PROMPT GUIDE

Eye Tags Guide: Eye Color, Eye Shape and Gaze Prompts

Hi, I'm Rinka! I honestly think about 90% of a character illustration's first impression comes down to the eyes. In this article I've gathered every eye color, eye shape and gaze tag in one place, plus Rinka's own tricks for making eyes sparkle and stand out.

Last updated: 2026-07-10 approx. 3 min read

日本語版

Think of eye tags in 4 layers: color, shape, state and gaze

Eye tags are easy once you split them into four layers: eye color (blue eyes), eye shape (tareme / tsurime), eye state (half-closed eyes) and gaze (looking at viewer). Each layer does a different job, so the basic approach is to pick one tag from each layer and stack them.

Color: color tags in the "... eyes" form, like blue eyes, red eyes
Shape: tareme (droopy eyes), tsurime (upturned eyes), jitome (half-lidded glare)
State: sparkling eyes, half-closed eyes, closed eyes
Gaze: looking at viewer, looking away, looking back

Eye color tag list (including heterochromia)

The golden rule for eye color is the "color + eyes" format. To keep it from mixing with your hair color tag (blue hair, etc.), write hair first and then eyes, right next to each other, for more stable results. For heterochromia (different colored eyes), the standard approach is heterochromia plus two eye color tags.

Eye color tags

Tag	Meaning	Note
`blue eyes`	Blue eyes	The classic clear look. Pairs beautifully with silver hair
`red eyes`	Red eyes	A staple for mysterious, cool characters
`green eyes`	Green eyes	Natural and elegant when paired with brown hair
`purple eyes`	Purple eyes	Great for a noble or magic-user vibe
`yellow eyes`	Yellow eyes	A golden, cat-like look. Works well with animal-ear characters
`aqua eyes`	Aqua (light blue) eyes	Paler and fresher than blue
`brown eyes`	Brown eyes	For an approachable slice-of-life heroine
`gradient eyes`	Gradient eyes	Combine with two color tags to aim for a two-tone gradient
`heterochromia`	Heterochromia (odd eyes)	Use with two colors listed, like blue eyes, yellow eyes

Eye shape and state tag list (tareme, tsurime, sparkly eyes)

Eye shape tells you about a character's personality. Choose tareme for a gentle girl and tsurime for a feisty one. State tags like sparkling eyes and glowing eyes can be used together with shape tags, so feel free to stack them.

Eye shape and state tags

Tag	Meaning	Note
`tareme`	Droopy eyes	For laid-back, soothing characters. Gives a gentle impression
`tsurime`	Upturned (sharp) eyes	For confident or cool types. Great with red eyes
`jitome`	Half-lidded glare	A cold, narrowed look. Also works for comedy
`sparkling eyes`	Sparkly eyes	A magic tag for excitement. Don't overdo it
`half-closed eyes`	Half-closed eyes	For a languid, grown-up sidelong look Details
`closed eyes`	Closed eyes	Paired with a smile, it reads as happy Details
`one eye closed`	Wink	Perfect for an energetic girl's signature pose
`wide-eyed`	Wide-open eyes	A surprised look. Works best with surprised
`glowing eyes`	Glowing eyes	Mysterious effect in night scenes or backlighting

Rinka's tips

When the eyes are the star, Rinka goes for a close framing like portrait or close-up and adds detailed eyes. The detail in the irises jumps up instantly
If sparkling eyes is too strong and looks teary, tone it down to (sparkling eyes:0.8) and it's just right
If bangs are hiding the eyes, add eyes visible through hair for a stylish look with the eyes showing through the bangs

Use gaze tags to make the character meet your eyes

Gaze tags shape the story of the picture. looking at viewer is the classic for a standalone illustration where the character meets the viewer's eyes. On the other hand, looking away or looking down gives a natural mood where she isn't aware of you. For a glance over the shoulder, looking back combined with from behind is the go-to.

Gaze tags

Tag	Meaning	Note
`looking at viewer`	Looking at the camera	Meets the viewer's eyes. The basic and strongest choice for a single illustration Details
`looking away`	Looking away	For a natural or fragile mood Details
`looking back`	Looking back	Combine with from behind for an over-the-shoulder shot Details
`looking to the side`	Sideways glance	A versatile gaze that can read as flirtatious or cool Details
`looking up`	Looking up (upward glance)	More effective combined with from above Details
`looking down`	Downcast eyes	Fits pensive moods and reading scenes Details
`eye contact`	Eye contact	When you want two characters gazing at each other Details
`staring`	Staring intently	A strong gaze. Good for a mysterious feel

masterpiece, best quality, 1girl, solo, silver hair, long hair, heterochromia, blue eyes, yellow eyes, sparkling eyes, tareme, long eyelashes, detailed eyes, looking at viewer, gentle smile, portrait, close-up, soft lighting, blurry background

Rinka's techniques for making eyes look bigger and more striking

If the eyes look small or weak, check your composition before your tags. In a full-body shot the eyes inevitably take up very little of the image, so simply framing at upper body or closer makes a dramatic difference. Then add detailed eyes and long eyelashes for more detail, sparkling eyes to boost the highlights, and put bad eyes, asymmetrical eyes in the negative prompt to prevent distortion. That's Rinka's golden pattern.

masterpiece, best quality, 1girl, solo, black hair, ponytail, red eyes, tsurime, half-closed eyes, looking back, from behind, upper body, school uniform, wind, sunset, dramatic lighting, detailed eyes, depth of field

Checklist when eye tags don't work

Eye color getting pulled toward the hair color, or getting upturned eyes when you asked for tareme, are common problems. Most of the time the cause is either tags conflicting with each other, or the tag losing out to the learned tendencies of character tags or the art style. Fix the seed and change one eye tag at a time to isolate each tag's effect accurately.

If colors mix, keep the hair color tag and eye color tag right next to each other
closed eyes contradicts gaze tags, so don't use them together
On models where tareme / tsurime is weak, try raising the weight up to (tareme:1.3)
If it still doesn't work, nudge the impression indirectly with expression tags (gentle smile / smug)

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prompt heterochromia (different colored eyes)?

The standard way is heterochromia plus two eye color tags, like blue eyes, yellow eyes. Which color ends up on which side is random, so if it matters to you, change the seed until you find the arrangement you like.

The tareme / tsurime tags don't work. What should I do?

How strongly tareme / tsurime works varies by model. First try a weight of around (tareme:1.2), and if it's still weak, we recommend adding an expression tag like gentle smile to steer the whole impression.

Is there a tag that makes the eyes bigger?

Rather than a tag that directly makes eyes bigger, the reliable way is a composition that moves in on the face, like portrait or close-up. Then add detailed eyes or sparkling eyes, and the eyes gain a lot of presence and look big and striking.