How to make your 2-D crush’s eyes follow you around the room

Simple art hack turns your manga character into an anime character.

In the art world, the term “ubiquitous gaze” is used to describe the effect when the eyes of a subject in a portrait appear to follow the viewer around the room. It may sound like a technique that takes years of practice and mastery to perfect, but Japanese artist and Twitter user Tamayan (@tamayan22) is here to show us that anyone can do it.

To demonstrate, Tamayan drew a quick sketch of Hibiki from KanColle, the hugely popular web browser game about anthropomorphised warships that now has its own manga and anime. The 2-D Hibiki appears flat and lifeless at first glance, but once she’s moved around, you realise her eyes are glued to yours at all times, no matter what angle she’s looking at you from.

▼ Take a look at the video below.

仕事の休憩時間暇だったので落書きしてた。 pic.twitter.com/T1sVSaDIM9

— たまやん (@tamayan22) February 4, 2022

It’s an impressive effect, as Hibiki’s gaze meets yours from front-on…

▼…from the sides…

▼ …and even when she looks at you from above and below.

It didn’t take long for the video to go viral, receiving over 115,000 likes and 1.5 million views online. With so many people wanting to know the secret behind the magic, Tamayan was happy to help, revealing exactly what was used to give the character her ubiquitous gaze.

▼ All that’s required is a pen, paper and some tape and scissors.

Q:どういう原理なんじゃい？

A:こういう作りなんじゃよ pic.twitter.com/jk63D7IaiG

— たまやん (@tamayan22) February 4, 2022

As you can see, the effect is created by cutting out the original eyes and replacing them with eyes drawn on two conical pieces of paper.

People online stood up and gave Tamayan a collective round of applause for this neat idea, saying:

“Wow, just changing the eyes creates such a great 3-D effect!”
“This is so cool! I’m definitely going to give it a try.”
“Genius! It’s like DIY trick art!”
“Woah, she’s watching me from all sides!”
“Are you sure she’s not really alive in there?”

After seeing Tamayan’s work, a number of people online tried the technique themselves and it worked equally well, proving that you really don’t have to be Leonardo Da Vinci to create a portrait with eyes that follow you around the room.

So why not get out your stationery and give it a try? There’s no end to the characters you can bring to life with this smart hack, and if you need a place to work while blurring the lines between 2-D and 3-D realities, we know exactly the place to go!

Source: Twitter/@tamayan22 via Net Lab
Images: Twitter/@tamayan22
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Credit: