# Giant Floating Eyeball prop



## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

I love this design:

http://davelowe.blogspot.com/2008/10/08-halloween-31-make-watching-monster.html

But, I have have things spelled out for me real plain. I can't tell if the inside our outside of the bowl should face the window.

Has anyone else tried making this? The video of the finished product on his blog is fantastic. What a simple prop for such an awesome effect!


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## spinwitch (Jun 14, 2009)

The inside of the bowl would be facing out. The human eye/brain wants things to be 3D, and will see it as a round eye. But because of the concavity the eye will seem to be following the viewer. (What's cool is that two people can be several feet apart and the eye will seem to each person to be looking directly at him)

You can do a whole "watching face" just as cheaply and easily. Get a cheap latex mask (I get 1$ ones from Walgrens), spray paint the inside white, and tape black paper (or just use black tape) over the eyes from the outside. Cut an oval in a piece of cardboard slightly smaller than the mask and tape or glue the mask into place (inside of the mask facing out). Light it from underneath (I make a small platform from more cardboard and use a battery tealight)

This will give you a face that follows you around.


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

Interesting ... so you're showing the painted white mask from the inside, and simply having black eyes gives you the same illusion?


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## lonestarwelder (Aug 3, 2009)

I am glad you posted this link...I like this idea. I just returned from the dollor tree and found clear bowls in the wedding section (1.00) I think they will be great for this project! I have already started it and iam going to try out the "rough in" eye tonight! I think i may have an idea about how to "evil eye" it!


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

Funny you mention the dollar store. I found 2 clear bowls that should be perfect there, as well. They were in an area w/ popcorn stuff, so I guess their intended purpose is movie night. If it helps any, this specific store is a Dollar Tree.


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## spinwitch (Jun 14, 2009)

waldiddy said:


> Interesting ... so you're showing the painted white mask from the inside, and simply having black eyes gives you the same illusion?


You black out the eyes (and other other opening, like the mouth) so the light doesn't shine through them. The rest is optical illusion--the eye/brain connection wants to see it as convex rather than concave. Disney uses this on busts in their haunted mansion that seem to turn to look at you as you move by.

Here's a statue that I made using a blank mask in this fashion.

Uh . . . how does one attach a picture (I'm new to posting on this forum). I tried clicking on "insert picture" but it wants a URL.

Meanwhile--here's a video of the effect:
http://www.grand-illusions.com/acatalog/Einstein_Hollow_Face_Illusion.html

But . . $62 my backside!! A 1$ mask will give the same effect.


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

Wow, $62 for that ???

Hey, I finished my giant eyeball prop and it looks pretty cool. It does indeed follow you around. I did 2 eyes instead of just 1, and built a small frame since our windows are vinyl and don't take kindly to nails or thumbtacks.

I'm a little worried about storing this prop and the fabric stretching over time, so i'll have to figure out where I can store it "face" down in a way that doesn't stress the material for 11 months out of the year.

DSC01720 on Flickr - Photo [email protected]@[email protected]@http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2549/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@564b2a3540

DSC01725 on Flickr - Photo [email protected]@[email protected]@http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@8934422409

pics are a little blurry .. my digital camera is way too sensitive to hand movement


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## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

I tried this idea on some of my props' eyes after reading this thread the other day. I just hollowed out their eye sockets to small deep "bowls", and drew a small "eye" in the center, it worked! I will definately incorporate this into the final product. Now my creepy characters can watch my visitors as they walk around my yard!! Thanks for sharing this great idea!


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

Hey this is really cool. I will have to make a pair of these. Thanks for posting this.


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## hexerei (Aug 31, 2008)

I would like to know if I did some paintings on canvas, cut the eyes out, and then use halved ping pong balls with eyes painted on the inside...would that work to produce the same effect.
Also, would my guests be able to see it in a dim room? Would it produce a better effect to backlight them from the inside with a small flashlight or something? thanks!


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

Hmm, I'm not sure. My guess is that dim light or light that doesn't shine on the back of the ping pong walls would work best. I know with the bowls we used in the prop, that when bright light is hitting the side of a bowl directly, it does take away from the illusion.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

That is great. You know I have to make me one of those!!! I wonder if it would work with a cat like eye? A couple of big lit pupil eyeballs following the TOTers up the walk would look pretty creepy.


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## spinwitch (Jun 14, 2009)

hexerei said:


> I would like to know if I did some paintings on canvas, cut the eyes out, and then use halved ping pong balls with eyes painted on the inside...would that work to produce the same effect.
> Also, would my guests be able to see it in a dim room? Would it produce a better effect to backlight them from the inside with a small flashlight or something? thanks!


The effect also works if the light comes from below (and slightly in front). You could build a small sconce and use one of those battery tealights.


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## spinwitch (Jun 14, 2009)

hexerei said:


> I would like to know if I did some paintings on canvas, cut the eyes out, and then use halved ping pong balls with eyes painted on the inside...would that work to produce the same effect.
> Also, would my guests be able to see it in a dim room? Would it produce a better effect to backlight them from the inside with a small flashlight or something? thanks!


You don't have to be that complicated with a painting. Cut the eyes out, mount them on a dark board (cardboard would be fine) and put them back behind the painting with small gap in between. It will give you the same "eye's following you" effect


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

spinwitch said:


> You don't have to be that complicated with a painting. Cut the eyes out, mount them on a dark board (cardboard would be fine) and put them back behind the painting with small gap in between. It will give you the same "eye's following you" effect


Aren't there portraits in the Haunted Mansion set up like that?


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## spinwitch (Jun 14, 2009)

It's been many a moon since I've been to Disney, but I think that's how they do the portraits. And they have the busts that seem to follow you done the same way (concave rather than convex). So effective for somethat that is so simple!


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## waldiddy (Aug 4, 2008)

This is a cool site devoted to the Haunted Mansion:
http://www.doombuggies.com/

They talked about this effect somewhere .. I came across it today but I don't remember which page they mentioned it. Very cool site though, all about my fav ride at Disney.


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