small, thin rectangle of clay over the top of the oval. Wet your fingers and pull the top of this rectangle into the flat section of the clay. Place a small, thin rectangle of clay on the bottom of the oval and smooth it in a similar manner. These two pieces of clay will act as the eyelids. Pinch the left corner to make the top and bottom pieces of clay meet. Do this for the right corner, but do not push them together as much as on the right side.
Let the clay dry for 30 minutes. Using your sculpting knife, carve a very shallow circle in the middle of the eye. This will act as the pupil. Add a small curved line at the left corner of the eye to create the tear ducts. Once complete you can add to the rest of your animal sculpture or fire it at kiln as just the eye.