Foam Ball Eyes

Front view of the panda with foam eyes and ruff ear cutouts.
Side view of the panda armature with foam eyes and cardboard ears

Using 3″ styrofoam balls cut in half, I placed the eyes in a line extending from the nostril to the ear. Then made sure the eyes were in a straight line with each other to get proper face proportions. My panda will be cartoonish, but these reference points make a huge difference in forming a believable bear.