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# An Optical Illusion

Optical Illusions and Other Visual Oddities

## Posts

- [It's a New Book! The World's Best Stereograms.  Honest!](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2025/11/its-a-new-book-the-worlds-best-stereograms-honest/) - # The World's Best Stereograms. Honest! is a collection of 80 stunning 3D stereograms created by world renowned artists Gene Levine and Gary Priester. Together, they have a combined 60+ years of experience designing these unique and fascinating works of art. During this time, they have kept pushing the art of the 3D stereogram as far as it will go
- [The Choir Stereogram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/the-choir-stereogram/) - Something is hiding in this arctic scene created by Gene Levine. Stare at the snowy lower portion of this image to discover what is hidden in this clever stereogram. If you give up, or want to check to see if you were right, the solution is provided in the full post. Were you able to
- [Peace 3D Stereogram Optical Illusion Video](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2023/09/peace-3d-stereogram-optical-illusion-video/) - 3D stereograms, made popular in the 1990s, reveal a hidden image upon staring at the pattern. Some people claim that they have never been able to see these, but almost everyone without an eye problem can in fact see them. The trick is to relax your eyes and let the image come to you. Patience
- [Quantum Physics Reality Is An Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/09/quantum-physics-reality-is-an-illusion/) - What if we told you that the reality you're so accustomed to isn't real? What if everything you see in front of you is only an illusion? What if we told you that you’ve never actually touched anything in real life? It's mind-boggling, isn't it? In this article, we will discuss the current research that
- [Write on Your Own or Buy Custom Essay?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2018/01/write-on-your-own-or-buy-custom-essay/) - Writing essays is an integral part of your development as a student. They're designed to increase your understanding and improve your writing skills. There comes a problem when you have a huge backlog of essays to complete within a specified duration. To avoid burnout, stress or health risks that may come with stretching yourself past
- [Moving Snakes Motion Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2021/03/moving-snakes-motion-illusion/) - Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, Faculty of Comprehensive Psychology at Ritsumeikan University, creates some of the best motion illusions out there. As such, he has been featured on An Optical Illusion on many occasions. One of his newer illusions, Moving Snakes, is presented below. What do you see? Are the purple, black, green, and yellow snakes slithering
- [Hidden Cat in the Logs](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/08/hidden-cat-in-the-logs/) - So.... hiding somewhere in this large pile of logs is a cat. Take a quick look and see if you can find the hidden feline. Did you find it? Apparently, when this image was posted on Reddit, many people were completely stumped as to the cat's whereabouts. Several thought that the image could have been
- [Brick Wall Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/05/bricks-optical-illusion/) - A Facebook user by the name of Arron Bevin posted this photograph of a brick wall to his account earlier this month. He indicated that it was one of the best optical illusions he had ever seen. He further said that it took him a good 5 minutes to find the hidden image in this
- [Dual Axis Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2021/02/dual-axis-illusion/) - The Dual Axis Illusion appears to defy logic. It was created by Frank Force and beat out many great optical illusions to claim first place at the 2019 Best Illusion of the Year Contest. The spinning shape seems to rotate around both a horizontal and vertical axis simultaneously. To add to the confusion, the direction
- [Relative Size Animated Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/relative-size-animated-optical-illusion/) - Perspective matters. The angled lines in the animation presented below give the impression that the floor is sloping downward to the left. As such, the man standing on the left appears to be much shorter than the man standing on the right. As the man on the left walks up the incline to stand directly
- [Delboeuf Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2021/02/delboeuf-illusion/) - Research has shown that presenting a food portion in a smaller bowl creates the illusion of a larger portion. Conversely, presenting the foot in a larger bowl creates the illusion of a smaller portion. The quantity of the food remains the same. This phenomenon is known as the Delboeuf illusion. This illusion forces your mind
- [Rotating Pieces of Cheese by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/rotating-pieces-of-cheese-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - The orange and purple ring appears to rotate clockwise on the green background in a twitching or jerky manner. The effect is enhanced if you move your eyes rapidly around the image or look away from it briefly and then focus on it again. Compare this effect to another motion illusion created by Professor Kitaoka
- [Vanity License Plate Stereogram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/vanity-license-plate-stereogram/) - Can you figure out what this California vanity license plate created by Gene Levine says? If you are having trouble viewing the hidden message in this mapped textured stereogram image, please see the reveal below. (via Color Stereo)
- [All Is Vanity by Charles Allan Gilbert](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2021/02/all-is-vanity-by-charles-allan-gilbert/) - This optical illusion is an "oldie but a goodie" and is worth having another look at. The drawing, entitled All Is Vanity, was created by Charles Allan Gilbert. Gilbert was a prominent American illustrator whose work appeared in magazines, books, posters, and calendars. Later, he went on to work on animated films and also served
- [Rotating Faces / Vases Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/rotating-faces-vases-optical-illusion/) - We featured a post last year about ambiguous metal sculptures that can be created using photographs of your own face. The sculptures can either look like two faces looking at each other, or a vase (or candlestick if you have a look at the post referenced above). The design is based on psychologist Edgar Rubin's
- [Charlie Chaplin Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2021/02/charlie-chaplin-optical-illusion/) - Charlie Chaplin made his name as a comic actor in silent films During his illustrious career, he directed eleven films including hits such as City Lights, The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, and The Kid. In this video, Charlie changes it up a bit and plays the role of an optical illusion. A
- [Count The Circles - 16 Circles Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/count-the-circles/) - Take a look at the image below. How many circles do you see? Some people will see them right away, but others will not see any circles at all, only a series of lines and squares. If you don't see them at first, keep looking. There are a total of 16 circles here. When you
- [Vase Face by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/vase-face-by-gene-levine/) - Thanks to Gene Levine for sending over one of his latest 3D stereograms. It incorporates the face/vase ambiguous optical illusion in addition to the hidden image located in the pattern below it. Take a deep look inside the gray swirling pattern and see if you can get the hidden image to pop out at you.
- [Upside Down Face Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/upside-down-self-portrait/) - I came across this portrait in a section of Akiyoshi Kitaoka's website where he posts optical illusions submitted by friends and other people inspired by his work. This particular portrait was created by painter Fumito ITO and depicts a man with glasses, black hair, mustache, and a goatee. Can you spot what is so remarkable
- [Duck Hunting by Valentine Dubinin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/01/duck-hunting-by-valentine-dubinin/) - Russian cartoonist Valentine Dubinin illustrated this unique portrait. It depicts a duck hunter in the water getting ready to fire at a duck desperately attempting to flee the scene. The hunter's dog can be seen in the lower right-hand corner of the image, possibly ready to retrieve the duck if the hunter lands a successful
- [Impossible Elephant](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/impossible-elephant/) - Psychologist Roger Shepard, a professor at both Harvard and Stanford, published a book called Mind Sights in 1990. This book has been described as "...both stimulating to the eye and provocative to the mind." It also happens to feature one of the most famous and classic optical illusions of all time. While most people know
- [Lilac Chaser Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/lilac-chaser-illusion/) - The Lilac Chaser is a visual illusion that consists of multiple optical effects - similar to the choice between a galaxy watch vs active 2. If you stare directly at the plus symbol (+) in the center of the image, you will notice that the purple discs will slowly disappear. You should also notice that
- [Optical Illusion Lamp](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/11/optical-illusion-lamp/) - Viable London is a design studio recognized for its creative diversity and ingenuity. The studio designs furniture, lighting, and products, as well as conceptual installations and exhibitions, and works with international manufacturing companies and private commissions. Their distinctive Titanic Lamp design is sure to bring a "sinking feeling" to your bedroom or living room.
- [The Art of Optical Illusions Book](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/11/the-art-of-optical-illusions-book/) - With the holidays approaching, you may find yourself looking for a unique gift idea. You might want to give The Art of Optical Illusions: Deceptions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind a try. The Art of the Optical Illusions, a 224-page hardcover authored by Brad Honeycutt and Terry Stickels, looks at the several forms
- [Light Painter by Tang Yau Hoong](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/11/light-painter-by-tang-yau-hoong/) - Self taught illustrator Tang Yau Hoong was born in (and is currently based in) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He loves to play with negative space and use illusions in his minimalistic illustrations. Since 2007, he has been a freelance artist working with clients around the world. He has created artwork for editorial and advertising purposes, t-shirts,
- [The Farmer Legs Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/the-farmer-legs-optical-illusion/) - How many legs can you count on the three rabbits below? Does it seem like they aren't lining up quite right? Malaysian tee shirt designer Flying Mouse (aka Chow Hon Lam) no doubt drew inspiration from Roger Shepard's impossible elephant (or L’egs-istential Quandary) when creating this design. To view more tee shirt designs or buy
- [Duck Rabbit Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/10/duck-rabbit-illusion/) - I just searched through the archives, and I cannot believe that the famous duck rabbit optical illusion has not been featured in the past. You've probably already seen this image, but it is worth another look because of its powerful simplicity. Do you see a duck or a rabbit? Can you find both? The animal
- [Trompe L'oeil Garage Doors](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/trompe-loeil-garage-doors/) - If you are tired of having a boring old garage door, consider breathing some life into it with a trompe l'oeil billboard. Style Your Garage, from Germany, has created a series of posters that can be applied directly to garage doors. When the doors are closed, it appears that they are open (and more often
- [Shadow Worker by Chow Hon Lam](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/shadow-worker-by-chow-hon-lam/) - The man on the right gets a little too aggressive in prepping the wall for his partner to put up the wallpaper. This image is courtesy of t0-shirt designer Flying Mouse (aka Chow Hon Lam). Please visit his site to view more of his designs.
- [Optical Illusion Wallpaper](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/10/optical-illusion-wallpaper/) - People have used wallpaper to decorate their walls forever. One clever way to make a small space memorable (and perhaps shocking the first time someone enters the room) is to utilize a wallpaper mural. In the example below, a mural has been placed on the back wall of a bathroom. It makes it appear as
- [Mysterious Dance Tessellation by Makoto Nakamura](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/mysterious-dance-tessellation-by-makoto-nakamura/) - In this tessellation pattern by Makoto Nakamura, black and white mysterious dancers occupy a space with no gaps or overlaps. While it is a nice pattern, even more interesting is the animation that he created to accompany the design. It shows the two sets of dancers taking turns showing off their dance moves. Watching it
- [Spinning Dancer (Ballerina) Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/spinning-dancer-illusion/) - The Spinning Dancer illusion is an optical illusion resembling a female dancer (perhaps a ballerina in training) spinning around in circles on one foot. When you first view this image, you will either see the figure spinning in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. If you watch the image rotate long enough, you may see the
- [Hidden Face Illusion by Oleg Shupliak](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/hidden-face-illusion-by-oleg-shupliak/) - Oleg Shupliak is a talented Ukrainian painter that specializes in double meaning or hidden image paintings. In the example below, a man paints a scene of a cozy cottage on a canvas as he kneels between two trees. The entire scene also happens to make up a larger image of a man's face. Among other
- [Indian in the Mountain](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/indian-in-the-mountain/) - Using Google Earth, a mountain formation resembling the head of an Indian can be found near Alberta, Canada. The image features a lot of facial detail including an eyebrow, an eye, a nose, lips, a chin and a neck. Some people have even noted that it looks like the profile might be listening to an
- [Tiny Horses?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/tiny-horses/) - What exactly are you looking at in this deceptive photo? Is it a family of tiny horses or are the table and chairs gigantic? The horses are, of course, normal size. It is an over-sized table and chairs that create confusion when viewing this scene from a distance. The subject hidden in the cowboy optical
- [Cowboy Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/10/cowboy-optical-illusion/) - Here is a very interesting optical illusion. Look at the abstract black and white image below. Can you figure out what it is supposed to be? What do you see? When I first looked at this, like many others, I was very confused. It appears to be some sort of insect drawn with a black
- [The Dress Optical Illusion - What Color is it?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/what-color-is-this-dress/) - Every now and then, some optical phenomena comes along and creates a buzz. The current one going around the Internet is being called "What Color is this Dress?" (also known more simply as the optical illusion dress), and it is a pretty good one. Have a quick look at the picture of the dress below...
- [Cow Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/10/cow-optical-illusion/) - Take a glance at the black and white optical illusion below. What is the first thing that you see? This cow optical illusion is an ambiguous image. Depending on how you look at it, you can see two different scenes in the same space. Do you see the cow feeding on grass while looking at
- [Star Cruiser by Gary W. Priester](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/star-cruiser-by-gary-w-priester/) - Can you find the hidden star cruiser in this colorful pattern? Stare at this stereogram, created by Gary W. Priester, and the spaceship will slowly reveal itself. If you are having trouble seeing the hidden image, please read through the stereogram viewing tips. (via eyeTricks 3D Stereograms)
- [Charizard Pokémon 3D Stereogram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/09/charizard-pokemon-3d-stereogram/) - A few months ago, Gene Levine created a Pikachu-themed stereogram based on the popularity of the new Pokémon Go game. It was greeted with open arms as several blogs picked up the image and shared it to their readership base. Due to this success, Gene decided to create a follow-up design featuring a different character.
- [Sand Ladder Drawing from Nico Laan](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/sand-ladder-drawing-from-nico-laan/) - If you were to climb down this ladder, where do you suppose you would be once you got to the bottom? Artist Nico Laan drew this anamorphic sand ladder on the beach and then used a camera mounted to a kite to take a photograph of it from the proper angle. The person standing in
- [Sand Cube](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/06/sand-cube/) - This huge anamorphic work of sand art was created on the Pléneuf Val André beach in Northern France with the intention of eliciting the curiosity of people on vacation. It should go without saying that it accomplished its goal. With the help of some advanced calculation and several people with shovels, this "cube" slowly came
- [TILLA - Beach Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/10/tilla-at-the-beach/) - Joel Ydring, from Sweden, had a little fun with his daughter Tilla on a sunny day at the beach. Using his mobile phone camera and the space available on the beach, he created this fun video featuring his daughter. As the little girl runs toward the camera, you begin to realize that it is an
- [Length of Lines (View of Street)](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/length-of-lines-view-of-street/) - This is an excellent example of the way in which our eyes deceive us. In the street view shown below, the line AB looks to be much longer than line CD. If you measure them, however, you will find that they are exactly the same length. This image is a scan of one of twenty-five
- [Ponzo Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2020/10/ponzo-illusion/) - This geometric optical illusion from the early 1900s is called the Ponzo illusion - named after Mario Ponzo, who was the first to demonstrate this effect. The illusion uses linear perspective to confuse the brain into thinking that two lines are of different lengths. In the image below, the red line at the top of
- [Worm by Andreas Aronsson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/worm-by-andreas-aronsson/) - Take a look at this twisted figure that its creator Andreas Aronsson calls an impossible worm. If you study the multi-colored shape in detail, you will notice that it is really just five interconnected impossible triangles (also known as a Penrose triangle). On his blog, Andreas notes: I’m not sure why I like this one
- [Spinning Red Stripes Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/spinning-red-stripes-optical-illusion/) - Stare at the black dot in the center of this image and watch the red stripes spin. At first, they should appear to be moving in a clockwise direction. After a short while, however, they will suddenly appear to reverse and start moving counter-clockwise. If you lie on the ground and look directly up at
- [Troxler's Fading - Troxler Effect](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/troxlers-fading/) - In 1804, an interesting effect, known as the Troxler Effect or Troxler's Fading, was discovered by Ignaz Troxler. He noticed that something strange would happen if you fixated your eyes on one particular point (see the red dot below) for about 15-30 seconds. When doing so, images in your peripheral vision (the blurry blue
- [Impossible Triangle on Fence](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/03/impossible-triangle-on-fence/) - The impossible triangle (also known as the Penrose triangle) has intrigued viewers (and artists) since it was first introduced by Oscar Reutersvärd in the 1930s. In the photograph below, street artist Femoesa designed this version of the impossible triangle using a chain link fence. This particular impossible work of art was created in 2013 in
- [Vintage Skull Afterimage Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/vintageskull-afterimage-illusion/) - In honor of Halloween, an illusion involving something macabre seems appropriate today. The following illusion is a skull afterimage illusion. In order to get this illusion to work, stare at the X in the eye of the skull for thirty seconds. Then look away from the image at a blank sheet of paper or wall
- [Jesus Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/the-jesus-illusion/) - The Jesus Optical Illusion is a popular afterimage illusion. Stare at the dots in the center of this image for approximately 60 seconds. When the time is up, quickly close your eyes and look at a bright light source (like a lamp). Alternatively, you can also look at a blank wall. You should see a
- [World Wildlife Day Elephant Poster](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/05/world-wildlife-day-elephant-poster/) - Last month, winners were selected in a poster contest to spread the word about UN World Wildlife Day 2016. In total, over 300 entries were submitted and three of these submissions were selected as the overall winners. One of these posters, presented below, was created by Patrick George from the United Kingdom. It features two
- [Both Sides Cow by Jerry Downs](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/06/both-sides-cow-by-jerry-downs/) - Marin County-based photographer Jerry Downs captured the following photograph of two cows standing near each other in Idaho. In the dimly-lit photograph, it appears that the two cows share the same body with a head at each end. In trying to figure out which legs belong to each animal, I am reminded of the strange
- [Vintage Forced Perspective Photographs](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/vintage-forced-perspective-photographs/) - Anyone who owns a camera can create their own optical illusions using forced perspective. In the photograph below, which looks to be from the 1940's, a woman sitting on the beach holds two of her miniature friends in the palms of her hands. She really seems to be enjoying herself, doesn't she? Who knew camera
- [Pikachu 3D Stereogram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/07/pikachu-3d-stereogram/) - Intrigued by the latest Pokemon craze that is sweeping the nation, stereogram artist Gene Levine decided to make a Pikachu-inspired stereogram. Gene has not played the new Pokemon Go game (and does not intend to!), but he just kept hearing about it. When he finally heard Bill Maher talk about the game on one of
- [The Color Changing Card Trick](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/the-color-changing-card-trick/) - This card trick from Richard Wiseman is probably best introduced with very little information. Talking too much about it before you watch it might give some hints about what to expect. After the card trick is performed, the video then goes on to show exactly how it was done. Were you paying attention? If you
- [Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 Poster](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/05/fear-the-walking-dead-season-2-poster/) - Unless you live under a rock, you have probably heard of the wildly-successful Walking Dead series on AMC. As with many successful television shows, the creators decided to create a spin-off series to complement the original called Fear the Walking Dead. Season 2 centers around the premise that survivors of a zombie apocalypse board a
- [The Floating Boat](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/the-floating-boat/) - Take a look at this boat that is hovering several feet over the water. How is this possible? The shadow cast by the boat on the floor of the sea and the angle that the photograph was taken from give us the illusion that this boat is somehow flying or floating. Photograph taken by Domenico
- [Anamorphic Row Boat by Tracy Lee Stum](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/09/anamorphic-row-boat-by-tracy-lee-stum/) - Check out this anamorphic row boat created by renowned chalk artist Tracy Lee Stum. It was painted on a sidewalk at Palm Hills in Cairo, Egypt. Like all of her work, this piece of sidewalk chalk art is extremely detailed and very realistic looking. I love how the guy in the picture has one foot
- [Black Hole Rings by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2019/04/black-hole-rings-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - Here is the latest work from professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, who is never one to disappoint when it comes to creating innovative relative motion illusions. The orange rings in this optical illusion appear to rotate against the purple background. (via Akiyoshi Kitaoka)
- [Levitation Act on America's Got Talent](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/06/levitation-act-on-americas-got-talent/) - On Tuesday's episode of NBC's show America's Got Talent, a performer named Special Head wowed the audience by levitating in mid air. During his preparation for the stunt, a bored Howard Stern gave him his sign of disapproval by buzzing him and giving him an 'X'. The other three judges held back and let him
- [Disappearing Colors Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2018/04/disappearing-colors-optical-illusion/) - This image recently showed up on Reddit and gained a lot of attention (and comments). If you stare at the center of the picture of blurry colors below, the colors will slowly start to fade away and seem to disappear. If you break the stare, the colors will again reappear. This visual phenomenon is very
- [Ultimate Optical Illusions 2015 Calendar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/ultimate-optical-illusions-2015-calendar/) - If you are a fan of optical illusions and you like physical calendars for your desk, make sure to check out Ultimate Optical Illusions: Visual Tricks to Challenge the Eye and Mind, a new 2015 Day-to-Day calendar. This full-color calendar published by Andrews McMeel Publishing has a new illusion for each day of the week
- [Survivor Ghost Island](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2018/02/survivor-ghost-island/) - Maybe I'm dating myself, but I remember being obsessed with the first and original season of the realty TV show Survivor. I followed it pretty closely for a few more seasons before losing interest in the franchise. In my opinion, it just got really repetitive. My interest was piqued again when I saw a recent
- [Partial Disappearance Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2018/01/partial-disappearance-illusion/) - This video optical illusion was another finalist for the 2017 Best Illusion of the Year Contest. It was created by Kokichi Sugihara from Meiji University in Japan. Three objects that appear to be identical, are reflected in a mirror. Oddly enough, different parts of each of the three objects disappear. For the first object (on
- [Picture Perfect by Leon Keer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/12/picture-perfect-by-leon-keer/) - Street painter Leon Keer painted this 3D anamorphic work at Wynwood Walls in Miami, Florida. The painting features an old Polaroid instant camera with a picture coming out of it that says ME representing someone talking a selfie. It also features an oversized Barbie Doll. When discussing the meaning of the painting, Keer noted that:
- [A CHEAP Ambigram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/11/a-cheap-ambigram/) - Here is a ambigram with a simple and clean design. It was featured in Ambigram Showcase section of the book Ambigrams Revealed by Nikita Prokhorov published by New Riders in 2013. It clearly spells out the word CHEAP and is designed in such a way that it could be rotated 180 degrees and still spell
- [Hallway Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/11/hallway-optical-illusion/) - How would you like to walk down this hallway? It is made entirely out of tiles and while it looks like it is sinking on the right side, it is a perfectly flat surface. This bizarre hallway can be found at the Casa Ceramica (a tile company, of course) showroom in Manchester, England. It took
- [Walking on Air](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/11/walking-on-air/) - In an effort to get drivers to slow down at an intersection, the city of Ísafjörður, Iceland, decided to use a trompe l'oeil painting to potentially fool drivers behind the wheel. The painting of a pedestrian crossing area was designed so that it appears to be floating a few inches over the pavement. The "trick"
- [Shared Flame by Philippe SOCRATE](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/10/shared-flame-by-philippe-socrate/) - I recently received a copy of a new optical illusion book by Philippe SOCRATE titled Tous les secrets des illusions d'optique (which translates from French to "All the secrets of optical illusions"). The book was published this month by Eyrolles in France. Unfortunately, I do not speak French, so I was unable to read the text
- [Tribute to Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/09/tribute-to-rob-gonsalves/) - I am extremely saddened to have learned about the passing of one of the great masters of illusion - Rob Gonsalves. According to his official Facebook page, Rob passed away on June 14, 2017. I just found out about this a week ago when speaking to a mutual acquaintance. I was fortunate to feature several
- [Tilted Lines Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/09/tilted-lines-optical-illusion/) - This optical illusion, designed by Victoria Skye, is based on the Cafe Wall Illusion. Do the dark blue horizontal bars appear to be parallel or angled? If they look angled to you, have another look or grab something with a straight edge as they are straight and parallel. The alternating black and white patterns where
- [Green or White Arrows?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/08/green-or-white-arrows/) - What is the first thing you see when you look at this image? Do you see four white arrows pointing outward or four green arrows pointing inward? Can you see all eight arrows? Try to flip-flop back and forth between the two different variations of this ambiguous green and white image. (via Bob Ausbourne)
- [Sparkle Illusion by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/08/sparkle-illusion-by-gene-levine/) - Believe it or not, the Sparkle Illusion was inspired by an automobile. You might not see a car in this image, but the basis of the pattern started with a graphic of the front grill of a Lexus. Gene then manipulated the grill graphic to create the pattern below. Finally, he incorporated the stars with
- [Weaving of a Spring Dream by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/08/weaving-of-a-spring-dream-by-rob-gonsalves/) - At the top of this painting created by Rob Gonsalves, a lady is napping on a couch under a blanket while enjoying the warm heat being thrown off by the nearby fireplace. If you look at the bottom of painting, it appears to be a scene from a park with trees, paths, bushes, and a
- [Optical Illusion Coffee Mug](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/07/optical-illusion-coffee-mug/) - I recently came across an interesting coffee mug that is available for sale on Zazzle. As a fan of optical illusions, I thought it was a very clever design for an otherwise ordinary drinking vessel. The spatial geometric design gives the illusion that the mug is concave rather than having a truly cylindrical design. If
- [Algae by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/06/algae-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - The six thin strips within this circle, created by Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, appear to tilt alternately. In reality, each of the strips are all parallel with one another. It certainly does not appear that way, but if you hold up a straight edge to the side of each of them, you will see that they
- [World For All Advertising Campaign](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/05/world-for-all-advertising-campaign/) - I originally saw this series of images on the homepage of Optical Spy while searching for new optical illusions to post on this blog. I wasn't sure if this was something that they created internally, or if they were something that they had found elsewhere on the Internet. It looked like a series of professionally-shot
- [A New Wall by István Orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/05/a-new-all-by-istvan-orosz/) - Have a look at this piece of impossible architecture drawn by István Orosz and try to figure out how it was built. Obviously it could not be constructed in the real world, but fortunately on paper (or on your screen) this type of design can absolutely exist. Notice how each of the three doorways are
- [Refraction Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/05/refraction-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - Here's a new stereogram from Gene Levine. There is no hidden image here, but if you stare at it, the individual columns will fuse together to form a 3D image of the woman diving into the water. This image took Gene quite a bit of time to create, but I think the end result was
- [Love You to Pieces by Andrew Myers](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/05/love-you-to-pieces-by-andrew-myers/) - We previously featured another piece created by Andrew Myers called An Artist's Winter. He has traditionally used an very unlikely medium for his artwork - painted screws. That makes this work the first of its kind for Andrew. Myers created this composite portrait using broken recycled wood pieces. He meticulously arranged, painted, attached to steel
- [Good and Evil by John Langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/04/good-and-evil-by-john-langdon/) - This oil painting, created by John Langdon more than a decade ago in 2006, features two different interpretations. At first glance, this is a painting of a man's face with very big ears. If you look closely, you may also see two different words incorporated into this ambiguous painting. The man's ears and eyes can
- [Share and Share Alike](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/04/share-and-share-alike/) - This conceptual illustration from Tang Yau Hoong was created for Economia, a magazine that covers essential issues, news and analysis relevant to the topics of business, finance and accountancy. While the topic of the magazine may sound a bit dry, at least they hired Tang to spice things up a bit with this ambiguous illustration.
- [Anamorphic Skull](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/03/anamorphic-skull/) - Truly Design drew this entire anamorphic composition by hand, which means that they did not use any projectors to help with getting the distortion correct. It was painted in 2013 at the 39C Graffiti Jam in Bolzano, Italy. When viewed from the proper angle (see image below), an image of an orange skull can be seen.
- [More Amazing Anamorphic Illusions](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/03/more-amazing-anamorphic-illusions/) - The Youtube artist known as Brusspup has come up with some really good anamorphic optical illusion videos in the past. Here are some additional anamorphic illusions that he created which will surely blow your mind. You'll see a red Solo cup that really isn't there along. Then you will witness some other really nice anamorphic
- [Self-Pouring Bottle on a Twisted Page](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/03/self-pouring-bottle-on-a-twisted-page/) - The title pretty much explains today's optical illusion, which is courtesy of Swiss artist Sandro Del-Prete. Del-Prete is a master at drawing impossible scenes and this example is certainly no exception. Shown below is a twisted sheet of paper with a cleverly-designed drawing of a bottle pouring its own glass of wine by itself. The
- [Great Wall of China Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/02/great-wall-of-china-optical-illusion/) - This gentleman is casually leaning up against a wall on a visit to the Great Wall of China. But something doesn't quite seem right about this photograph. Can you figure out what is going on? Parts of the Great Wall of China were built as early as the 7th century BC. Most of the best-known
- [Shiny Legs Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/02/shiny-legs-optical-illusion/) - Take a good look at the the legs in this photograph. Do they appear to be shiny to you, as if they are wet or have oil rubbed on them? Would you believe that they are not oily at all? Instead, they are just a normal pair of dry legs with streaks and spots of
- [Moving Targets](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/01/moving-targets/) - Stereogram designer Gene Levine was playing around with some different pattern designs the other night and came up with this one. As he looked at the pattern on his monitor, he noticed that he could not get the "targets" to stop moving and that he had inadvertently created an optical illusion with apparent motion. The
- [Expecting Winter by Erik Johansson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/01/expecting-winter-by-erik-johansson/) - Swedish surreal photographer Erik Johansson created this photo-manipulation that depicts a scene where seasons meet. The woman in the foreground is using a giant needle to sew white sheets together. Behind her, the sheets that she has already sewn appear to be snow-covered ground. Regarding Erik Johansson's creative process, he notes that: It always starts
- [Torii Illusion (Hering and Zöllner)](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2017/01/torii-illusion-hering-and-zollner/) - Happy New Year everyone! Proferssor Dejan Todorović of the University of Belgrade created this optical illusion that highlights the effects of two different illusions known as the Hering illusion and the Zöllner illusion. The blurred orange lines (representing a Torii, a traditional Japanese gate located in front of a shrine) are identical in all three
- [Art Hacker by Liu Bolin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/12/art-hacker-by-liu-bolin/) - World-renowned Chinese artist Liu Bolin has created a new work for a solo exhibition called Art Hacker. One of the works from this series included re-creating da Vinci's classical masterpiece, the Mona Lisa. Instead of using paints on a traditional medium, Bolin uses scores of human bodies as his canvas. A press release promoting this
- [A Body Under the Ice?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/12/a-body-under-the-ice/) - An ice fisherman named Blake Foster took this photo on Lake Absarraca in Cheyenne, Wyoming on December 10. At the time, he thought that there could perhaps be a body frozen under the ice. While it does look pretty creepy, Cheyenne police investigated and have determined that it is nothing more than an "optical illusion
- [Turkey Hand Painting by Guido Daniele](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/11/turkey-hand-painting-by-guido-daniele/) - I hope everyone is having a terrific Thanksgiving. Today's optical illusion is an homage to the bird that many of you will be feasting on today (and likely for several more days to come in the form of left-overs). This hand painting by Guido Daniele features a turkey. The painting is part of his series
- [Jack-o-Lantern Sun Photograph](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/11/jack-o-lantern-sun-photograph/) - This image was captured on October 8, 2014 by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The SDO obverses the sun at all times as it orbits in space and captured this haunting photograph of the sun. The sun flares at this specific time came together to cause the sun to resemble some sort of face. And
- [Wonderland Ambigram by John Langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/11/wonderland-ambigram-by-john-langdon/) - John Langdon just e-mailed me a new brand new ambigram that he created for a project that he is currently working on. The ambigram features the word "Wonderland" and reads exactly the same if you flip the image upside down. I particularly like the way that the W forms the N & D when inverted.
- [Donald Trump Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/11/donald-trump-optical-illusion/) - While searching for some political optical illusions with the upcoming presidential election in the United States, I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I ran across this one. Someone was clever enough to draw out the head of Republican presidential candidate (and billionaire) Donald Trump. Then they got their cat to lay directly on
- [Disturbing Eye Painting](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/10/disturbing-eye-painting/) - In honor of Halloween, I thought I would post up something that I find to be a little bit on the creepy side. Some artist (if you know who did this, please let me know and I can add a credit at the bottom of the post) decided to paint a full eye on the
- [Two Red Snakes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/10/two-red-snakes/) - The two snakes appear to be in motion even though this image is completely static. This another terrific example of an anomalous motion illusion created by Professor Akiyosh Kitaoka. His illusions are very popular on this site, primarily because he creates some of the best motion illusions in the business. (via Akiyoshi Kitaoka)
- [Find 11 Trout](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/10/find-11-trout/) - Try to find 11 trout in this hidden image wildlife painting by artist Steven Michael Gardner. Look carefully as some are very easy to find while others are quite obscure. If you get stuck, you can find the answer to this puzzle by clicking here. You can also order a limited edition Giclee print of
- [Silhouette Zoetrope](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/10/silhouette-zoetrope/) - This video, created by Christine Veras of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, pays homage to the early zoetropes from the 19th century. The zoetrope consists of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides. When the cylinder in the middle of the contraption in this video is rotated, the slots strobe behind the cutout
- [Hurricane Matthew Satellite Skull](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/10/hurricane-matthew-satellite-skull/) - Hurricane Matthew is expected to hit the eastern coast of Florida today. It is expected to be a Category 4 storm which could make it one of the strongest storms in decades. I hope that everyone in harm's way is able to evacuate ahead of the storm. Stay safe! Recently, a weather satellite captured a
- [Space Oddity by Truly Design](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/09/space-oddity-by-truly-design/) - Truly Design created this large circular anamorphic painting called Space Oddity for the headquarters of a Switzerland-based company that sells apparel, footwear, and accessories. The blue circle (shown in the photograph below) is clearly visible from one particular viewpoint located at the end of the hallway. As the viewer walks towards the door in the
- [12 Black Dots Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/09/12-black-dots-optical-illusion/) - Psychology professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka recently posted this optical illusion on his Facebook page, which then made it to Twitter and quickly went viral through a large number of shares and retweets. If you look at this pattern, you will be able to find 12 black dots. The problem is, most people are completely unable to
- [How Shadow Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/08/how-shadow-optical-illusion/) - I recently came across this unique piece of art created by Anzac Tasker, a graphic designer based in Auckland, New Zealand. I have always found art that uses shadows to be extremely creative and interesting. He started by creating a cutout of half of each of the three letters. He then placed a light at
- [Motion Integration Unleashed Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/08/motion-integration-unleashed-optical-illusion/) - The following video was recently awarded 1st prize for the 2016 Best Illusion of the Year Contest This video was created by Mathew T. Harrison and Gideon P. Caplovitz from the University of Nevada Reno, USA. They call the individual flickering dots "Gabors" and describe the effect as follows: Here we show that configurations of
- [Ambiguous Cylinder Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/07/ambiguous-cylinder-illusion/) - Kokichi Sugihara of Meiji University in Japan created this very intriguing video featuring a series of ambiguous cylinders. If you look at the objects placed in front of the mirror and then look at their respective reflections, you will notice that they look like completely different shapes. How can this be? Obviously, there is something
- [Ultimate Stunt by Thomas Barbèy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/08/ultimate-stunt-by-thomas-barbey/) - Thomas has once again used his photography skills and imagination to come up with this very unusual balancing act. Merging a photograph of a tightrope walker headed toward the viewer with a photograph looking up at a chandelier and ceiling, a confusing and unsettling image is born. Regarding the process that Thomas uses to create
- [Tick by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/08/tick-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - This is an interesting motion illusion that Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka created back in 2010. When you simply look at it, you'll just notice a series of different-colored square outlines. But if you use your scroll bar and move the image up and down, something interesting happens. As the actual image moves, the square insert also
- [Lifelike Portrait from Photograph](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/08/lifelike-portrait-from-photograph/) - I am always amazed when a talented artist can create a portrait that looks absolutely lifelike. This hyper-realistic portrait of a vibrant, young girl was created by an artist using a real photograph. You would think that with a lot of practice, anyone could create paintings such as this one. But, as we all know,
- [Caught Inside a Bubble Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/07/caught-inside-a-bubble-optical-illusion/) - In this video, you will see grey circles turn into circles of different colors (green, yellow, red, and purple) before your very eyes. The bubbles are absolutely colorless (the same color as the background), but when the screen alternates between the colored circles and bubbles, phantom colors begin to appear. This illusion was a top
- [Fall Floating by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/06/fall-floating-by-rob-gonsalves/) - In this new painting by Rob Gonsalves, several rowboats can be seen floating on a leaf-covered lake. Take a look at the closest row boat, however, and you will notice something a little different. It seems that this boat is resting on the top of a tree. It is very interesting how Gonsalves uses floating
- [Hole in the Hand Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/06/hole-in-the-hand-optical-illusion/) - TutoDraw creates a lot of interesting videos like these on his YouTube channel. Here, he uses red and black india ink, a pencil, and a white piece of paper to create the illusion of a hole in his hand. It looks like you can see right through his palm onto the white paper beneath his
- [Moon Hoops](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/06/moon-hoops/) - The NBA Finals start tonight with the Golden State Warriors facing the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second year in a row. As such, I went on a hunt for a basketball-related optical illusion. It looks like Photoshop might be involved here, but that's okay. Check out these two kids simulating a game of basketball with
- [Huge Table and Chairs by Robert Therrien](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/05/huge-table-and-chairs-by-robert-therrien/) - Robert Therrien is an American sculptor based out of Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of Southern California, where he earned an MFA. Some of his installations are very large versions of ordinary things, like the example below. This sculpture of an enormous table and set of chairs is meant to examine the viewer's
- [Hummingbird by Vik Muniz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/05/hummingbird-by-vik-muniz/) - Brazlian artist Vik Muniz is no stranger to transforming trash and other discard items into beautiful works of art. We previously featured a video in which Muniz used hand-torn scraps of paper from magazines to recreate Van Gogh's The Starry Night. In 2012, Muniz created a series of composite artworks under a series titled Scrap
- [Illusory Blue Dots by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/05/illusory-blue-dots-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - In this variant of the Hermann grid illusion created by Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, illusory blue dots can be seen in the white circles where the squares intersect. This phenomenon was first reported in 1870 by Germany physiologist Ludimar Hermann. The blue dots cannot be seen if you look directly at one of the white circles.
- [Three Girls on a Bench](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/05/three-girls-on-a-bench/) - At first glance, this might not look like much of an optical illusion. But something is not quite right about this picture. You may notice it right away or it may take you a while to discover it. (full disclosure: It took me some time to figure this one out) So... can you spot what
- [A Somewhat Disturbing Beard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/a-somewhat-disturbing-beard/) - I ran across this image the other day and almost just scrolled right past it. I was kind of wondering what the point of the picture of this man with a beard and glasses was. As I was scrolling, however, a set of eyes caught my eye which caused me to do a double take.
- [Kelly Ripa Ambigram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/kelly-ripa-ambigram/) - Kelly Ripa has been in the news quite a bit lately. It appears that there is a lot of drama between her and her former Live! With Kelly and Michael co-host Michael Strahan. In what he called a "career move", he abruptly quit the show (without telling her, which is why she is angry) and
- [Malta Street Art by Leon Keer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/malta-street-art-by-leon-keer/) - Leon Keer decided to paint some very large gummy bears on a sidewalk in Malta for the 2015 Malta Streetart Festival. This particular painting was created along the waterfront in Valetta, the capital of the Mediterranean island. To see this painting properly, you have to view it from this angle which is from an upper
- [The Vanishing Magic Trick](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/the-vanishing-magic-trick/) - Today's video is more of a magic trick than an optical illusion, but I think that you'll enjoy it nonetheless. The best part about this trick is that Richard Wiseman shows you a behind-the-scenes look after he performs the trick. This way, you get to see exactly how he pulled it off. Watch as he
- [This Land by Natalie Fletcher](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/this-land-by-natalie-fletcher/) - Natalie Fletcher has a very interesting job... she paints bodies. The About Natalie section of her website indicates that: A young Natalie realized, around the age of 5, that drawing was a lot more interesting than Math class, and so it started. Around the age of 15 she discovered paint. Little did she know her
- [How Many 3s Do You See?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/04/how-many-3s-do-you-see/) - First off, this is not any sort of joke related to April Fool's Day! I just saw this puzzle floating around the Internet and thought that it was kind of interesting. It has a lot of people debating on the actual answer (it appears that there are several based on how you interpret the question).
- [The Colour and the Shape](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/03/the-colour-and-the-shape/) - Today's video features an anamorphic painting by urban artists Truly Design titled "The Colour and the Shape”. This work is one of several that Truly Design completed as part of the "Truth depends on where you see it from" exhibition at MEF - Ettore Fico Museum in Turin, Italy. This exhibit opened on March 10,
- [Over the Moon by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/03/over-the-moon-by-rob-gonsalves/) - In this ambiguous painting by Rob Gonsalves, a young girl is having fun on a tree swing. As she gets higher and higher, it seems that her feet might touch the moon. Moving from left to right, can you see where the painting transitions from the girl swinging from a tree under the moonlight to
- [Paradox 01 by Tamás Farkas](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/03/paradox-01-by-tamas-farkas/) - The works of Tamás Farkas have been presented in exhibitions around the globe. His art has appeared in his native country Hungary, as well as other places like Washington, D.C., Israel, Japan, and Italy (to name a few). Take a look at the tangled gray and gold figures below. They appear to be wrapped around
- [Vysotzkiy Portrait by Victor Molev](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/03/vysotzkiy-portrait-by-victor-molev/) - This painting by Russian artist Victor Molev shows a collection of papers (some whole and some torn) in the foreground and a sailing ship in the background. The papers in the center of the image come together in such a way that they form a hidden portrait of Vladimir Vysotzkiy, a Russian singer-songwriter, poet, and
- [Family of Birds by Octavio Ocampo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/03/family-of-birds-by-octavio-ocampo/) - This painting from Mexican artist Octavio Ocampo effectively uses negative space to create two distinct images that occupy the same space. Do you see a tree and several birds or do you see the face of a woman? You cannot view them both at the same time, but you can very easily flip-flop between the
- [Frazzle by Kaia Nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/03/frazzle-by-kaia-nao/) - If you suffer from motion sickness, now might be a really good time to get out your Dramamine. As your eyes move across this series of nine distorted circular objects, you may notice that they start to move or pulsate. It almost looks as if the circles are made of wax and are somehow melting
- [Chess Pieces Lightness Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/02/chess-pieces-lightness-illusion/) - Today's illusion is from an article written by Barton L. Anderson and Jonathan Winawer and published in Nature (the international weekly journal of science). Remarkably, the chess pieces on the top and bottom images are identical! It may seem hard to believe, but it is true. When surrounded by a dark color (like the top
- [Cat House by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/02/cat-house-by-gene-levine/) - Gene Levine recently emailed a couple of new 3D stereograms that he has been working on. Below is one of these images which he calls Cat House. If you stare at this pattern, a hidden image will reveal itself. Can you figure out what it is? If you need some help viewing stereograms, please review
- [Anamorphic Waterfall by Alessandro Diddi](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/02/anamorphic-waterfall-by-alessandro-diddi/) - In 1961, famous Dutch artist M.C. Escher printed a lithograph titled Waterfall. This print shows a seemingly impossible scene with water flowing uphill to create a perpetual waterfall using the same water over and over again. There is a paddle wheel at the bottom of the waterfall which we would assume is what powers the
- [Light Flurries by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/02/light-flurries-by-rob-gonsalves/) - A man with a lantern emerges from a grouping of pine trees and approaches the edge of a lake. As he looks down the coastline, the pine trees transform into skyscrapers in the night. Can you tell where the pine trees end and the skyscrapers begin? You have to wonder when Rob Gonsalves painted this
- [University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Logo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/02/university-of-arkansas-at-pine-bluff-logo/) - The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is a university located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The school was founded in 1873 and is the second oldest public institution in the state of Arkansas. It has an enrollment of over 2,500 undergraduates and 100 graduates. The school's mascot is the Golden Lion and their logo is
- [Giraffe and Elephant Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/02/giraffe-and-elephant-optical-illusion/) - Check out the wire sculpture in the video below. From one angle, it appears to be a pair of giraffes standing next to one another. As you walk around to view the sculpture from another angle, however, it transforms into a completely different animal - an elephant! I would imagine that it is difficult enough
- [3D Ladybug Painting](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/02/3d-ladybug-painting/) - Professional painter Stefan Pabst shows how to to draw a 3D ladybug in the following video. The video is sped up, so you won't exactly get step-by-step directions to create one for yourself. Nevertheless, it is pretty amazing to watch this anamorphic insect come to life on paper.
- [Midnight Walker by Chow Hon Lam](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/01/midnight-walker-by-chow-hon-lam/) - Is this clown on the tightrope walking upside down or right-side-up? Without the placement of the moon, you might just assume that the black space in between the buildings is the ground. But since the moon is there, it almost feels as though you are on the ground looking up toward the tops of the
- [Amazing 3D Floors](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/01/amazing-3d-floors/) - If you want to impress visitors to your home or are looking for a unique flooring idea, then you might want to consider 3D epoxy floor painting. In the example below, created by Imperial Interiors (a design company serving Dubai and the United Arab Emirates), a bathroom floor has been transformed into waves washing onto
- [Young Lady / Lion by Arvind Narale](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/01/young-lady-lion-by-arvind-narale/) - Born and trained in India, Arvind Narale is an architect by profession who currently lives in Canada. He attended Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta where he studied watercolor and oil painting. Among his many talents is the ability to create drawings that have multiple meanings when viewed from different directions. Below is an
- [Rotating Chains by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/01/rotating-chains-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - The blue and yellow circles made up of what look like bicycle chains appear to spontaneously rotate. Try focusing your attention on only one of the six circles at a time and you should find that the one you are focusing on stops moving. If you want to maximize the motion effect, move your eyes
- [A Very Lively House](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/01/a-very-lively-house/) - This interesting house has features that make it appear to look like a face. The two rounded windows on the roof look like eyes and the woodwork located over the window resemble a smiling mouth. When I saw this pictures, I almost noticed the face before the actual architecture. I would be curious to know
- [Breaking Bad Illusion from Brusspup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2016/01/breaking-bad-illusion-from-brusspup/) - This anamorphic optical illusion was created by Brusspup as an homage to the fictional character Walter White from AMC's television show Breaking Bad. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this show, but if you have not seen it, I would highly recommend that you binge watch it immediately. This is one of the
- [Office Christmas Tree Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/12/office-christmas-tree-optical-illusion/) - The digital production house squint/opera decided to get into the Christmas spirit by painting a giant anamorphic Christmas tree (complete with red bulb decorations and a gold star on the top) across its office space. This photograph, taken from another angle, helps to demonstrate how they had to paint the tree in order to get
- [Candy Cane Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/12/candy-cane-optical-illusion/) - In the spirit of the holiday season, today's optical illusion features a series of red and white candy canes. When you look at these seven pieces of candy, do they appear to be parallel to one another or are they askew? If you want to be certain, grab something with a straight edge and hold
- [Hilbert Cube Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/12/hilbert-cube-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - I was not familiar with a Hilbert cube prior to seeing this new stereogram created by Gene Levine. It is named after the German mathematician David Hilbert, and even when I read the definition, I am still not exactly sure what it is. Here is how Wikipedia defines the Hilbert cube: The Hilbert cube is
- [Pencil Vs Camera - HK by Ben Heine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/12/pencil-vs-camera-hk-by-ben-heine/) - Ben Heine continues to expand his Pencil Vs Camera portfolio with this new photograph that merges fantasy with reality. Here, in this busy walkway, Heine holds up a torn piece of paper in the middle of the photograph. Draw on this paper are a group of individuals aligned in the shape of a heart. (via
- [Soundscapes by Erik Johansson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/12/soundscapes-by-erik-johansson/) - Photographer and Photoshop expert Erik Johansson recently created this work titled Soundscapes. The "soundwaves" coming from the the old school gramophone morph into trees in the background as they move from left to right. Two gentlemen in the foreground are carrying a large record toward the antique sound machine. I might recommend some iTunes gift
- [3D Pac Man in Detroit by Leon Keer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/12/3d-pac-man-in-detroit-by-leon-keer/) - Streetpainter Leon Keer completed this anamorphic painting featuring Pac Man in Detroit on October 20, 2015. This 3D painting was created using acrylics on the floor of the downtown One Campus Martius building owned by Dan Gilbert. The painting was left on display through the end of November 2015, giving all those who work in
- [Water Cushion by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/11/water-cushion-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - This purple circle created by Akiyoshi Kitaoka appears to wobble and pulsate as you look at it. Try focusing on the gray dot int he center of the image and then moving your head around. You will find that the circle appears to be very unstable against the black background. (via Akiyoshi Kitaoka)
- [Deluged by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/11/deluged-by-rob-gonsalves/) - In this painting by Rob Gonsalves, the scene in the foreground presents an entirely different meaning than the scene in the background. This type of transition is pretty common in all paintings from Gonsalves. If you look toward the back of the image, it appears to be an open body of water - maybe even
- [Elephant Rock](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/11/elephant-rock/) - This photograph of a cliff in Southern Iceland (on the island of Heimaey which translates to Home Island) appears to be a giant elephant with its trunk in the water. Perhaps it is taking a drink? This "elephant" has become a tourist attraction to this island that claims about 4,500 residents. View below to see
- [Snow Blind Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/11/snow-blind-illusion/) - Masashi Atarashi, a physics teacher at Aichi Prefectural Gojo Senior High School in Japan created this video that demonstrates what he calls the “Snow Blind illusion”. The illusion itself is a very simple one, and you have probably already witnessed this in the past. Watch how the speed of falling snowflakes appears to be accelerated
- [The Wandering Circles](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/11/the-wandering-circles/) - The flickering circles in this video appear to wander around randomly. The circles are not moving (just flickering), but the shapes seem to drift whenever you do not look directly at the circles. You can frame the circles with lines and they will still appear to move. It is interesting to note that the more
- [Ship Between Buildings Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/11/ship-between-buildings-illusion/) - I came across this trompe l'oeil building painting while I was searching around for new illusions a couple of weeks ago. The mural gives the illusion that a very large ship is passing between two skinny buildings right in the middle of town. It is very well done and you can tell that it took
- [Trippy Double Vision Makeup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/trippy-double-vision-makeup/) - With Halloween right around the corner, why not take some tips from make-up guru Promise Tamang and turn your face into a double face? Watch this video and I guarantee that you will be completely freaked out with what she finally comes up with. It is extremely difficult to look at and seems to be
- [Ambiguous Garage Roof](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/ambiguous-garage-roof/) - Kokichi Sugihara from Meiji University in Japan created this video of an ambiguous garage roof which completely changes in appearance when its reflection is viewed in a mirror. Viewed one way, the roof appears to be round while it seems to be corrugated when viewed from the opposite angle. The actual shape is neither round
- [Global Warning by Truly Design](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/global-warning-by-truly-design/) - Urban artists Truly Design was commissioned to paint this anamorphic work in the former Torino Zoo, which is located in downtown Torino, Italy next to the Po River. The zoo was abandoned in 1987, and as you can imagine, this painting site was quite run down before the Truly Design team went to work. Here
- [Levitating Waters](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/levitating-waters/) - The device featured in this video is quite interesting. Depending on which setting is chosen, water droplets appear to be stationary, falling, or moving in an upward direction. In reality, the water is falling down as a steady stream exactly as you would expect it to behave. Inside the box, however, there are a series
- [Watermelon by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/watermelon-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - The green circle in the center of this image, which Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka calls a "watermelon", appears to sway back and forth and be unstable against the gray background. I personally find this image to be difficult to look at for too long. This one actually makes my eyes hurt! Another good example of this
- [Recycled Waste by Jan von Holleben](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/recycled-waste-by-jan-von-holleben/) - Photographer Jan von Holleben created this piece for the internal magazine of a major notorious power company. The recognizable symbol for recycling is made completely from trash and other discarded items. In the article for the magazine, Holleben illustrated the travels of waste and its sticky handling within the European Union. He points out that
- [Leapin' Lilies by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/leapin-lilies-by-gene-levine/) - Today's image is a new hidden image stereogram from Gene Levine. Stare at the colorful pattern and a secret image will emerge. Can you see it? What is it? If you are having trouble viewing the stereogram, please read these 3D stereogram viewing tips. (via Eyetricks 3D Stereograms)
- [Cream by Tolga Girgin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/cream-by-tolga-girgin/) - I recently came across some exceptional anamorphic 3D lettering works created by Tolga Girgin. In the example below, which he calls 'Cream', the letters of the word are drawn on a flat sheet of paper using a parallelpen & brushpen and a pencil. It looks as if the letters of the word CREAM are hovering
- [Impossible Construction](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/impossible-construction/) - Karlos Calonge Domenech sent me this impossible construction he created a few weeks ago. The way that many of the angles line up on this odd structure could simply not exist. I count a total of three impossible rectangles incorporated into the design. Do you see them all? If you've got any optical illusions that
- [Vik Muniz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/10/vik-muniz/) - In this video, Brazilian visual artist and photographer Vik Muniz shares his process for creating intricate collages based on images that "are already part of our collective visual memory." This series, titled "Pictures of Magazines", features his replica of Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" from hand-torn scraps from magazines. Muniz was featured in 2010's
- [Us by John Langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/us-by-john-langdon/) - John Langdon painted this figure-ground ambigram, which he titled Us, way back in 1996. What is the first thing that you see when you look at this painting? Do you see the words Me or You? It's impossible to see both at once since the word You occupies the negative space inside the word Me.
- [Terror Subterra by Roger Shepard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/terror-subterra-by-roger-shepard/) - It certainly does not appear to be true, but the two monsters shown in this illustration are identical in size. It looks like the monster in the background is significantly larger than the one in the foreground (maybe even twice the size). This was originally published in Roger Shepard's book "Mind Sights" in 1990. In
- [Minecraft Impossible Triangle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/minecraft-impossible-triangle/) - My kids have recently become obsessed with Minecraft (they play the Pocket Edition on the Amazon Kindle), especially my son. It is kind of amazing to see all the different things that he has built after spending an hour messing around with it. It seems that he has just as much fun destructing the things
- [Swimming Rings by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/swimming-rings-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - When it comes to motion illusions, it is safe to say that no one does it better than Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. If you look at the two multi-colored rings below, which Professor Kitaoka calls "Swimming Rings", you will notice that they both appear to rotate in a clockwise manner.
- [Anamorphic Circles by Felice Varini](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/anamorphic-circles-by-felice-varini/) - Felice Varini creates large-scale anamorphic works in urban spaces, typically on buildings, walls, and streets. One of his latest works created this year, titled "Objectif gare", is a series of non-concentric blue circles that can only been seen properly from one specific vantage point. It was created in the city of Lausanne, located in the
- [Hand Paintings by Guido Daniele](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/hand-paintings-by-guido-daniele/) - Italian artist Guido Daniele has been painting the bodies of models for various situations including advertising, commercials, fashion events, and exhibitions since 1990. In 2000, he began painting model's hands in a series that he calls "Handimals." Below are three excellent examples from this series featuring a cobra, crocodile, and a dolphin. Which is your
- [Sad Tale by István Orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/09/sad-tale-by-istvan-orosz/) - I have always been a big fan of István Orosz's illustrations, and today's optical illusion is no exception. If you look at this very detailed illustration that contains two men standing among trees with bags hanging from their shoulders, you may also notice something else. Do you see it? The hidden image is easier to
- [Cubic Depths by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/08/cubic-depths-by-gene-levine/) - A few days ago, Gene Levine sent over one of the newest 3D creations that he has been working on. If you stare at this image like you would a normal hidden image stereogram, the spheres will fuse together and appear to be three-dimensional and hovering over the cubical background. (via Gene Levine)
- [Mouth of Flower by Octavio Ocampo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/08/mouth-of-flower-by-octavio-ocampo/) - Today's optical illusion is another wonderful painting from Mexican artist Octavio Ocampo. His surreal and metamorphic paintings often can be interpreted in multiple ways. What do you see first when you look at the image below? Do you see some flowers and a butterfly or the face of a beautiful woman? I always see the
- [After the Storm by Jim Warren](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/08/after-the-storm-by-jim-warren/) - When Jim Warren was in high school, he began painting and selling artwork. Since that time, he has become a "Living Legend of the Art World". In 1981, he painted the cover of the Grammy Award winning cover for Bob Seger's "Against the Wind". Regarding this limited edition print titled "After the Storm", Jim Warren
- [Perpetual Shift by Michael Murphy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/08/perpetual-shift-by-michael-murphy/) - Michael Murphy is a sculptor who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received a BFA and sculpture training from Kent State University and a MFA from the Art and Technology Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. One of his latest anamorphic installations titled Perpetual Shift consists of 1,252 wood
- [Baubles by Kaia Nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/08/baubles-ii-by-kaia-nao/) - The four spheres (which the artist calls baubles) appear to be moving. If you move your eyes rapidly around the image, you will find that the motion effect is enhanced. A larger, single bauble version of this image can be found below. To see more motion illusions from Kaia Nao, please check out Floating Star
- [Mother Nature in Tears](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/08/mother-nature-in-tears/) - Some people say that a photograph is worth a thousand words. I think that today's photograph is worth quite more than that. This photograph was taken by wildlife photographer Michael S. Nolan at the Austfonna ice cap located on Nordaustlandet in Svalbard, Norway. Despite what you might think, the photograph has not been edited or
- [Owl Tessellation by Nikita Prokhorov](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/owl-tessellation-by-nikita-prokhorov/) - Looking through some of the categories, I realized that I haven't posted any tessellation patterns this year at all. One of my favorite designs from graphic designer Nikita Prokhorov is the following tessellation that features interlocking blue and red owls. The horizontal branches that run through the pattern and act as a perch for the
- [Currents Mural by John Pugh](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/currents-mural-by-john-pugh/) - John Pugh creates large public trompe l'oeil murals that are meant to look like realistic scenes. In a personal artist statement, John says that: Public art is of great interest to me; providing me with a sense of purpose as it is a very powerful form of communication. It can link people together, stimulate a
- [Concentric Circles by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/concentric-circles-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - Have a look at today's image that was created by Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. We've posted images similar to this one in the past, but I thought that it was a pretty good representation of an old optical illusion concept. Each of the rings are circles, even though they certainly
- [Anamorphic Glass of Water](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/anamorphic-glass-of-water/) - I always love when visitors send me optical illusions that I haven't seen before. Today's YouTube video was sent in by Abdul from couponmachine.in and features an anamorphic drawing of a glass of water. This video was created by a professional and passionate artist named PortraitPainter Pabst. The best part of the video is the
- [Allusions by Tom French](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/allusions-by-tom-french/) - This limited edition screen print created by Tom French uses a mixed media technique to create a very dark image resembling a skull. On his website, Tom French and his particular style of painting are described as follows: Through his work, French focuses on the reflection of the conscious and unconscious mind. His oil paintings
- [Out of Africa Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/out-of-africa-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - While browsing through some of the illusion categories on An Optical Illusion, I realized that I have not posted any stereograms at all during 2015. That seems like a shame because I have always been a big fan of this type of artwork. Today's image is a brand new design created by stereogram master Gene
- [Chain by Andreas Aronsson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/chain-by-andreas-aronsson/) - If you take a look at this design from Andreas Aronsson, you will see that each link of the chain is connected in a perpendicular manner in a way that could not physically be possible. According to Andreas: I had this one sit in my notebook for, I think, more than six months. It took
- [Anamorphic Graffiti by Truly Design](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/07/anamorphic-graffiti-by-truly-design/) - Not surprisingly, Truly Design has created another very nice anamorphic graffiti piece. This one featuring a pair of bear constellations (which are part of a larger project featuring other murals) was painted on the walls of Scuola Holden - School of Storytelling & Performing Arts in Turin, Italy. This photograph shows the painting from an
- [Invention of a Landscape](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/invention-of-a-landscape/) - Fred Eerdekens mainly works in three dimensions with the following components - language, material, light, and shadow. In 2014, he created the following piece using bent copper and a light source. The shadow formed by the twisted copper when light is shined on it from the right angle reveals the cursive phrase "Invention of a
- [Impossible Stairway by Nagai Hideyuki](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/impossible-stairway-by-nagai-hideyuki/) - Twenty-four year old Japanese artist Nagai Hideyuki creates deceptive pencil drawings on paper. The example below is a sketch he did that features an impossible stairway that he calls 'Strange Positional Relationship'. It would appear that if either of these blob-looking creatures were to head up or down the stairs, they would end up on
- [Lip Study by Morgan Davidson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/lip-study-by-morgan-davidson/) - Morgan Davidson used colored pencils to create this super realistic drawing of a woman's lips. Morgan is a 22 year old illustrator with a degree from Ringling College. She aspires to build a career as a freelance artist, helping bring ideas to life for companies and individuals. Based on what I see here, I would
- [Abseiling the Burj Khalifa by Tracy Lee Stum](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/abseiling-the-burj-khalifa-by-tracy-lee-stum/) - Tracy Lee Stum created this 3D street painting for the Dubai Canvas 3D Art Festival in early March 2015. Seen below, Tracy can be seen climbing up the the side of a skyscraper. She better keep a good grip on the side of that building, because it certainly looks like a pretty long drop if
- [Einstein in Pencils](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/einstein-in-pencils/) - Have you ever wondered what Einstein might look like if he were made from around 1,000 colored pencils? Maybe you haven't, but here is one artist's interpretation. It all started with lots and lots of colored pencils (around 1,000 of them, to be precise!). This close up shows how the pencils were arranged in different
- [Impossible Squares](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/impossible-squares/) - In this animation, a person passes a straight rod through two squares in what appears to be an impossible manner. At the end of the animation, the squares are turned slightly to reveal how the trick was pulled off.
- [The ŠKODA Attention Test](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/the-skoda-attention-test/) - In a recent video advertisement for the new ŠKODA Fabia, you are asked to observe the scene and see how much attention the new vehicle receives. Will a crowd of people gather around the new automobile to admire it? Will other drivers slam on the brakes to get a closer look at some of its
- [The Invisible Mercedes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/the-invisible-mercedes/) - As part of a publicity stunt to promote its new vehicle that runs on fuel cell technology, Mercedes decided to make the whole car invisible. Watch how they did it in the video below.
- [Moving Arrows by Miwa Miwa](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/moving-arrows-by-miwa-miwa/) - The background behind the arrows appears to be moving in a downward direction in this motion illusion created by Miwa Miwa. The design itself is relatively simple, but the motion effect is quite strong. To see another motion illusion created by Miwa Miwa (that was also featured on the Drudge Report a while back), be
- [The Incredible Candles](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/06/the-incredible-candles/) - Richard Wiseman makes a candle flame move from one candle to the other using no edits, CGI, or cuts. The entire trick was done in a single take. Fortunately, he doesn't leave you guessing how it was done as he reveals the trick at the end of the video. You didn't think that he could
- [The Architect by Erik Johansson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/the-architect-by-erik-johansson/) - Here is one of the latest captured ideas from photographer and retoucher Erik Johansson. The paradoxal geometry of the house leads to quite a bit of confusion as you admire it. Is the man sitting at the table inside his home or outside? To see another interesting house that uses a similar technique, be sure
- [Can You Find the Navy SEALs?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/can-you-find-the-navy-seals/) - In honor of Memorial Day today, I thought I would post an optical illusion related to the armed forces. This poster was released by the Navy SEALs for a promotional campaign. The bottom of the poster asks "do you have what it takes?" Unless you have been trained to spot camouflaged troops, you will likely
- [The Purple Giant](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/the-purple-giant/) - Kind of a funny forced perspective photograph I came across a while back and put in a folder for future post ideas. It certainly looks like the man in the forefront (the purple giant?) is significantly taller than everyone else around him. He is standing on some sort of ledge closer to the camera than
- [3D Typography from Lex Wilson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/3d-typography-from-lex-wilson/) - Lex Wilson lives in Nottingham, UK and describes himself as a self-certified obsessive compulsive doodler. He uses anamorphic techniques to create 3D typography that appears to stand off of the page when viewed from a specific angle. His sketch below, showing a raised "HIGH" and a sunken "LOW", is a good representation of his impressive
- [The Shapes of Imagination](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/the-shapes-of-imagination/) - John V. Muntean, the creator of the Magic Angle Sculpture, was recently commissioned by Ogilvy & Mather to create this sculpture using more than 18,000 LEGO® bricks for display in the Singapore LEGO store. The true magic of the model, measuring 50cm x 50cm (nearly 20 x 20 inches), can only be seen when shining a
- [The Chameleon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/the-chameleon/) - Do you notice anything peculiar about this chameleon standing on a green branch? Would you believe that it is actually not a chameleon at all? Would you believe that it is made of two painted women? Take a look at the image a bit closer and you can figure out exactly how this extraordinary body
- [Green Haired Girl](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/green-haired-girl/) - At first glance, it kind of looks like this girl has a wild head of green hair, doesn't it? To see additional photographs that use strange angles and a bit of ruse, please be sure to check out the Grabbing the Tower Optical Illusion and the Strange Looking Kid Optical Illusion. (via Koldunov Brothers)
- [The Ambiguous Cat](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/05/the-ambiguous-cat/) - Take a quick look at this cat on a stairway. Do you think that the cat is climbing up the stairs and heading down the stairs? Depending on how you look at it, you can probably perceive either to be true. Maybe there are some clues on the photograph that could help you draw your
- [Wavy Hair by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/wavy-hair-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - The circle in the center of this wavy yellow and purple pattern appears to move to the right while the background appears to moving to the left. The motion effect on this one is incredibly strong for me. I don't know if it is the colors, or what, but it certainly seems like an animation
- [Milking Out by Flying Mouse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/milking-out-by-flying-mouse/) - When I started this blog a few years ago, I was in need of some sort of header, or masthead, for the site design. At the time, I was working on a project with a talented t-shirt designer from Malaysia and asked him if he could come up with anything for me. Thankfully, he did!
- [Sorceror / Bad Witch by Laurent Blachier](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/sorceror-bad-witch-by-laurent-blachier/) - I always love getting submissions directly from artists that I am not familiar with. I was fortunate enough to receive an email from Laurent Blachier a few days ago pointing me to some of his topsy-turvy animated gifs. Laurent is an illustrator, digital collage artist, and caricaturist, among other things. Below is an animated gif
- [Liu Bolin - American National Flag](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/liu-bolin-american-national-flag/) - This is an older photograph, taken in 2007, but I had not seen it before. Using some red, white, and blue paint, Liu Bolin camouflages himself in front of the stars and stripes. The official title of this work is Hiding in the City No. 62 - American National Flag. Liu Bolin has painted his
- [Vegetable Face by Klaus Enrique](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/vegetable-face-by-klaus-enrique/) - This vegetable face composite image was created by Klaus Enrique for the cover a cookbook by Martin Pyco Rausch. The cookbook features vegetarian recipes making the half-vegetable face even more relevant for this project. The style used in this strange face mash up was clearly inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, the 16th century Italian painter best
- [Oscar Reutersvärd Postage Stamps](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/oscar-reutersvard-postage-stamps/) - In the 1980's, Oscar Reutersvärd (the father of the impossible figure) was honored in Sweden with the release of three postage stamps featuring his impossible art. These items were not in circulation for very long and have since become sought after collectibles. Below is one of the stamps that features a twisted figure that bends in
- [Fritz Müller Perlwein](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/fritz-muller-perlwein/) - Fritz Müller Perlwein is a German sparkling wine made by Jürgen Hofmann. Their unique packaging and labels use horizontal black and white stripes, and this poster uses offsetting black and white stripes a "phantom" bottle of their product. No bottle exists here, but you certainly cannot help but to see it. The original label and
- [Shadow Art by Teodosio Sectio Aurea](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/01/shadow-art-by-teodosio-sectio-aurea/) - In 2013, Teodosio Sectio Aurea created an enigmatic, DNA type puzzle, consisting of 350 small, metallic balls. The end result appears to be a colorful jumble of balls arranged in an odd formation. But when this design is lit from the correct angle by a light source, a shadow of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous sketch
- [An Artist’s Winter by Andrew Myers](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/04/an-artists-winter-by-andrew-myers/) - Andrew Myers creates portraits using an unlikely medium - screws. In this early, experimental screw piece that measures 2 feet x 2 feet, he transformed thousands of screws, oil paint, and phonebook pages into a self-portrait expressing the difficult feelings he was experiencing at that time. He notes that when he created this particular piece,
- [Philosophy, Art, & Science](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/03/philosophy-art-science/) - John Langdon designed this ambigram titled Philosphy, Art, & Science in 2009 as a personal project. When rotated 180 degrees, the text reads exactly the same. Here is the rotated version of this design. To see more of John's designs, have a look at his True/False ambigram and Love figured/ground design. (via John Langdon)
- [Squaring the Circle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/squaring-the-circle/) - This interesting sculpture called Squaring the Circle was created in 2013 by Troika, the UK-based artist group consisting of Conny Freyer, Eva Rucki and Sebastien Noel. Watch the video below shot at the Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles, California to see how these CNC bent steel tubes (measuring 54 3/4 x 54 3/4 x 30 1/2 inches) form
- [Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jane Perkins](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/03/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-by-jane-perkins/) - Jane Perkins takes ordinary objects that she finds in various places and arranges them into something completely new. Shown below is her recreation of Dutch painter Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring. She finds most of her materials at charity shops, boot sales (a kind of flea market popular in the UK), and recycling
- [Grand Canyon Street Painting by Tracy Lee Stum](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/03/grand-canyon-street-painting-by-tracy-lee-stum/) - Here, streetpainter Tracy Lee Stum can be seen bringing the Grand Canyon directly to the streets of Santa Monica, California. She was tasked by the Arizona Tourism Board to create this remarkable piece of street art in an effort to get Californians interested in visiting the National Park at some point in the future. The
- [The Princess Bride Ambigram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/03/the-princess-bride-ambigram/) - The Blu-Ray+DVD cover of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the movie The Princess Bride features an ambigram. The romantic comedy adventure movie, originally released in 1987, was directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner and received a rating of "two thumbs up" from Siskel & Ebert. The text in the middle of the cover reads the
- [Wolverine... or 2 Batmen?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/03/wolverine-or-2-bat-men/) - I remember seeing this image floating around the Internet a while back and recently stumbled across it again. It is a really well illustrated ambiguous drawing. Do you see Wolverine from the X-Men or two Batmen (would that be the plural of Batman?) staring at one another in front of a yellow background? If anyone
- [DIRIMART Gallery Installation by Peter Kogler](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/03/dirimart-gallery-installation-by-peter-kogler/) - Peter Kogler decorated the walls, floor and ceiling of this section of the DIRIMART Gallery in Istanbul, Turkey in 2011. The carefully drawn lines give the impression that the entire room is somehow warped and distorted creating an uneasy feeling for anyone entering this corridor. This photograph was taken by Atelier Kogler. (via Peter Kogler)
- [Echoes From the Woods](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/03/echoes-from-the-woods/) - This design by Malo and the Whale was submitted to Threadless as a potential candidate for a t-shirt design. The reflection of the trees, moon, and buildings in the adjacent lake create a very interesting scene. Do you notice unique about it? (via Threadless)
- [The Cover Up by Erik Johansson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/the-cover-up-by-erik-johansson/) - Erik Johansson is an expert at using Adobe Photoshop to take real photographs and turn them into something magical. The man on the ladder in the photograph below appears to not like the dark and dismal view of the landscape in the background. So what does he do? Well... instead of complaining about it, he
- [Octopus Anamorph by Truly Design](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/octopus-anamorph-by-truly-design/) - This anamorphic octopus mural was painted by Mach505 of Truly Design at SAMO, the artistic hub of Torino, Italy. He spent two weeks searching for the best way to break up the tentacles of the green beast in the best way possible. Additional photographs of this painting can be found below. (via Truly Design)
- [Variation of the Cafe Wall Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/variation-of-the-cafe-wall-illusion/) - In this variation of the Cafe Wall illusion, created by Alan Stubbs, the vertical gray lines between the black and white squares appear to be quite wavy. If you take a straight edge (like a sheet of paper or a ruler), however, and hold it up to the lines, you will find that they are
- [Presidents' Day Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/presidents-day-optical-illusion/) - In honor of Presidents' Day here in the United States, today's illusion features Barack Obama, the 44th U.S. President. Both photographs of Obama look fairly normal when viewed upside down. When the images are inverted, however, it is obvious that his eyes and mouth are upside down on one of photographs and normal on the
- [Impossible Tower by István Orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/impossible-tower-by-istvan-orosz/) - The seven people sitting on the ledges of this building seem to be very confused. Are they looking out of the windows or into the center of the building? It looks like a tower or a cylinder, but if you investigate the construction you will find that it is anything but. (via István Orosz)
- [Comix Face](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/comix-face/) - This striking photograph from Alexander Khokhlov's "2D or not 2D" series looks like it could be an illustration of a woman in a comic book. Surprisingly, it is an actual model (her name is Ekaterina Ashikhmina) with her face and hair painted by make-up artist Valeriya Kutsan. This photographic series was selected as one of
- [Looking Through Time by Robert Fathauer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/02/looking-through-time-by-robert-fathauer/) - Robert Fathauer created this limited edition digital print titled "Looking Through Time" in 2005. It features a reversible portrait of a man that can be seen as two different faces when viewed normally and in the mirror. Fathauer found inspiration for this design in the work of Rex Whistler who created a series of very
- [Brusspup's Incredible Spinning Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/brusspups-incredible-spinning-illusion/) - This unique metal design uses a single light source and a little spin to produce a rather dramatic effect. Brusspup got the idea for this video when he was walking through Santa Monica and saw a similar effect on a spinner in a storefront. He bought it, of course, and the end result is what
- [A Band on Sanity](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/a-band-on-sanity/) - This animation of an impossible ribbon was created by Erwin Bonsma. Depending on how you look at it, this ribbon can be perceived as rotating in two different ways. He credits the original idea to M.C. Escher's print titled "Cube with Magic Ribbons" which happens to be the first drawing by Escher to feature a
- [Low Flying Plane](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/low-flying-plane/) - Why is this plane flying so low to the ground? It looks like an extremely dangerous maneuver. The plane is actually flying high above the ground. What appears to be the plane's “shadow” is a lake far below in the background. This image was provided courtesy of Robert Ausbourne.
- [Minotaur Anamorph by Truly Design](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/minotaur-anamorph-by-truly-design/) - Truly Design was asked to create this anamorphic installation for Burning Giraffe Art Gallery in Turin, Italy. Describing this project, they indicated that: “We chose the minotaur because of its double human and animal nature, the latter being that of a bull, symbol of our hometown Torino. The minotaur lives secluded in its labyrinth, as
- [Butterflies](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/butterflies/) - The folks over at Optical Spy created this really nice motion illusion called Butterflies. The square in the center of this image appears to be completely unstable as it appears to wobble around. To see an illusion with a similar effect, take a look at the Moving Mona Lisa Face. (via Optical Spy)
- [Arboreal Office by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/arboreal-office-by-rob-gonsalves/) - This painting by Rob Gonsalves, completed in October 2014, features a dramatic transformation. Looking at the painting from the bottom, a man is standing in a wooded area by a campfire, but as he looks up into the clear night sky, the trees morph into skyscrapers. (via Huckleberry Fine Art)
- [Brusspup's Minecraft Poster Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/brusspups-minecraft-poster-illusion/) - Using the same type of style employed by British artist Patrick Hughes, Brusspup created this mind-boggling video featuring a poster dedicated to the game Minecraft (a game about breaking and placing blocks). As you move to the left and right it looks like the elements of the poster are moving and following you in some
- [Fire Breathing Dog Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/fire-breathing-dog-optical-illusion/) - Happy New Year everyone! It is difficult to believe that it is already 2015. I thought we would kick off the new year with something light and a little humorous. The person who took this photograph likely did not know exactly what they had captured until they took a look at the picture later. It
- [Turning Head by Thomas Woodruff](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2015/01/something-will-go-here/) - Today's topsy-turvy optical illusion is from a series by Thomas Woodruff called 'The Court'. On the artist's website, the following is noted about this series of works: This project started with a simple idea: to see if the traditional visual parlor trick of the “upside-down head” could be taken to new pictorial heights while conveying
- [Edgar Mueller Duality](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/edgar-mueller-duality/) - Edgar Mueller painted this extraordinary piece of street art in Moscow in 2010. It is part of a series of paintings called "Unconditional Love". Speaking about this project, Mueller notes that: Some years ago I was in Moscow for a purely commercially-based project, now I was looking forward to having the option of creating a
- [Moving Wreath Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/moving-wreath-optical-illusion/) - Mathematical vision scientists Hitoshi Arai and Shinobu Arai created this unique wreath image in 2011. If you focus your eyes on the red dot in the center of the wreath and move your head toward your monitor and then away from it repeatedly, you will notice that outer portion of the wreath appears to move
- [Revolving Circles](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/revolving-circles/) - Look at the black dot in the center of this image and move your head closer to your screen and then back again. Do the outer circles appear to be moving? This illusion, known as the Pinna illusion, was the first visual illusion to show a rotating motion effect. It was discovered by Dr. Baingio
- [Merry Christmas Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/merry-christmas-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - To all of those who celebrate Christmas today... Merry Christmas! Today's image is a stereogram from Gene Levine. While you can probably already figure out what it says, stare directly at it and the hidden three-dimensional message will emerge from the pattern and reveal itself. If you have trouble seeing this stereogram, you can always
- [Art Ambigram by Scott Kim](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/art-ambigram-by-scott-kim/) - Scott Kim created this ambigram specifically for the epilogue that he contributed to the book The Art of Deception: Illusions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind. When viewed this way, the word 'art' can be seen in middle of the image in all lower case letters but the rest of the words are upside
- [Blue Berlin by Fanette G](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/blue-berlin-by-fanette-g/) - This anamorphic three-dimensional object was commissioned in February 2014 and was painted with a spray can in a flat in Berlin, Germany. When viewed from the angle that this photograph was taken at, it looks like a rectangular column hovering in the corner of the room. By moving several feet to the right, you can
- [Warped Circles Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/warped-circles-optical-illusion/) - This brief video shows a pair of circles that appear to be very warped or distorted. Using circles cut out from a sheet of white paper, the creator of this video demonstrates that there is nothing warped about them at all. Even after you know the truth, once the white circle cut outs are removed,
- [Paint the Town Red](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/12/paint-the-town-red/) - I've been painting a lot of doors in my house lately. It is a slow process that I have been tackling about two doors at a time. The results have been worth it as they look much better with two coats of fresh paint on them. When I came across this illustration, it brought a
- [Masking Tape Scream by Nasa Funahara](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/masking-tape-scream-by-nasa-funahara/) - Nasa Funahara is a student in the Department of Oil Painting at Musashino Art University in Japan. Funahara recreates famous artworks using colored masking tape. Below is a tape version of Edvard Munch's The Scream. Munch created four different versions of the original work between 1893 and 1910. One of these versions sold for nearly
- [Moving Train Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/moving-train-optical-illusion/) - Today's illusion has a pretty interesting effect. We have featured several animations that are similar to this one (see the Turning Wheel Optical Illusion and the Spinning Dancer Illusion), but I still find the effect to be very fascinating. The train in this animation is moving at a constant rate of speed. But what direction
- [Del-Prete's Garden Fence](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/del-pretes-garden-fence/) - This digital recreation of a portion of Sandro Del-Prete's The Garden Fence (originally painted in 1969) was created by Josh Sommers. You can find the original version of The Garden Fence, along with several other works from Del-Prete, in our previous post that featured a collection of his impossible paintings. This particular homage features a
- [Mona Lisa (Water) by Victor Molev](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/mona-lisa-water-by-victor-molev/) - Russian born artist Victor Molev is a painter a graphic artist currently living in Ontario, Canada. He previously worked as both an architect and a theater set painter. In his painting below, titled Mona Lisa (Water), seven fish jumping out of the water come together to form an image that resembles a portrait of Mona
- [Superman Photomosaic](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/superman-photomosaic/) - A photomosaic is an image that has been divided into smaller sections, each of which is replaced with another image matching that particular individual section of the original image. In this example featuring the Man of Steel, every section of the original image has been replaced with an image of a movie poster. The creator
- [Orb by Neil Dawson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/orb-by-neil-dawson/) - Neil Dawson's sculptures look like they could be drawings from a cartoon. This private commission, created in 1991, resides in Taranaki, New Zealand. It looks like a large floating orb is being held in place by a rope tethered to the ground. In reality, the entire sculpture is made of steel. To see another remarkable
- [Can You Trust Your Ears?  (Audio Illusions)](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/can-you-trust-your-ears-audio-illusions/) - Today's post is a little different than all of the other posts on An Optical Illusion. Instead of featuring something that will trick your eyes, this video features several examples of audio illusions that will play tricks on your ears. Explained in detail are the McGurk Effect, the Tritone Paradox, and the Shepard Tone Illusion.
- [Spaceships Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/11/spaceships-optical-illusion/) - In this new twist on an old optical illusion, two spaceships can be seen flying through a wormhole. The spaceship in the front appears to be significantly smaller (maybe half as big?) than the one behind it. Surprisingly, however, both spaceships are the exact same size. The wings of the spaceship in the back are
- [Hidden Animals Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/hidden-animals-optical-illusion/) - Art Directors Anaïs Boileau and Samuel Volk oversaw the production of this recent advertisement for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) called Botanimal. The copy that accompanies the ad (which can be seen in the lower right corner, but is much too small to read here) is as follows: "Donate to save a tree and save
- [Apple's Perspective Video](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/apples-perspective-video/) - While this video from Apple is probably a tad bit too long, it does feature some pretty good anamorphic optical illusion tricks. The video is captured from a single camera moving around a sterile white room in what appears to be a single take. The style of this commercial is reminiscent of Ok Go's recent
- [Impossible Frame](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/impossible-frame/) - The man in this photograph is putting the finishing touches on a homemade rectangular wooden frame. As he tightens the final screw, however, he cannot help but notice that something seems peculiar about the carpentry. The two pieces of wood in the center cross one another in a very unnatural way. How did he build
- [Find the Sailor's Cutlass](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/find-the-sailors-cutlass/) - This old collectible card from 1926 was produced by a company called Major Drapkin & Co. We have previously featured a couple of optical illusion cards from the same company, The Rod Illusion and His Own Size?, but this one is from an entirely different series. Instead of being a traditional optical illusion, this card
- [Climbing](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/climbing/) - Is this man climbing a large white ladder? What is going on here? Perhaps this is just the case of a man on his hands and knees on the pavement with a camera tilted at an angle to give the impression that he is climbing. This photograph was taken by Erik Minnema.
- [Pacific Life Pavement Chalk Art](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/pacific-life-pavement-chalk-art/) - While watching the Michigan State vs. Purdue football game this past weekend (Michigan State won 45-31), a commercial for the insurance company Pacific Life came on during one of the breaks. It took me about half way through the commercial before I realized that the subject matter of the advertisement was a three dimensional anamorphic
- [Crane Raising the Moon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/crane-raising-the-moon/) - Sometimes all you need is a camera, a little imagination, and the right camera angle to capture something that is both deceptive and interesting. The person who took this photograph was able to make it appears as if a very large crane was lifting the moon into the night sky. In doing so, it almost
- [The Art of Deception](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/the-art-of-deception/) - Today is the official release date for a new 224-page hardcover volume of optical illusion art titled The Art of Deception: Illusions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind. This book, from Brad Honeycutt, features a foreword by John Langdon and an epilogue by Scott Kim. It is a companion volume to The Art of
- [Spheres Relative Size](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/10/spheres-relative-size/) - The sphere that is placed closest to you looks to be about half the size as the sphere in the background. Surprisingly, both spheres are exactly the same size. If you don't believe it, grab a ruler and measure them both to confirm. For a similar effect, be sure to revisit the SUV Illusion where
- [Anamorphic Chalk on Grass by Leon Keer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/anamorphic-chalk-on-grass-by-leon-keer/) - Measuring 900 square meters (approximately 9,700 square feet), this anamorphic chalk art on a field in Utrecht, Holland has the appearance of being three-dimensional. The artist, Leon Keer, used environmental friendly (and harmless) chalk for this ephemeral piece of land art. Most of the time, you see this type of art on pavement, so seeing
- [Hiding in New York No. 9 - Gun Rack by Liu Bolin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/hiding-in-new-york-no-9-gun-rack-by-liu-bolin/) - We featured several of Liu Bolin's camouflaged body photographs on An Optical Illusion a couple of years ago. If you are new to the site or happened to have missed those, then feel free to check them out here. The photograph below features Liu Bolin doing what he does best - hiding in plain sight
- [Sweater Music Video from Willow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/sweater-music-video-from-willow/) - This music video produced for the song "Sweater", performed by the Belgian band Willow, is pretty interesting. The lone guy featured in the video spends the entire time in a white room. By projecting scenes and animation onto the walls and floor of the room, it appears that he is walking down stairs, walking around
- [Question/Answer by John Langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/questionanswer-by-john-langdon/) - What is the first word that you see in this figure/ground painting from John Langdon? Do you see the question or the answer? Can you find both? To see a similar painting from John Langdon, revisit his painting titled Love. (via John Langdon)
- [Jeep's Animal Optical Illusions](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/jeeps-animal-optical-illusions/) - International advertising agency Leo Burnett created a series of three topsy-turvy optical illusion images for an ad campaign for Jeep. Each of the designs features an image of an animal with the tag line “See whatever you want to see.” printed beneath the Jeep logo. When the designs are turned upside down, the animal transforms
- [How The Ames Room Illusion Works](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/how-the-ames-room-illusion-works/) - In this brief video from Scientific American, the Ames Room illusion is demonstrated and then completely revealed. If you are not familiar with an Ames Room, first have a look at this vintage Ames Room illusion photograph. Now watch the video and see exactly how this trick is done.
- [The Terrace Made From LEGO](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/09/the-terrace-made-from-lego/) - This impossible-looking LEGO structure was created by a Flickr user going by the handle of Brixie63. It is a recreation of and homage to David Macdonald's famous digital manipulation titled The Terrace. What makes the story even more interesting is that David Macdonald created The Terrace as an homage to The Warped Chessboard painting by
- [Girls in White](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/08/girls-in-white/) - In this painting by Ukrainian artist Oleg Shupliak, two girls in white can be seen walking around outside in a field. The girls are each wearing sun hats and carrying umbrellas. Can you find something else hiding in this painting?
- [Positive and Negative](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/08/positive-and-negative/) - I came across this simple animation this weekend and thought it had a pretty interesting effect. It features a very basic tessellation pattern composed only of black and white crosses. The crosses take turns rotating a quarter turn with the black crosses rotating counter-clockwise and the white crosses rotating clockwise. The overall effect is very
- [Age is All in Your Head](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/08/age-is-all-in-your-head/) - This is essentially an anamorphic illusion from Victoria Skye and was a finalist at the 2014 Best Illusion of the Year Contest. The photograph in the center marked 'Original Photo' is a normal, unaltered photograph of a young boy. The photograph is then tilted forward (far left) and backward (far right) to present slightly different
- [Peregrination by David Macdonald](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/08/peregrination-by-david-macdonald/) - David Macdonald, the creator of this impossibly perplexing scene, had the following to say about this work: The pathways in this building are in fact a single horizontal plane. There are no less than twenty two false links which treat this single plane as different levels ...... stairs and ladders which simply serve to join
- [Beyond the Reef by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/07/beyond-the-reef-by-rob-gonsalves/) - In this new painting from Canadian magic realism painter Rob Gonsalves titled Beyond the Reef, two different worlds morph seamlessly into one another. On the right side of the painting, a male and female can be seen snorkeling underwater and your viewpoint is from below. The female can be seen swimming near the surface while
- [Rotating Grapes by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/08/rotating-grapes-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - As you move your eyes around this image, the purple and yellow grapes appear to rotate around in circles. Be careful with this one, you might start to get a little bit dizzy if you look at it for too long! To see more rotating circles, take a look back at the motion illusion in
- [Bar Code Zebra](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/08/bar-code-zebra/) - This interesting illustration, inspired by the art of Thomas Barbèy, shows a zebra that appears to be melting into what looks like a bar code. To create this piece, Nevit Dilmen started with an actual photograph of a zebra taken at Copehagen Zoo. He then digitized it and manipulated the stripes to come up with
- [Crazy Circle Illusion from Brusspup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/07/crazy-cirlce-illusion-from-brusspup/) - In this new video from Youtube sensation Brusspup, a group of eight balls can be seen rotating around in a circle. If you focus on one individual ball at a time, however, you will notice that they are not rotating in a circle pattern at all. Rather, each ball is moving in a straight line.
- [Kölner Zoo Logo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/08/kolner-zoo-logo/) - It probably goes without saying that we love logos that feature optical illusions or other hidden objects. The logo presented below is for the Kölner Zoo in Germany. It features a green elephant with a star for an eye. Closer examination of the logo, however, reveals a few hidden objects. Do you see them? In
- [Pointed Sense by Noma Bar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/07/pointed-sense-by-noma-bar/) - Israeli graphic artist Noma Bar produces visually-striking and simple illustrations that take full advantage of negative space. In this example, titled Pointed Sense, Noma captures a scene which he saw once where a male black labrador tucked his nose behind a female white labrador and gave her a good sniff. Her tail was up over
- [Flying Dog Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/07/flying-dog-illusion/) - Seven people leaning against a wall marvel at the sight of a flying dog. It almost appears that the dog is full of helium. Two other similar photographs worth revisiting are Climbing from Erik Minnema and the optical illusion courtesy of Hurricane Sandy.
- [Major Drapkin Illusion Card #18 – The Rod Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/07/major-drapkin-illusion-card-18-the-rod-illusion/) - Today's illusion comes to us straight from the "Roaring '20s". It is the 18th card in a series of 25 optical illusion cards published in 1926 by Major Drapkin & Co (London) which was a branch of The United Kingdom Tobacco Co Ltd. The reverse side of the card contains the following: Which is
- [Anamorphic Beach Art by Jamie Harkins](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/07/anamorphic-beach-art-by-jamie-harkins/) - There are a number of talented artists creating anamorphic drawings on pavement and sidewalks, we see their work all over the Internet. New Zealand artist Jame Harkins creates his three-dimensional drawings on a different surface - in the sand at the beach. In his drawing shown here, a tall skinny ladder leads up to a
- [The Scarlet Rope by Norman Parker](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/the-scarlet-rope-by-norman-parker/) - This painting from British surrealist artist Norman Parker is a reworking of a familiar optical illusion. Glastonbury Tor, a holy hill in Southwest England, can be seen in the background through the impossible columns / pillars. As you move from the top of the painting to the bottom, the four square columns transform into six
- [The Writing's on the Wall Music Video](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/the-writings-on-the-wall-music-video/) - OK Go is an American band known for their unusually quirky videos. For their latest effort promoting their new single The Writing's on the Wall, from the forthcoming album titled Hungry Ghosts, they decided to dive head first into the realm of optical illusions. What they came up with is an entertaining music video featuring
- [Tiger Hand Print Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/tiger-hand-print-illusion/) - This image looks like someone dipped their entire hand in black ink and then pressed it firmly on a white sheet of paper. When they removed it, however, something remarkable could be seen in the print... an image of a tiger trotting toward you. The four fingers make up the legs of the tiger and
- [Tron Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/tron-optical-illusion/) - It took Brusspup about 10 hours to create this anamorphic optical illusion paying homage to the 1982 movie Tron. He describes the process of taping the Christmas lights to the wall as "painstaking" as they kept falling off. Thankfully, he was patient enough to see it through to completion. When discussing the illusion, he offers
- [Pencil Vs Camera - 73 from Ben Heine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/pencil-vs-camera-73-from-ben-heine/) - Is Ben Heine suffering from a multiple personality disorder or is this just an optical illusion? Here the real illustrator can be seen with an over-sized red pencil facing the anamorphic photographer. The series of photographs below show how the sketch evolved on a giant sheet of white paper. Ben first drew the outline of
- [Four (Illusion) by Tony Corkery](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/four-illusion-by-tony-corkery/) - Optical illusions involving hidden skulls have been around for a very long time and modern artists continue to produce them. In this version with a fantasy-art theme, a woman wearing a white hooded cloak and black shirt stands in front of a group of white and black candles with her arms extended. Two candle holders
- [A Turn in the Road](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/a-turn-in-the-road/) - Last week, we posted the first place winner of the 2014 Best Illusion of the Year Contest. Today's illusion is the third place winner called 'A Turn in the Road' by Kimberley D. Orsten and James R. Pomerantz from Rice University in Houston, Texas. This illusion video shows three images, two of which are matching images
- [Extended Family Mural by John Pugh](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/06/extended-family-mural-by-john-pugh/) - John Pugh designs very large trompe l'oeil optical illusion murals and he is doing exactly what he wants to be doing. I have found that the “language” of life-size illusions allow me to communicate with a very large audience. It seems almost universal that people take delight in being visually tricked. Once captivated by the
- [The Dynamic Ebbinghaus Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/the-dynamic-ebbinghaus-illusion/) - The 10th annual edition of the Best Illusion of the Year contest was held on May 18, 2014 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Taking home the prestigious first place prize were Christopher D. Blair, Gideon P. Caplovitz, and Ryan E.B. Mruczek from the University of Nevada Reno. Their illusion was a new twist on an old
- [Baseball Card Collage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/baseball-card-collage/) - Using a 22 by 21 grid of baseball cards, mosaic artist Ken Knowlton created this portrait of his grandson titled Nicholas Jensen (Little League Pitcher). The final mosaic, created in 2002, measured 32 inches wide by 40 inches tall once completed. The further that you stand back from the image, the more recognizable the young
- [Impossible Figure - Eye](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/impossible-figure-eye/) - It has been a while since we featured one of Andreas Aronsson's impossible figures. Depending on how you look at this figure, the small (blue) square is either on top of or below the larger (red) square.This figure was made during a particularly hectic time in Andreas Aronsson's life as he was living out of
- [The Op Art of Bridget Riley](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/the-op-art-of-bridget-riley/) - Bridget Riley was born in London, UK in 1931 and studied at Goldsmiths College and Royal College of Art, London. During the 1960's, she became well known across the world for her Op Art paintings after exhibiting alongside Victor Vasarely and other artists in New York's Museum of Modern Art. The untitled work below from
- [A Bearded Man and His Dog](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/a-bearded-man-and-his-dog/) - A bearded man wearing a beret squints as he looks off into the distance. He cannot seem to find his dog. Can you help him find his pet? By rotating the image 180 degrees and viewing it upside down, the man's dog (nibbling on a bone) is located. This topsy-turvy figure was drawn by Russian
- [Saint-Georges Theatre](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/saint-georges-theatre/) - Do you notice anything remarkable about Saint-Georges Theatre shown below? It appears that the side of the building is covered in windows. In reality, most of them were painted onto the building by mural painter Dominique Antony. In fact, all of the upper windows are fake with the exception of the one on the far
- [Red Planet Stereogram by 3Dimka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/red-planet-stereogram-by-3dimka/) - Can you find the hidden image on the surface of Mars in this stereogram created by 3Dimka? If you are having trouble finding the hidden image, try reading through the stereogram viewing tips at 3DStereograms.com. They should help get you on the right track.
- [Flying Carpet Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/flying-carpet-optical-illusion/) - Does it look like the woman in this photograph is standing on a flying carpet? The shadow is from a flag and flagpole while the rug that the woman is standing on is firmly on the sand. At first glance, it appears that the shadow and the rug are related to one another, giving the
- [A Face in the Snow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/11/a-face-in-the-snow/) - The following photograph was captured on the side of a snow-covered mountain. Do you see someone hiding in the landscape? For a similar illusion involving a face that can be found in nature, be sure to revisit the Apache Head in the Rocks.
- [Moving Arrows Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/moving-arrows-illusion/) - Move your eyes around this image. Do the arrows appear to be moving left and right? Do some of them seem to be going to your left and others to your right, or are they all headed in the same direction? Image courtesy of Anh Pham.
- [Motion Illusion in Star Arrangement](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/motion-illusion-in-star-arrangement/) - The green circles on the image below appear to move in a clockwise direction. Edit: This motion illusion was also used on the cover of the book Exceptional Eye Tricks published by Imagine Publishing, an imprint of Charlesbridge Publishing.
- [Moving Hearts Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/moving-hearts-illusion/) - The heart pattern below, designed by optical artist Anh Pham, appears to move before your very eyes. If you enjoy Anh's motion illusions, you may want to revisit his moving arrows illusion that was featured last month.
- [Tunnel Vision by Kaia Nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/tunnel-vision-by-kaia-nao/) - As you look down this tunnel designed by optical artist Kaia Nao, does it appear to be moving? Does the back of the tunnel seem to be moving toward you? This image is completely static and not animated in any way. It might seem hard to believe, but it is true!
- [Moving Pink Square by Daniel PICON](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/moving-pink-square-by-daniel-picon/) - Stare at the square in the middle of the design below. Does it appear to be unstable and moving or hovering over the background? This illusion is a variation of the Ouchi Illusion and was designed by French artist Daniel PICON.
- [Four Floating Squares by Daniel PICON](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/four-floating-squares-by-daniel-picon/) - The four squares appear to float on top of the wavy pink background. As you watch this image, the background seems to flutter slightly to both the left and the right.This illusion was designed by French artist Daniel PICON.
- [Unstable Window of Enlightenment](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/unstable-window-of-enlightenment/) - The round inset in the middle appears to move. This illusion, created by Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, is a variation of the Ouchi Illusion and yields a really interesting effect. More motion illusions can be found on Akiyoshi Kitaoka’s site.
- [Vibration Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/vibration-optical-illusion/) - This image is difficult to look at. It appears to vibrate as your eyes try to focus on it. How long do you think that you could look at this image without it driving you completely crazy? I would guess no longer than a few minutes.
- [Spinning Circles Motion Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/spinning-circles-motion-illusion/) - The orange and purple circles appear to be spinning in a counter-clockwise direction. To see more motion illusions, be sure to check out the Beating Heart by Akiyoshi Kitaoka and the Moving Pink Square from Daniel Picon.
- [Magic Floating Faucet](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/magic-floating-faucet/) - Watch this video of a faucet as it appears to hover in midair. Where exactly is the water pouring from the faucet originating from? This product would certainly breathe some life to an otherwise boring garden or backyard.
- [Penrose Triangle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/penrose-triangle/) - The Penrose triangle was first created by Oscar Reutersvärd in the 1930's. It is also referred to as the Penrose tribar or the impossible triangle. A figure of this shape could not possibly exist in the real world because of the way that it bends. It is, however, possible to create an impossible triangle that
- [Vintage Hidden Face Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/vintage-hidden-face-illusion/) - A man's face is hiding somewhere in this scene from an advertising puzzle card from 1880. Can you find it? The man's face becomes easier to see when the image is rotated counterclockwise by ninety degrees. The face is located on the body of the horse.
- [Big Ears Stereogram by 3Dimka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/big-ears-stereogram/) - Can you find the hidden elephant in this hidden image stereogram created by 3Dimka? If you are having trouble seeing the hidden image, try reading through the stereogram viewing tips at 3DStereograms.com. While a lot of people say that they can't see these things, most people can if they try hard enough.
- [Death Car](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/death-car/) - A man, a woman and their dog are out for a Sunday drive in their small car. Do you notice anything else present in this picture? Perhaps something that appears somewhat sinister? This image was found at Museo Ilusionario's Flickr Page.
- [The Hidden King Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/the-hidden-king-optical-illusion/) - The King is hiding somewhere among the following pile of wildlife photos. Can you find him? This painting was created by Donald "Rusty" Rust. More of Rusty’s paintings can be viewed on his personal website at Rusty Art.
- [Hidden Face Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/hidden-face-optical-illusion/) - The painting below, by Russian artist Igor Lysenko, depicts a woman in a yellow dress and hat standing outside next to a bush. Hidden somewhere in the painting is the face of a man. Can you find him? The hidden face can be found by rotating the image 180 degrees. When inverted, the landscape and
- [Hidden Camel Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/hidden-camel-optical-illusion/) - A camel is hiding in this tranquil poolside scene. Can you find it? I am not sure exactly where this image is from. It looks like it was maybe some sort of advertisement for a product. If anyone has any information on this, please let us know in the comments.
- [Orbison Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/orbison-illusion/) - In 1939, William Orbison described the following illusion where the red square appears to be distorted by the presence of the angled blue lines. It does not look to be a perfect square, but if you take a sheet of paper or something else with a straight edge and line it up, you will see
- [Cafe Wall Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/cafe-wall-illusion/) - Are the horizontal lines on the following figure parallel or do they seem to be skewed? They are indeed parallel but appear to run at angles because of the staggered black and white boxes. This illusion is commonly known as the cafe wall illusion.
- [Ebbinghaus Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/ebbinghaus-illusion/) - Which orange circle in the image below is bigger? Believe it or not, both orange circles are the same size. The larger circles surrounding the one on the left give it the appearance than it is smaller than the one on the right (surrounded by smaller circles). This illusion is known as the Ebbinghaus illusion
- [Golden Gate Bridge Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/golden-gate-bridge-illusion/) - Do the two pillars on the Golden Gate Bridge appear to be parallel or skewed? The photograph on the left and right are identical. Therefore, the pillars must be perfectly aligned and parallel. For most people, it appears that the images are skewed. That is, the picture on the right is at a much sharper
- [Jastrow Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/jastrow-illusion/) - In the image below, the red object on the bottom looks significantly larger than the orange object on the top, right? Believe it or not, both objects are the exact same size. This illusion was discovered by American psychologist Joseph Jastrow in 1889. As such, it is often referred to as the Jastrow Illusion. EDIT:
- [Broken Line Illusion by Brad Honeycutt](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/broken-line-illusion-by-brad-honeycutt/) - Do the two ends of the green line passing behind the gate appear offset or aligned? The two ends of the line are completely aligned, although they appear to be offset. If you don't believe it, use something straight, like a ruler or sheet of paper, to confirm. German physicist Johann Christian Poggendorff discovered this
- [Turning Wheel Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/turning-wheel-optical-illusion/) - Which way is this wheel on this old postcard turning? Are you sure? Stare at it for a little while and you might find that the direction the wheel is rotating in will change. If you stare up at a ceiling fan while it is spinning, you can replicate this strange effect. (via foto-jennic.com)
- [Bicycle Sculpture Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/bicycle-sculpture-optical-illusion/) - This yellow bicycle sculpture is located in Milan, Italy, a city best known for fashion. While it does not look particularly special, it happens to be an optical illusion. Can you figure out what is going on? The two photographs below show how the artist created this sculpture. From two specific viewing points, it looks
- [South Park Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/south-park-illusion/) - James Hopkins created this sculpture titled Kyle, Stan, Cartman & Kenny in 2006 for a private collection. It is made from acrylic plastic and also happens to be an optical illusion. Can you figure out why? This is actually an anamorphic sculpture that only resembles the South Park gang when viewed from one specific angle.
- [Batman vs. Penguin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/batman-vs-penguin/) - This illustration by graphic designer Simon C Page presents a portrait of the caped crusader, Batman, in black. Can you also locate Batman's arch nemesis, the Penguin? Continue reading this article for the solution. You might be surprised at how easy it is to find him. The Penguin can be found in Batman's negative space
- [Skating Over by Flying Mouse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/skating-over-by-flying-mouse/) - Skaters appear to come out of the clouds and onto the ice in this surreal landscape from Chow Hon Lam (Flying Mouse). To see more illustrations from Chow Hon Lam, have a look at Light Robber (one of my favorites) and Ladder Maker.
- [Lion Handprint Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/lion-handprint-illusion/) - Take a careful look at this image. What is the first thing that you see? Did you happen to see the handprint first or the king of the jungle? For another optical illusion featuring a lion, check out the ambiguous Lion or Monkey by Humberto Machado.
- [Lake View Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/lake-vie-illusion/) - What do you see here? A view of a lake with mountains behind it? Or do you see something else? There is no lake in this picture. What most people perceive to be a body of water is actually a short wall. What did you see when you first looked at the picture?
- [Ambiguous Photograph by Joe Burull](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/ambiguous-photograph-by-joe-burull/) - What do you see in the photograph below? Are you sure? This incredibly simple and deceptive photograph was provided courtesy of Joe Burull. More of his creative photographs can be found at JoeBurull.com.
- [Perceived Sphere Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/perceived-sphere-optical-illusion/) - Do you perceive a sphere in the image below? Most people will perceive a sphere in the white space of this image, but the fact is that no sphere physically exists. The placement of the "spikes" makes it appear that they are somehow attached to a sphere.
- [Liar Face Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/liar-face-illusion/) - Shown here is the face of a man gazing to the left. But there is also a secret double meaning. Can you find the liar hiding in this portrait? Many sites do not properly attribute this illusion or leave the source either blank or unknown. This figure was drawn by a New York artist by
- [Love by John Langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/love-by-john-langdo/) - What word do you see below? Do you see one word or two words? There are two distinct words, that happen to be polar opposites of one another within this figure-ground ambigram. Perhaps the word that you see first says something about your personality or current state of happiness. The two words are LOVE (pink
- [True/False Ambigram by John Langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/truefalse-ambigram-by-john-langdon/) - This ambigram, created by John Langdon, features two words with opposite meanings that can be seen individually by rotating the image 180 degrees. Shown at this angle, the word TRUE can be seen and a very fancy font. When inverted, the image appears as follows and it turns into the word FALSE. More of John
- [Scott Kim's Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/illusion-ambigram-by-scott-kim/) - In the early 1980s, ambigram master and puzzle designer Scott Kim created the following image while performing some font experiments. He made a font in which black and white spaces were equally wide, and then had fun exploring what he could do with it. More examples of Scott Kim's ambigrams (which he calls inversions) can
- [Joy to the World by Scott Kim](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/joy-to-the-world-by-scott-kim/) - Scott Kim created the original ambigram (he also calls them inversions) that is featured in this animation for a family holiday card in 1985. To create the angular letters, he cut the letter shapes out of construction paper and then traced them into his computer. The text reads the same whether it is viewed normally
- [Ambigrams Revealed](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/ambigrams-revealed/) - Ambigrams Revealed is a new book from graphic and ambigram designer Nikita Prokhorov. The book features a series of ambigram case studies that are judged by a panel that includes the author, John Langdon, Scott Kim, and five others. It also features a 40 page "Ambigram Showcase" toward the back of the book that contains
- [Grabbing the Tower Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/grabbing-the-tower-optical-illusion/) - This man appears to be so big that he can grip the base of a tower and hold it like his own personal toy. It would be interesting to know how far away he is standing from this structure when this picture was taken. For another interesting forced perspective photograph, check out the Eiffel Tower
- [Strange Gravity Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/strange-gravity-illusion/) - Something is wrong in the universe. Gravity is no longer working and objects have started rolling uphill. What exactly is going on here? Watch the video from Brusspup below to see the effect. At the end of the video, the secret is revealed.
- [Pac-Man Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/pac-man-illusion/) - From one specific camera angle, it appears that Pac-Man is chasing a ghost on the wall of an apartment. As the camera moves from its location, however, an illusion is revealed. More great videos from Brusspup can be found at Swimming Pool Illusion and Apple Logo Illusion.
- [Leaning House](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/leaning-house/) - Why would a home builder construct houses at such an angle? Surely a leaning house, such as this one, would be somewhat difficult to live in. To see another house that would be difficult to live in, you might want to revisit Orosz's Corner House. This forced persepctive photograph is courtesy of Panoptikum.
- [Strange Looking Kid Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/strange-looking-kid-optical-illusion/) - Do you notice anything peculiar about the kid in the hat? Does he look a little too old to be carried through the water? The faces kind of merge together in an ambiguous way from the angle this photograph was taken. It also looks like it might be time to get some sunscreen on that
- [White Fluffy Tree](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/white-fluffy-tree/) - A photographer gives a dead tree new life by capturing the photograph at exactly the right angle. In all reality, you probably could not plan this picture any better than it actually turned out. Also be sure to check out this hovering tree optical illusion.
- [Thirsty](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/thirsty-forced-perspectiv/) - A thirsty boy fills up his cup with fresh water. Creative positioning with a camera and subject can result is some very interesting forced perspective photographs. Also be sure to check out this ripple in still water illusion.
- [Sun Ball Forced Perspective Photograph](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/sun-ball-forced-perspective-photograph/) - Capturing a photograph at the right time and from the right angle can be a magical thing for a photographer. This type of forced perspective technique often produces very amusing results. Another great forced perspective example is the optical illusion compliments of hurricane Sandy.
- [Green Sqwear by Alexis Facca](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/05/green-sqwear-by-alexis-facca/) - This anamorphic cube was created in 2011 by Alexis Facca for a promotion for Sqwear, an online fashion store exclusively dedicated to young designers. The cube required fourteen cans of spray paint to complete and was painted across several walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Facca is originally from France, but currently resides in Belgium.
- [Vertigo Motion Illusion by Miwa Miwa](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/vertigo-motion-illusion-by-miwa-miwa/) - While visiting Drudge Report on the afternoon of Tuesday April 22, I was surprised (and excited) to see an older motion optical illusion from 2006 by Japanese artist Miwa Miwa right in the middle of the page. Miwa Miwa's image, inspired by his love of Alfred Hitchcock movies, accompanied a link to a story about
- [Bad For Your Eyes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/bad-for-your-eyes/) - We'll start off 2013 with a very colorful and powerful motion illusion. The circles appear to swirl all around the purple background. The television set in the middle says "I am Bad For Your Eyes". Is this message talking about the illusion or the TV itself?
- [Schmear by Kaia Nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/schmear-by-kaia-nao/) - The vibrant flowing colors of this peripheral drift motion illusion appear to swirl and move as your eyes move around the image. For another great motion illusion, have a look at the Psychedelic Motion Illusion. (via Kaia Nao)
- [Car Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/car-optical-illusion/) - The owner of this van used a creative vehicle wrap to give the impression that a convertible sports car was parked next to it. I have never seen anything like this in person, but I would imagine that it would look pretty funny driving down the road. (via Optical Spy)
- [Trippy Hallucination Video](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/trippy-hallucination-video/) - Upon playing this video, the introduction warns the viewer as follows: Be aware! This video may cause temporary hallucinogenic effects. But please do not be afraid, these effects usually last a few seconds. The warning is overly dramatic, but it does produce a pretty amazing effect. And in case you are worried, rest assured that
- [Light Robber by Flying Mouse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/light-robber-by-flying-mouse/) - This is one of my favorite designs from acclaimed Malaysian t-shirt designer Chow Hon Lam (aka Flying Mouse). I think that I am drawn to it because it is a relatively simple design that also happens to be extremely clever. In many respects, it reminds me of another great design called Light Painter by Tang
- [Figure-Ground Illusion Scupltures](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/figure-ground-illusion-sculptures/) - In the early 20th century, psychologist Edgar Rubin developed the figure-ground vase (also known as Rubin's vase). This ambiguous figure can be interpreted as either a vase or two faces looking at each other. Metal Portraits, a company based in Suwanee, Georgia, has taken the figure-ground vase concept to an entirely new level by creating
- [Camouflaged For Survival](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/04/camouflaged-for-survival/) - The mossy leaf-tailed gecko, found in Madagascar, hides from predators by blending in seamlessly with its surroundings. They are nocturnal, so during the day they hide in plain sight but are still extremely difficult to locate. Can you spot the gecko below? (via Wikimedia Commons)
- [Lion or Monkey Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/lion-or-monkey-optical-illusion/) - Self-taught artist Humberto Machado enjoys working with many types of mediums but finds creating ambiguous drawings to be the most fun and the biggest challenge. Using negative space in this drawing, he presents both an angry (hungry?) lion and a cheerful monkey swinging from a tree branch that occupy the same space. One of my
- [Cool Rolling Toy from Brusspup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/cool-rolling-toy-from-brusspup/) - In another interesting video from Brusspup, he shows us how to create a cool rolling toy using foam rings, a glue gun, and sandpaper. The toy is based off of a wooden toy originally designed by Peer Clahsen called Sin. As you can see in the video below, this toy is not difficult to make
- [Trioroboro Anamorphic Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/trioroboro-anamorphic-illusion/) - Mach505 from Truly Design created this anamorphic painting using acrylic and spray paints on the floor and walls of an abandoned school near Torino, Italy. The painting features an uroboros (an ancient symbol depicting a snake eating its own tail) which symbolizes continuity and represents the cyclical nature of things. Additional photographs of this painting
- [Digital Op Art by Charline Lancel](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/digital-op-art-by-charline-lancel/) - Belgian artist Charline Lancel creates digital op art pieces and prints them on large aluminum panels using a printing process called ChromaLuxe. While she has been told that her work resembles that of Victor Vasarely, she was not aware of his work when she first started creating digital op art in 2007. The following spherical
- [Crash Site by Kurt Wenner](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/crash-site-by-kurt-wenner/) - The best way for me to know what type of optical illusions you want to see more of is to hear directly from you. One easy way that you can do this (without taking too much time out of your busy day) is to vote for each post. If certain types of illusions are consistently
- [The Road to Nowhere](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/the-road-to-nowhere/) - If you were parked here taking this photograph, would you feel comfortable driving over this bridge? Is the car heading up the hill in the distance about to drive off the end and into the cold waters below? This is a photograph of Storseisundet Bridge in Norway. It is the longest of eight bridges that
- [Two Buildings Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/two-buildings-optical-illusion/) - The photograph below shows two different buildings, one on the left and one on the right. After taking a careful look at it, can you figure out which building is in the foreground of the photograph and which is in the background?
- [Hovering Tree Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/hovering-tree-illusion/) - Daniel Siering and Mario Shu transformed an ordinary tree in Potsdam, Germany into a deceptive work of art. Once they were finished, it appeared as though a section of the tree had been removed and the top portion was left hovering in mid air. The video below provides a playful look at the finished product
- [Transparency by Laura Williams](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/transparency-by-laura-williams/) - 18-year-old photograph Laura Williams used a mirror that she found as a prop to make it appear that the upper portion of her body had completely disappeared. It almost looks as if the portion inside the mirror was edited using Photoshop, but I do not believe that to be the case. Speaking about her photography,
- [The Engineer (Primary School) by David Macdonald](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/the-engineer-primary-school-by-david-macdonald/) - David Macdonald created this LEGO version of the Penrose triangle (or impossible triangle) using 2D drawing and painting software. This work may not be as popular as his Terrace image, but it is always nice to see new interpretations of old illusions.
- [Lego Terracotta Army by Leon Keer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/lego-terracotta-army-by-leon-keer/) - Every year, the Sarasota Chalk Festival attracts artists from all over the world. At the 2011 festival, Leon Keer, Ruben Poncia, Remko van Schaik and Peter Westerink created the following anamorphic pavement chalk painting inspired by the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. Two videos detailing this street painting
- [M&M Bulge Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/mm-bulge-illusion/) - Using Legos and two colors of M&Ms, Mary Coffelt, Briena Heller, and Michael McCamy created the following optical illusion at Martinez-Conde and Macknik Laboratories, Barrow Neurological Institute. The way that the candies are arranged on the checkered Lego pattern, the object appears to bulge even though the surface is flat. This bulge illusion was originally
- [10 Faces Found in Random Places](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/10-faces-found-in-random-places/) - Chances are, you see things on a daily basis that resemble other things. This phenomenon is known as pareidolia and occurs when something meaningful is found in something that otherwise is not very meaningful. One of the most common occurrences of pareidolia is when inanimate objects (such as clouds, rocks, or buildings) look like faces.
- [Platforms by Aakash Nihalani](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/03/platforms-by-aakash-nihalani/) - Today's illusion is called Platforms. It is an art installation created by Aakash Nihalani using tape on the wall and ground for Parrish Art Museum in Long Island, New York. This anamorphic creation gives the impression that four square platforms are floating in space. The man seen in the picture appears to attempting to jump
- [Brusspup's T-Rex Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/02/brusspups-t-rex-optical-illusion/) - This video version of the famous dragon illusion from Brusspup is based on an original idea by the late magician Jerry Andrus. Brusspup's original idea was to test out the illusion with many dragons all at once. While he hoped to use 20 to 30 simultaneously, he ultimately settled on using just 8. Watching multiple
- [Scary Elevator Floor](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/scary-elevator-floor/) - Looks like these two picked the wrong elevator. They seem to be doing their best to avoid falling through the "hole" on the floor and tumbling down the elevator shaft. I wonder if someone who saw this optical illusion for the first time would just let the doors close and wait for the next elevator?
- [Overflow Parking Mural by Blue Sky](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/01/overflow-parking-mural/) - In 1978, artist Blue Sky painted a trompe l'oeil mural on the side of the Flint Journal Building in Flint, Michigan. The mural, aptly titled "Overflow Parking", measures 60 by 70 feet in size. The deceptive mural is still there and can be found at 200 E. First Street in Flint, Michigan. You can even
- [Marathon Tessellation by Makoto Nakamura](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/marathon-tessellation-by-makamoto-nakamura/) - Japanese artist Makoto Nakamura creates tessellation patterns. After majoring in graphic design at Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan, he became increasingly interested in tessellation design thanks to M.C. Escher. His tiled pattern below, titled Marathon 1, shows a series of runners jogging left and the right with no gaps or overlaps.
- [A Bird in Hand by Julie Heller](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/01/a-bird-in-hand-by-julie-heller/) - Artist Julie Heller created this digital collage measuring 28" by 36" in 2008. When you look at it up close, it appears to be a random collection of unrelated images placed haphazardly together. Viewing the image from a distance, or squinting your eyes a bit, reveals that the individual images (a giraffe, hand, church, and
- [Big Buck by Rusty Rust](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/01/big-buck-by-rusty-rust/) - A deer stands alone in a snow-covered forest. But is it truly alone? This is the second most popular print that Florida artist Donald "Rusty" Rust sells. His most popular print is the Hidden Tiger Illusion which can be found in our archives. Over the course of his career, Rust has created more than 15,000
- [Kitten / Dog Hybrid Image](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/01/kitten-dog-hybrid-image/) - Depending on your viewing distance, this hybrid image can be perceived in one of two different ways. When you look at the full-size image (see below), you will likely see a picture of a dog. But if you move away from the screen, or squint your eyes, you will see a completely different image -
- [Eye Color Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/01/eye-color-optical-illusion/) - Look into the eyes of this beautiful woman and observe the color of each of her eyes. Most people will see the left eye appearing to be blue and the right eye appearing to be gray. Is that what you see? Would you believe that both eyes are in fact the same color? Both are
- [Present & Tree Animated Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2014/01/present-tree-animated-optical-illusion/) - This animated GIF optical illusion features an infinite loop of a red present with green ribbon under a Christmas tree. As such, you could consider it the GIF that keeps on giving. Watching this animation can be somewhat mesmerizing as it continually zooms out to reveal the exact same scene over and over again. This
- [Top 10 Optical Illusions of 2013](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/12/top-10-optical-illusions-of-2013/) - Would like to take the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Based on your feedback, votes and shares on social media sites, here are the ten most popular optical illusions posted on An Optical Illusion during 2013. The illusions are listed in no particular order whatsoever. Click each post title to be taken
- [Top 5 Optical Illusions of 2012](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/top-5-optical-illusions-of-2012/) - Happy New Year! Everyone enjoys a good Top 5 list, don't they? Based on your ratings and feedback, here are five of the most popular optical illusions posted on An Optical Illusion in 2012: Optical Illusion Compliments of Sandy Psychedelic Motion Illusion Ugly Celebrities Illusion Moving Mona Lisa Face Apple Logo Illusion Which one is
- [Christmas Tree Colors Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/12/christmas-tree-colors-optical-illusion/) - Are the two Christmas trees in the image below exactly the same shade of green or does one appear to be darker than the other? While the upper Christmas tree appears to be significantly darker than the lower tree, they are indeed the same shade of green. When a color is placed between darker colors
- [Corner Stores by Patrick Hughes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/12/corner-stores-by-patrick-hughes/) - Patrick Hughes creating paintings using a reverse perspective technique that he calls "reverspectives". Looking at one of these paintings from the front (see image below) make it difficult to figure out exactly what makes them so unique. This painting shows a series of shops in perspective view giving the painting a sense of depth. The
- [Butterfly Apple by Vladimir Kush](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/12/butterfly-apple-by-vladimir-kush/) - Vladimir Kush's deceptive paintings typically feature ambiguous scenes that present multiple meanings. Kush, born and raised in Russia, graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts after serving in the Russian military. His artwork is available through several Kush Fine Art galleries located in Maui, Hawaii, Laguna Beach, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada (two locations). In
- [Anamorphic Portrait from Bernard Pras](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/12/anamorphic-portrait-from-bernard-pras/) - French artist Bernard Pras created this anamorphic portrait of Malian actor Sotigui Kouyaté using items found around the installation site. Pras arranged items such as wood, articles of clothing, and more across the floor and a wall of a single room. When viewed from the precise angle where the camera is setup, the full portrait
- [Pinna's Illusory Intertwining Effect](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/12/pinnas-illusory-intertwining-effect/) - This figure looks like a warped spiral made up of white and black squares on a gray background. If you examine it more closely, however, you will find that it is actually made up of four concentric circles. This illusion was first described by Baingio Pinna and Richard L Gregory in a 2002 article titled
- [Ecstasy of the Lilies by Octavio Ocampo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/12/ecstasy-of-the-lilies-by-octavio-ocampo/) - Octavio Ocampo is one of Mexico's most prolific artists. He describes his painting style as "metamorphic", where the individual components that make up the painting come together to form a larger image. In the example below titled 'Ecstasy of the Lilies', Ocampo has painted a group of white lily flowers that come together to form
- [Who is Holding Who?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/11/who-is-holding-who/) - Can you tell which girl is being held up in this accidental ambiguous photograph? Is it the blonde or the brunette? Are you sure?
- [Honda CR-V Optical Illusion Commercial](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/11/honda-cr-v-optical-illusion-commercial/) - This one minute commercial for the Honda CR-V features a number of different optical illusions. The tag line for the commercial is "An Impossible Made Possible", and the result is a mind-bending and pretty entertaining advertisement. I typically do not like many commercials, but I must admit that this one was well done. Do you
- [Cell Phone Towers Disguised as Trees](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/11/cell-phone-towers-disguised-as-trees/) - These days, it seems like everyone has a mobile phone. The companies that provide coverage, like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, all talk about their nationwide coverage and the reliability of their networks. In order to get reliable coverage, they must erect cell phone towers all over the country. If you have seen a cell phone
- [Tightrope Illusion at Phaeno Science Centre ](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/11/tightrope-illusion-at-phaeno-science-centre/) - This photograph, taken at the Phaeno Science Centre in Wolfsburg, Germany, shows a young woman carefully walking on a tightrope strung between two buildings. A pretty typical piece of advice for someone with a fear of heights is, "Don't look down!". In this case, however, the woman should have no trouble staring down at the
- [Moving Arrows Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/11/moving-arrows-illusion-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - The yellow arrows on the purple background below appear to move independently to the left and the right. Specifically, the top and bottom rows of arrows seem to have the most significant amount of motion for me. If you are having trouble getting this static image to move, try staring at it while moving your
- [Cat and Mouse Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/cat-and-mouse-optical-illusion/) - Take a look at the drawing below. It is ambiguous. Upon first seeing it, did you notice a cat or a mouse? Do you see both of them? An optical illusion featuring a black cat seemed appropriate on Halloween. To celebrate the day, you might also want to take a look at some skull illusions.
- [The Waterfall by Edgar Mueller](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/the-waterfall-by-edgar-mueller/) - Much like his street painting The Crevasse, Edgar Mueller's The Waterfall features what appears to be a giant hole in the pavement revealing a dramatic scene. Edgar created this anamorphic work in July 2007 on River Street in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. This street painting, created for the Prairie Arts festival, was the biggest three-dimensional
- [The Librarian by Andre Martins de Barros](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/the-librarian-by-andre-martins-de-barros/) - Andre Martins de Barros started painting at the age of 15. After serving time in the military, he decided to pursue his passion full-time to devote all of his time and energy to his art. In his painting titled "Le Libraire" (or "The Librarian") below, a collection of books is arranged in such a way
- [Butterfly Stereogram by Gary Priester](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/butterfly-stereogram-by-gary-priester/) - There is a butterfly hiding within the flowers of the image below. In order to see it, just stare at the image until the butterfly appears. Gary Priester, one of the creative forces behind eyeTricks 3D Stereograms, created this colorful stereogram. Gary, along with fellow artist Gene Levine, can turn just about anything into a
- [The Moon Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/the-moon-illusion/) - Have you ever looked up at the moon in the night sky only to think that it is bigger than normal? Is it possible that the moon is actually closer to the Earth on these nights? If you measure the size of the moon on any given night, it is always the same size. Our
- [Dirty Art by Sarah Rosado](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/dirty-art-by-sarah-rosado/) - In the past, we have featured images made from thumb tacks, sea shells and even Post-it Notes. Sarah Rosado, a photographer and artist based in New York, creates her images using something that you might not expect - dirt. She calls this series of photographs "Dirty Little Secrets". More of Sarah Rosado's works can be
- [Dreams of Flying by Jan von Holleben](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/dreams-of-flying-by-jan-von-holleben/) - "Dreams of Flying" is an ongoing series that began in 2002 from photographer Jan von Holleben. Drawing inspiration from childhood books and modern superheroes, he uses children from his local neighborhood in Southwest Germany to create entertaining and whimsical scenes. More photographs from Jan von Holleben can be found on his website.
- [Getting Down to Business](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/getting-down-to-business/) - Please note that a new feature has been added to An Optical Illusion. Directly under the search bar on the right hand side is a link titled Random Optical Illusion. Clicking this link will do exactly what you think it might do - it will load a random post from our database. While I was
- [Amazing Holograms from Brusspup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/amazing-holograms-from-brusspup/) - Last year, we featured a video showing the Mirage 3D Hologram Generator in action. You place a small object inside the unit and it projects a hologram (using mirrors) of the same object that appears to hover above the unit. They are a really cool item to have on your desk or give to someone
- [Major Drapkin Illusion Card #3 - His Own Size?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/10/major-drapkin-optical-illusion-card-3-his-own-size/) - There is something special about this post... it marks the 300th post to An Optical Illusion! A big thank you to our loyal visitors who have submitted material and provided valuable feedback since the inception of this blog. We always love to hear your thoughts, so please let me know what you would like to
- [Coffee Bean Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/coffee-bean-optical-illusion/) - Hiding somewhere in this pile of coffee beans is the face of a man. Can you find him? He blends in pretty well with his surroundings, but once you spot him, you will see him instantly the next time you view this coffee bean human photo.
- [Liu Bolin - The Invisible Man](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/liu-bolin-the-invisible-man/) - Liu Bolin is a master of camouflage. So much so, he is often called "The Invisible Man". Liu was born in China’s Shandong province and earned bachelor and masters degrees from Shandong College of Arts and Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, respectively. He is currently represented by Eli Klein Fine Art Gallery. The
- [Angel Columns at the Phaeno Science Center](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/angel-columns-at-the-phaeno-science-center/) - This photograph, taken at the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, Germany, shows a very strange set of columns. They look like they could be pieces for a very large chess set. These particular columns are unique because they also have an alternate meaning - the spaces between the columns appear to resemble human figures. This
- [The Art of Thomas Barbèy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/the-art-of-thomas-barbey/) - Thomas Barbèy has a collection of photographs that were taken over a period of twenty years. By combining multiple photographs from his archives, he creates unique and beautiful surreal scenes. According to his official website, "Every single one of his images has to pass what he likes to call the “So what?” test. If
- [Logos That Are Also Optical Illusions](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/logos-that-are-also-optical-illusions/) - Many organizations incorporate some sort of optical illusion or other deceptive element into the very logos that they build their identity around. For example, did you know that the FedEx logo includes a hidden graphical message? The white space between the E and the X is an arrow pointing to the right. This arrow is
- [A Very Sad Bathtub Face](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/09/a-very-sad-bathtub-face/) - Have you ever seen a sadder looking bathtub? What exactly would a bathtub have to be sad about anyway? Seeing faces, or other recognizable images, in inanimate objects is a phenomenon known as pareidolia. Two additional examples of this are the Apache Head in the Rocks and the Elephant on Mars. I originally came across
- [Eye Rays Motion Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/eye-rays-motion-optical-illusion/) - Over the past few months, we have had several requests for a mobile version of An Optical Illusion. We listened. Now you can view a simplified version of the site on your mobile device. At the bottom of the layout, you will also have the option to turn the new layout off and view the
- [Color Saturation Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/color-saturation-illusio/) - Within the larger gray and blue squares are two smaller squares. The small square on the left appears to be a blue or violet color while the small square on the right appears to be gray. They are, in fact, the same color. Do they look the same to you? By making the background surrounding
- [Floating Boxes Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/floating-boxes-optical-illusion/) - The two illustrations below are nearly identical. The only difference between these two images is the placement of the square shadows beneath each of the cubes. In the upper image, the square shadows are placed just below the cubes making them appear to be hovering slightly above the checkered-pattern surface. In the lower image, two
- [Box Impossible from Jerry Andrus](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/06/box-impossible-from-jerry-andrus/) - "I can fool you because you're a human," said Jerry Andrus. "You have a wonderful human mind that works no different from my human mind. Usually when we're fooled, the mind hasn't made a mistake. It's come to the wrong conclusion for the right reason." During his illustrious life, Jerry Andrus was many things. He
- [Kansas City Public Library Community Bookshelf](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/kansas-city-public-library-community-bookshelf/) - The Kansas City Public Library decided to do something interesting with their parking garage. In 2004, they transformed an otherwise unattractive parking structure into an artistic landmark in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Now known as the Community Bookshelf, this mural resembles 22 giant books arranged as if they were lined up on a bookshelf. The
- [Leapfrog Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/leapfrog-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - If you have an Apple iPad and enjoy viewing stereograms, I would high encourage you to checkout two stereogram apps created by Gary W. Priester and Gene Levine - Eye Ball 3D and Eye Ball 2 3D. Each features 48 high resolution 3D images. They also have a free app titled How to Eye Ball
- [Brusspup's Anti-Gravity Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/brusspups-anti-gravity-illusion/) - Brusspup videos have always been popular on this blog. You do not have to watch many of them to understand why. Here, Brusspup demonstrates how it is possible to make gravity work in reverse - or at least give the impression that it is. You may recall that this video is similar to his Impossible
- [Toy Train Track Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/08/toy-train-track-optical-illusion/) - Today's video spotlights the Jastrow Illusion using a pair of identical toy train tracks. The two wooden train track pieces appear to be longer (or shorter) than the other when arranged one on top of the other. When one of the pieces is placed directly on top of the other, however, it is obvious that they
- [Special Head Levitation on America's Got Talent](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/special-head-levitation-on-americas-got-talent/) - The street performer known as Special Head returned to America's Got Talent last night in Las Vegas with a brand new levitation stunt. This one was a little different than his previous performance, but still involved him appearing to float above the ground. Instead of levitating by lifting his legs off the ground like he
- [Shadow Art by Tim Noble and Sue Webster](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/shadow-art-by-tim-noble-and-sue-webster/) - Making creative use of a wooden stepladder, discarded wood, and a light projector, Tim Noble and Sue Webster created an identifiable image of a young man in shadow. The British artists have been working together since 1986 when they met at art school. In 2009, each was awarded an honorary Doctor of Art degree from
- [Shark Attack Ambigram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/shark-attack-ambigram/) - While browsing through Nikita Prokhorov's recent book Ambigrams Revealed for the third time, one of the featured ambigram designs really stood out to me. This design by Mark Palmer from Red Chapter Clothing reads exactly the same when rotated 180 degrees. Palmer notes that, "From start to finish, this Shark Attack ambigram is one of
- [When The Lights Were Out by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/when-the-lights-were-out-by-rob-gonsalves/) - This painting portrays a magical scene during what might be a power outage in a big city. When the dark row of skyscrapers reflects on the surface of the lake, the city comes alive. To order prints of Rob Gonsalves’ work, please visit Huckleberry Fine Art.
- [Expanding Fields](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/expanding-fields/) - In this work from Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, each of the four fields appears to expand and move toward you. Like all of these motion illusions, the more you move your eyes around the image, the stronger the effect. Try to hold your eyes still by looking at one location and the movement will cease. Visit
- [Brainy Tree Illusion by Igor Morski](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/brainy-tree-illusion-by-igor-morski/) - Igor Morski is an illustrator and artist from Poland. I only became aware of him a few days ago when I came across some of his deceptive illustrations. The tropical scene below shows a bird perched on the branch of a tree near the water, presumably the ocean. The odd looking foliage on the tree
- [Common Sense Crossing by Erik Johansson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/common-sense-crossing-by-erik-johansson/) - Erik Johansson has a vivid imagination. He also happens to be a very good photographer and a wizard at Adobe Photoshop. He creates photo-manipulations by taking multiple photographs and crafting them into creative and impossible scenes. His work below, created in 2010, shows a very strange intersection that almost has an uneasy feeling when looking
- [Impossible Ring to Pillars by Guido Moretti](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/impossible-ring-to-pillars-by-guido-moretti/) - Italian sculptor Guido Moretti created the following sculpture titled 'Impossible Ring to Pillars'. When viewed from one direction, it looks like an impossible ring (or circle) and when viewed from another it looks like impossible pillars. If you stand in between these two viewing angles, it looks like a tangled mass of metal. By rotating
- [Johan Lorbeer - The Floating Man](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/07/johan-lorbeer-the-floating-man/) - Last month, Special Head's levitation trick on America's Got Talent created quite a buzz. Special Head was certainly not the first person to perform such a trick and he surely won't be the last. Performance artist Johan Lorbeer did a slight variation of this stunt by casually leaning against the wall of a building while
- [Crazy Nuts Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/crazy-nuts-illusion/) - This video presents two nuts with openings facing in different direction. A single pencil is then placed through both of the holes simultaneously in a manner that certainly looks to be impossible. The video then goes on to reveal exactly how this illusion is performed. But even knowing the secret to the construction of these
- [Blue Stripe Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/06/blue-stripe-illusion/) - You will notice that a grey stripe is moving somewhat randomly up and down in the orange section of the animation below. If you stare at the black dot in the lower right corner, you will notice that the grey stripe in your peripheral vision will turn blue. The effect of this illusion is very
- [The Impossible Paintings of Sandro Del-Prete](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/06/the-impossible-paintings-of-sandro-del-prete/) - Swiss artist Sandro Del-Prete is a master at painting beautifully-impossible scenes. As a young man, he attended the Florence Academy of Art. While in Florence, he began to discover and appreciate the works of Old Masters such as da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt. Today, his works have been featured in exhibitions in Switzerland, Japan, and
- [Dreaming by Rusty Rust](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/06/dreaming-by-rusty-rust/) - Rusty Rust frequently creates deceptive paintings that have a hidden element to them. Here, he paints a young boy on a horse on what we can assume is a boring day on the farm. As his mind wanders, he slowly begins to daydream. As he does, an opening in the dilapidated barn begins to resemble
- [Three Fold Cubes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/three-fold-cubes/) - The following video was created by Guy Wallis and David Lloyd from the University of Queensland in Australia. It was selected as a finalist for the 2013 Best Illusion of the Year contest hosted by the Neural Correlate Society. The video presents an ambiguous pair of cubes that can be interpreted in multiple ways. As
- [Rotation Generated by Translation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/06/rotation-generated-by-translation/) - This illusion concerns apparent rotation generated by pure translation. Square patterns consisting of four segments appear to rotate when they move straightly at a constant speed across the grid background. More surprisingly, the rotations in opposite directions can be generated by exactly the same square patterns. This illusion might be explained by the well-known inchworm
- [Stella Stereogram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/stella-stereogram/) - This stereogram is a little different than others that have been featured on An Optical Illusion in the past. Previously, the images have mostly contained an image that is hidden in a random and repeating pattern. This type of stereogram is called an object array. If you stare at the six bottles in this
- [Impossible Pergola by István Orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/impossible-pergola-by-istvan-orosz/) - There is something peculiar about the construction of this pergola created by István Orosz. Can you figure out what it is?
- [The Coyote Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/the-coyote-illusion/) - Presented below is a video that was another finalist for the 2013 Best Illusion of the Year contest hosted by the Neural Correlate Society. The video shows four yellow circles spinning at the same speed around both the Roadrunner and and the very hungry Coyote. Watch what happens when the four circles spinning around the
- [Hexagon Dream by Flying Mouse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/hexagon-dream-by-flying-mouse/) - This grouping of impossibly-connected hexagons was created by tee shirt designer Flying Mouse (aka Chow Hon Lam). This design was originally submitted for a tee shirt design on the Threadless community in 2007. Flying Mouse's tees have proven to be tremendously popular and have won many prestigious awards. Nearly 100,000 people have purchased a tee
- [Pencil Vs Camera by Ben Heine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/pencil-vs-camera-by-ben-heine/) - Ben Heine mixes drawing and photography to create a scene that is half real and half imaginary. In a past interview, he stated his works in this series (called Pencil Vs Camera) are "...all about illusion, 3D, dreams, augmented reality, and fantasy." On this empty street, he creates the illusion that a non-existent trolley is
- [Arachnids Overshadow Seattle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/arachnids-overshadow-seattle/) - In 2012, Marlin Peterson created a large trompe l-oeil mural on the roof of a building in Seattle, Washington. When viewed from a high vantage point, it appears that a pair of extremely large daddy long legs spiders are sunning themselves on top of the building. The mural was designed to be viewed by visitors
- [Magic Floating Cube](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/05/magic-floating-cube/) - At first glance, this small cube with the words "Happy Birthday To You!" written on it does not seem real. It almost looks like an animated cube added to the video in some sort of post-production process because the peculiar way that it moves. The end of the video shows a slightly different angle revealing
- [Life of Pi 3D Chalk Art](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/life-of-pi-3d-chalk-art/) - In March, internationally recognized street artist Tracy Lee Stum created the following 3D chalk drawing in Los Angeles, California. The image was inspired by Life of Pi, a movie directed by Ang Lee that won four Academy Awards (including Best Director). Tracy's art recreates a pivotal scene from the movie in which a large whale
- [Active Volcano by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/active-volcano-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - In one of professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka's latest works, each of the nine disks appears to expand. This image can cause an uneasy feeling if you look it too long, so if you start to feel dizzy or nauseous make sure you scroll down or look away! The effect reminds me of that seen in the
- [Vanishing Train Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/vanishing-train-optical-illusion/) - A model train going around a track enters a small tunnel and something odd happens. The train does not emerge from the other side like your mind would tell you that it should. In fact, the entire train seems to disappear into the tunnel even though the train is significantly longer than the tunnel itself.
- [Foxes Tessellation by Nikita Prokhorov](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/foxes-tessellation-by-nikita-prokhorov/) - We previously featured a tessellation pattern from Nikita Prokhorov that was made from the head of a famous rabbit. This time, he has designed a pattern without gaps or overlaps utilizing orange and gray foxes. More of Nikita Prokhorov’s graphic designs can be viewed at Elusive Illusion.
- [Go Fly a Kite by JD Hillberry](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/go-fly-a-kite-by-jd-hillberry/) - Using white paper, charcoal, graphite and carbon pencils, JD Hillberry brings a stick figure to life. He makes it appear as if the stick figure created a kite out of the very paper that he is drawn on. To view more of JD Hillberry’s realistic trompe l'oeil charcoal and pencil drawings or learn about drawing classes
- [3D Pencil Drawing](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/3d-pencil-drawing/) - Japanese artist Nagai Hideyuki created this 3D pencil drawing which he titled "Beckoning to the Evil". By arranging two sketchbooks perpendicular to one another and using an anamorphic drawing technique, he creates the illusion that the hand is actually reaching out from behind the parallel bars.
- [Impossible Kite by Jos de Mey](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/impossible-kite-by-jos-de-mey/) - Most of Jos de Mey's paintings feature scenes with some impossible element to them. His painting below titled "UFO Over Flanders Country" shows an aerial view of what can only be described as an impossible kite. The fact that this oddly-shaped kite actually got off the ground seems to be a bit impossible too. Maybe
- [John Pugh Wall Mural](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/john-pugh-wall-mural/) - The title of this realistic wall mural located on Main Street in Los Gatos, California is Siete Punto Uno (or seven point one). The title is a reference to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that caused significant damage throughout the community of Los Gatos. The quake reached a surface-wave magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter
- [3D Street Painting by Gregor Wosik](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/3d-street-painting-by-gregor-wosik/) - Gregor Wosik is a street painter with exceptional talent. He was born in Poland but currently resides in Germany where he works as a freelance artist. His street painting below makes it seem that a waterfall running down the center of a street. Several other photographs, including one that shows the painting from the opposite
- [Ambiguous Dancing Legs](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/04/ambiguous-dancing-legs/) - Today's video arrived in my inbox courtesy of Masodo, a regular visitor to this site. He runs a blog called BlogDogIt where he posts about a variety of things that he finds interesting. The video features a dance routine by eight girls who use clever choreography and black & white costumes to create an ambiguous
- [Anamorphic New Year Wishes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/anamorphic-new-year-wishes/) - A number of ambigrams from Michigan State University professor Punya Mishra have been featured on An Optical Illusion in the past. I just discovered a short video that he created at the end of last year wishing everyone an outstanding 2013. In the video, he uses a bit of anamorphic trickery to fool the viewers
- [The Sawtooth Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/the-sawtooth-illusion/) - This figure, created by Peter Ulric Tse, may be interpreted as a series of 'pyramids' on the ground plane (pointing upwards )or as the 'teeth' of a saw that face the viewer and lie flush with the ground plane. Can you see both interpretations? Which one did you see first?
- [Impossible Bottles](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/impossible-bottles/) - An impossible bottle is one that has an object (or objects) inside of it that is physically larger than the neck of the bottle. The bottles are undamaged with everything inside of the bottle being inserted through the neck. When viewing an impossible bottle, the only real question that you will find yourself asking is,
- [The Maine Lottery Topsy-Turvy Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/the-maine-lottery-topsy-turvy-illusion/) - Maine recently announced that they were going to start selling instant scratch-off lottery tickets called "Kwikies". After sending a note to 1,300 retailers announcing this, complaints started flooding in about the name being inappropriate. It now seems that the tickets will be called something else. Interestingly enough, Maine used a topsy-turvy optical illusion to help
- [Post-It Note Elvis](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/post-it-note-elvis/) - Have you ever wondered what you could do with 2,646 post-it notes and a free weekend? You could consider making a giant portrait of Elvis on a wall in your office like Charles Mangin did. Mangin recalls that: My boss decided that we needed to do something fun and creative in one of our conference
- [Dead Media by Noah Scalin ](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/dead-media-by-noah-scalin/) - Noah Scalin likes skulls. He is the founder of the Skull-A-Day project. Now in its sixth year, the project features a new image of a skull every day. In 2012, Scalin created the following anamorphic skull using 497 VHS cassette tapes as a commission of the TCC Visual Arts Center in Tidewater Virginia. The skull
- [Cameras Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/cameras-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - Gene Levine's stereogram designs have been published in books and magazines throughout the world. Stare at the colorful pattern below and a hidden image will emerge. For those of you who might be interested, please note that Gene also designs custom stereograms for individuals and companies via eyeTricks 3D Stereograms. If you are having trouble
- [Brusspup's Impossible Balls Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/brusspups-impossible-balls-illusion/) - A series of balls appear to roll up hill. However, as you will quickly suspect, everything is not always what it appears to be. Once the camera moves to a different angle, the true shape of these ramps are revealed. Through an anamorphic trick in their design, the ramps appear to be angled upward
- [A to Z by Kumi Yamashita](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/03/a-to-z-by-kumi-yamashita/) - In this sculpture created by Japanese artist Kumi Yamashita, the shadows cast by a group of carved wooden letters form the profile of a face when lit by a single light source (from the right). Her artwork frequently uses simple objects, light and shadow to form human profiles and other likenesses. More of her artwork
- [Beating Heart by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/beating-heart-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - When it comes to creating motion illusions, Akiyoshi Kitaoka is in a league of his own. In one of his latest examples below, titled Beating Heart, the pink and red heart appears to move on top of a green background. If you slowly scroll the page up and down while looking at the image, it
- [Shigeo Fukuda Legs Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/shigeo-fukuda-legs-illusion/) - Looking back through the archives, I was surprised that something from the late Japanese artist Shigeo Fukuda had not been featured on An Optical Illusion yet. During his lifetime, Fukuda produced well over a thousand poster designs (among other artistic endeavors that I am sure we will explore at a later time). Many of his
- [Watercolor Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/watercolor-illusion/) - In this square, the corridor part (in between the green lines) appears to be tinted a light green. In reality, this section of the square is entirely white. This image was drawn by Professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka in 2007 for Visiome.
- [Dancing Tree Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/dancing-tree-optical-illusion/) - Today's illusion is an older one. And although you may have seen it floating around the Internet before, it still deserves another look. We have not featured any natural optical illusions in a while and wanted to make sure one got posted this month. Do you see the dancer in the tree?
- [The Op Art of Victor Vasarely](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/the-op-art-of-victor-vasarely/) - Victor Vasarely is the father of Op Art and recognized as one of the 20th centuries most important artists. His use of color, geometry and optical illusion in his art yielded fantastic results and influenced scores of younger artists. As such, his paintings are in the permanent collections of museums around the globe and admired
- [Spiderman Street Art by Kurt Wenner](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/spiderman-street-art-by-kurt-wenner/) - Kurt Wenner used to work at NASA. Now he is one of the most recognized 3D street artists in the world. His anamorphic painting below features Spiderman flying high above the streets and slinging webs that you can actually walk across. Or at least you can make it appear that you are doing so if
- [Anaconda Bus Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/anaconda-bus-optical-illusion/) - You have no doubt seen cars and buses with advertising painted on them before. But this advertisement for a local zoo on the side of a public transit bus goes above and beyond. It is really well done and almost looks like something out of a bad horror movie. Despite the fact that the anaconda
- [Up-Down by David Macdonald](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/up-down-by-david-macdonald/) - Artisan David Macdonald created the following photo montage using pictures taken of the courtyard of his loft in Brussels, Belgium. The entire scene is a little uneasy because it is hard to get a proper sense of direction. The windows do not seem to line up properly. Are you looking up at this scene or
- [The Other Side of the Mirror by David Macdonald](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/the-other-side-of-the-mirror-by-david-macdonald/) - Two young women ascend a set of stairs and cross paths. Are they each looking in a mirror simultaneously? The artist, David Macdonald, notes that: This illusion was made over a period of about a month: including preliminary pencil sketches and planning, drawing the initial construction, taking about 130 photographs from which the final few were
- [Move 25 by Daniel Picon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/02/move-25-by-daniel-picon/) - Today's illusion is a variation of the Ouchi Illusion where the center circle appears to be unstable and float above the checkered background image. This was created by French artist Daniel Picon.
- [The Phenomenon of Floating by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/the-phenomenon-of-floating-by-rob-gonsalves/) - I love the work of Rob Gonsalves. Each of his paintings presents a subtle yet magical transformation. When the viewer finally realizes what is going on, he (or she) cannot help but be impressed. His painting below, titled "The Phenomenon of Floating" presents a woman floating on her back and looking at the heavens in
- [Exceptional Eye Tricks](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/exceptional-eye-tricks/) - Exceptional Eye Tricks, by Brad Honeycutt, is a collection of optical illusions designed to amaze, confuse, and fool the viewer. This book contains a variety of illusion types including composite images, trompe l'oeil, tricks of perspective, and the physically impossible. The cover of the book features a motion illusion from Fiestoforo that appears to spin
- [3D Chalkfestival Sarasota by Leon Keer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/3d-chalkfestival-sarasota-by-leon-keer/) - Leon Keer and the Streetpainting 3D team completed this anamorphic sidewalk chalk drawing at the 2012 Sarasota Chalk Festival. The drawing depicts a claw/crane amusement game full of teddy bears and dolls waiting to be grabbed. In the video, you can see the image take shape. Even more interesting are the views of the image
- [Houdini Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/houdini-optical-illusion/) - Below is an ambiguous picture of the face of Harry Houdini. Is he facing you or are you looking at a profile shot of him staring to the right? Try covering up the right side of the image with your hand or a sheet of paper and he will seem to be looking directly at
- [Vintage Ambiguous Tunnels](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/vintage-ambiguous-tunnels/) - In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a common practice for cigarette companies to include cards with their products to help advertise their brand. Ogden's Cigarettes, a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Co. (of Great Britain & Ireland) Ltd, released a series of 25 optical illusion cards in the 1920s. Number 13
- [The Bridge Sidewalk Chalk Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/the-bridge-sidewalk-chalk-illusion/) - Like many others, I am a big fan of 3D sidewalk chalk art and enjoy featuring it on the site. I am not exactly sure who the artist behind this one is, but would love to find out. If you know the artist, please let us know in the comments. This artwork really brightens up
- [The Blurry Heart Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2013/01/the-blurry-heart-illusion/) - Two red hearts are presented below on a blue background. One of the hearts is "blurry" and the other is not. As you move your eyes back and forth between them, the blurry heart appears to wobble (as if it were unstable) while the solid red heart does not. This illusion was presented by Kohske
- [Depth Perception](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/depth-perception/) - Today's video will demonstrate how certain visual cues help your brain to create the perception of depth. Two playing cards are presented, but the one that appears to be furthest away is actually closer to you than the other.
- [Dynamic Luminance Effect](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/dynamic-luminance-effect/) - Look at the center of the following figure and move your head closer and further from the figure repeatedly. Does the "white spot" toward the center of the image appear to get larger and smaller? The effect seen above has also been called the "here comes the sun " effect and is caused by a
- [Christmas Tree Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/christmas-tree-optical-illusion/) - Patrick Kruger from Seattle brought a 14 foot Christmas tree home that would not fit into his house. So he naturally did what anyone else would do... he cut the top of the tree off and attached it to his roof. A few deceptively placed shingles help create the effect that the tree is busting
- [Scary Santa Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/scary-santa-optical-illusion/) - A family opens their front door on Christmas morning only to be frightened by what they see. But should they be? What is so scary about this Santa Claus illustration by Russian cartoonist Valentine Dubinin?
- [Optical Illusion Naval Museum Billboard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/optical-illusion-naval-museum-billboard/) - Despite being completely landlocked, Alberta is host to the largest naval museum in Canada. According to their website, "you'll learn about the ships that Canadian sailors have plied the seas in for over 100 years, and the sailors themselves who have worked to protect our sovereignty, our freedoms and the longest coastline in the world."
- [Amazing Anamorphic Illusions](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/amazing-anamorphic-illusions/) - To say that "Brusspup has done it again" would be an understatement. In the following video, Brusspup creates a series of very realistic anamorphic illusions that will simply blow you away. The objects look so real that you want to reach out and touch them... and then he moves the paper revealing the illusion. Which
- [Impossible Triangle on an Etch-A-Sketch](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/impossible-triangle-on-an-etch-a-sketch/) - Outside of squares and rectangles, I have never been any good at drawing on an Etch-A-Sketch. Every now and then I see a picture on the Internet that someone drew on one and I am completely blown away. I suppose that like anything else in life, practice makes perfect. It should come as no surprise
- [Angled Ball by James Hopkins](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/angled-ball-by-james-hopkins/) - British artist James Hopkins creates very interesting and very original sculptures. Perhaps you recall his anamorphic South Park Illusion or his bookshelf that resembled a skull. In the video below, he discusses an outdoor sculpture that he created in the city of Wembley in the United Kingdom. The sculpture sits near a busy section of
- [Fake Miniature Photography](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/12/fake-miniature-photography/) - This photograph may look like a miniature model, but it is a real-life scene. The photograph has been digitally manipulated to give it the appearance of a fake miniature still. This type of technique is also referred to as "tilt-shift" photography. Do they look real or fake to you? These two examples were found via
- [Checkerboard Twisted Cord Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/checkerboard-twisted-cord-illusion/) - All of the edges in this image are straight and either horizontal, vertical, or at a 45° angle. Does it appear that way to you? Edit: I just also noticed that if you move your scroll bar up and down when viewing this image it appears to have some motion elements to it.
- [The Mysterious Island](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/the-mysterious-island/) - A portrait of author Jules Verne can be seen below. Turning the picture upside down reveals a small ship can be sailing past an opening in the rocks. This topsy-turvy image was created in 1979 by Hungarian artist Istvan Orosz. Continue reading this post to view an inverted version of this image.
- [The Anamorphic Chalk Drawings of Qi Xinghua](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/the-anamorphic-chalk-drawings-of-qi-xinghua/) - Inspired by the amazing work he had seen from western 3D sidewalk chalk artists, Qi Xinghua became the first 3D painting artist of China. Qi graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2005 and broke onto the scene with his first 3D street painting titled “Whirlpool” at Peking University in Beijing. A little
- [Heaven on Earth Ambigram by Punya Mishra](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/heaven-on-earth-ambigram-by-punya-mishra/) - Some of the best ambigrams deal with words that have some sort of polarity to them. Two perfect examples of this would be the words good/evil and love/hate. These designs are inherently more meaningful than those that would present two words completely unrelated to one another. The example below, created by Michigan State University professor
- [Elf in a Bird's Nest](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/elf-in-a-birds-nest/) - What do you see in the pencil sketch below? Do you see a bearded elf or two birds in a nest? The artist, Humberto Machado, cites this ambiguous drawing as one of his personal favorites.
- [Ambiguous Horse Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/ambiguous-horse-optical-illusion/) - Looking at the man on the horse below, can you tell whether he is riding away from you or toward you? Does the dog walking along side of him give you any clues? What do you think? This illusion is very similar to The Photographer that was featured previously. It should be noted, however, that
- [The Way to the Top](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/the-way-to-the-top/) - Impossible scenes are always welcome on this site. We have previously featured impossible items such as triangles, stairs, nuts and tennis courts. The following photograph represents an impossible chess board. The modified board appears to be a flat surface. But something is odd about it. The pawn in the lower left corner looks as if
- [D for Deceive by Tang Yau Hoong](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/d-for-deceive-by-tang-yau-hoong/) - Tang Yau Hoong is a visual artist and graphic designer from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia who loves simplistic design. Many of his works incorporate elements of illusion and surrealism. In his impossible design below titled "D for Deceive", the person walking up the staircase will be shocked to discover that they did not ascend upon reaching
- [Optical Illusion Compliments of Sandy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/optical-illusion-compliments-of-sandy/) - Some experts project that the total economic damage from Hurricane Sandy could be as high as $50 billion. One person affected by the storm was able to capture an optical illusion compliments of Sandy. Can you tell what is going on in this picture?
- [Mana Nalu Mural by John Pugh](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/mana-nalu-mural-by-john-pugh/) - This mural is located on the east side of the Lani Nalu Plaza building in Honolulu, Hawaii. The entire scene is painted on a flat wall. The stairs, children, and wave are all part of the illusion of depth. To see more of John Pugh’s mural works, visit his website Art of John Pugh.
- [Ghost by Ramiro Chavez Tovar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/ghost-by-ramiro-chavez-tovar/) - If you stare at the center of this pattern designed by Ramiro Chavez Tovar, you should see a series of nonexistent black radial lines coming from the center of the image to the outer edge. Some people have also reported seeing colors and peripheral rotation.
- [Ambiguity by Kaia Nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/ambiguity-by-kaia-nao/) - Ambiguity is defined as doubtfulness or uncertainty with respect to interpretation. In the image below, a string is threaded through a series of tubes. Do you notice anything doubtful or uncertain as you try to interpret how this string is threaded through the tubes? This image was designed by Kaia Nao.
- [Spot the Opportunity](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/spot-the-opportunity/) - In the world of finance, a bull market is one that is increasing while a bear market is one that is in decline. Advertising agency WHYBIN/TBWA/TEQUILA of Melbourne, Australia designed this poster for E*Trade that utilizes an Escher-esque tessellation pattern made up of both bulls and bears. The tagline for the poster is 'Anyway you
- [Building Afterimage Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/building-afterimage-illusion/) - Follow the instructions below to see a black and white photo of a building entrance appear in full color. Then, as the illusion starts to wear off, the colored picture turns back to black and white. If you are looking for additional afterimage illusions like this one, make sure to check out the Jesus illusion
- [Animated Optical Illusion from Brusspup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/animated-optical-illusion-from-brusspup/) - Using specially-designed transparencies, Brusspup creates a series of animated illusions in today's video. From running felines to pacman gobbling bullet, these animations prove to be both simple and amazing. But would you expect anything else from a Brusspup video?
- [Feeding the Giraffe Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/feeding-the-giraffe-optical-illusion/) - The walls quite literally come alive at the 2012 Magic Art special exhibition in Hangzhou, China. The exhibition features a series of 3D paintings created by South Korean artists. The deceptive painting below shows a giraffe leaning through an opening in the wall and reaching for a bottle (also painted on the wall).
- [Eureka Car Park Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/eureka-car-park-optical-illusion/) - The Eureka Tower Carpark in Melbourne, Australia contains of series of anamorphic letter illusions designed by German artist Axel Peemoeller. The letters can be read perfectly when viewed at certain angles, but appear distorted when viewed from all other angles. The example below shows the how the letters form the word "UP" as a motorist
- [Seagull Photographic Mosaic](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/seagull-photographic-mosaic/) - A photographic mosaic uses a series of smaller photographs to create a larger recognizable image. The example below uses hexagon-shaped photographs of birds and other nature-related imagery. When put together in a special way (with the help of a software program), they form a larger image of a seagull. The seagull can be seen more
- [Stop Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/stop-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - Some of my favorite stereograms incorporate realistic photographic elements with a hidden image component. Stereogram master Gene Levine has perfected this technique by injecting stereograms into realistic scenes. His latest book titled Incredible 3D Eye Tricks features one hundred such "scene" stereograms created by himself and co-author Gary W. Priester. Before you try to find
- [Study for an Impossible Viaduct](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/study-for-an-impossible-viaduct/) - English painter Norman Parker describes his painting style as "neo-surrealism". He creates surrealistic imagery without the surrealistic ideology. His work below titled Study for an Impossible Viaduct features a painting of a local landscape and a self-portrait of the artist himself. This image is also featured in The Art of the Illusion, a new optical
- [Healing Grid Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/healing-grid-optical-illusion/) - The grid presented below looks normal in the center section but "broken" on the left and right sides. Stare at the center of the rectangle for 15-30 seconds and notice what happens to the "broken" portions of the grid. Do they seem to repair themselves before your very eyes? Ryota Kanai from Utrecht University in
- [Big Fun by John Langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/big-fun-by-john-langdon/) - One quick look at this grinning man reveals that he is all about having big fun. John Langdon designed this logo for a client looking for a design for an extra-curricular entertainment project. More of John Langdon's logo designs can be viewed at his website - JohnLangdon.net.
- [Caterpillar Race by Kaia Nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/caterpillar-race-by-kaia-nao/) - We have featured terrific motion illusions from optical artist Kaia Nao in the past. If you missed them, you may want to take a look at the floating star illusion and tunnel vision. Below, he has created a design that features ten very colorful caterpillars. When you look at the entire image, do they appear
- [Reversible Face](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/reversible-face/) - The bearded man wearing the hat below seems to be in a good mood. If he stands on his head, however, the rumor is that his mood changes very quickly. Continue reading the post to view an inverted version of this picture. When viewed upside down, he seems to be in a sour mood. Also
- [Elvis Presley by Ken Knowlton](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/elvis-presley-by-ken-knowlton/) - According to Ken Knowlton, he has been many things. He cites being a student, teacher, speaker, mathematician, physicist, electron microscopist, computer scientist, researcher, inventor, author, artist, and a critic. He also creates portrait mosaics of famous people using real seashells. As you would imagine, this is a tedious process that involves a lot of trial
- [Playing Card Trompe L'oeil Drawing](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/playing-card-trompe-loeil-drawing/) - Author and illustrator Mark Crilley is the creator of Brody's Ghost, Miki Falls, Akiko and Billy Clikk. He also happens to publish how-to-draw videos on Youtube. Periodically, he features a "Realism Challenge" where he draws a likeness of something directly next to the real object. In the time-lapse example below, he tears a playing card
- [Optical Illusion Tattoos](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/optical-illusion-tattoos/) - Some people really love optical illusions. So much so that they are willing to have a deceptive tattoo inked permanently onto their body. I suppose tattoos are not always permanent. They could be removed at some point in the future, but it would come at considerable cost (and pain). Take a look at the following
- [Double Truncated Pyramids by Robin Hunnam](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/double-truncated-pyramids-by-robin-hunnam/) - Today's illusion is titled "Double Truncated Pyramids" by op artist Robin Hunnam. These "double pyramids" appear to form a series of strange three-dimensional towers. Do you perceive depth in this image? To view more of Robin’s work, please visit his blog – Grasshoppermind.
- [Mirage 3D Hologram Generator](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/11/mirage-3d-hologram-generator/) - The Mirage 3D Hologram Generator creates a small, full-color hologram using curved mirrors. It looks like an object is hovering above the unit, but when you go to touch it, there is nothing but air. The object is actually located inside of the unit itself. This item makes a terrific gift or conversation piece. If
- [Apple Logo Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/apple-logo-illusion/) - Using poster board, tape and some creativity, Brusspup created the following incredible anamorphic illusion of the Apple corporate logo in his apartment. The illusion is completed when he enters the room and shuts a glass sliding door and window. The entire setup took him approximately 10 hours to complete. Being a perfectionist, Brusspup thought that
- [Yes/No by Markus Raetz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/yesno-by-markus-raetz/) - YES and NO coexist in this sculpture by Markus Raetz. When viewed from one angle, the word YES can be seen. Moving to a different vantage point reveals that the word NO is also present. Can you see how the letters E and S form the letter O when viewed at an alternate angle?
- [Enigma](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/enigma/) - Stare at the center of this figure. Does it appear that there is scintillating activity (or movement) within the purple rings? This figure, titled "The Enigma", was painted by Isia Leviant in 1981.
- [(Not So) Parallel Bars](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/not-so-parallel-bars/) - The strange green creature below is showing off his gymnastic skills on the parallel bars. But are these bars really parallel? Does he get a higher score for the extra degree of difficulty? Spanish professor Vicente Meavilla created this composition. Meavilla uses felt-tip pens to color many of his drawings.
- [Moving Square Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/moving-square-illusion/) - Using an LCD screen, a transparent overlay and four yellow Post-It Notes, Brusspup creates his own version of the moving square illusion. According to Brusspup: There are 2 sets of lines moving back and forth perpendicularly but when the paper squares are placed on the screen the lines suddenly appear to be a square moving
- [Motion Induced Blindness](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/10/motion-induced-blindness/) - Stare at the blinking green dot in the center of this animated image. As you do, you will begin to experience a motion induced blindness. The three yellow dots will start to randomly disappear and reappear. Sometimes you will notice that one is missing and other times it may seem that two or all three
- [The Photographer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/the-photographer/) - Joaquim Alves Gaspar captured this photograph of a man walking in a tunnel holding a camera. The picture was taken at São Martinho do Porto on the west coast of Portugal. It is uncertain whether the man is approaching the camera or walking away from it. Can you tell? This picture was found on Wikimedia
- [Satire on False Pespective by William Hogarth](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/satire-on-false-pespective-by-william-hogarth/) - In 1754, William Hogarth produced the following engraving for a pamphlet about linear perspective. It features many deliberate perspective problems. How many can you find? Continue reading the full post for a short list of some of the problems with this picture. The man fishing closest to you has a fishing line that passes behind
- [Psychedelic Motion Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/psychedelic-motion-illusion/) - This is a pretty powerful example of a motion illusion. Do the green, purple, white and black "tubes" appear to be moving in a swirling motion? It almost appears as though the objects are made of wax and melting on the screen.
- [Escape of the Mummy by Tracy Lee Stum](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/escape-of-the-mummy-by-tracy-lee-stum/) - Tracy Lee Stum is an internationally recognized chalk artist / streetpainter who specializes in large interactive 3D chalk art. Her painting below, titled "Escape of the Mummy", was created in 2008 for the Youth in Arts Street Painting Festival in San Rafael, California. The painting took 2 1/2 days to complete and measured 12 feet
- [House I by Roy Lichtenstein](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/house-i-by-roy-lichtenstein/) - Roy Lichtenstein was an American pop artist whose style was influenced by both popular advertising and comic books. He created a sculpture titled House I for the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C. in 1998. The house, constructed with fabricated and painted aluminum, appears to be normal when viewed from a fixed
- [Mad or Sad?](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/mad-or-sad/) - Ambiguous faces have been popular optical illusions for well over a century. We previously featured a vintage ambiguous face that was published in Strand magazine in 1899. In the example below, drawn by Humberto Machado, two different faces can be found. One is a man who looks mad and another is a man who appears
- [Stepping Feet Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/stepping-feet-illusion/) - In the video below, two colored bars (feet) move horizontally across the screen. One is red and the other is blue. Stare at the area marked "Look Here" and watch what happens as the bars move across the two different backgrounds. As they travel across a background that is striped, they appear to be out
- [Engineer's Nightmare by Jos Leys](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/engineers-nightmare-by-jos-leys/) - To call this stairway construction an engineer's nightmare would be an understatement. Start on the pathway at the bottom and climb down the stairs. As you do so, you actually are moving up the building. Be thankful that you are not the person tasked with constructing this bizarre series of stairs. To see more impossible
- [Ravishing Rabbits by Nikita Prokhorov](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/ravishing-rabbits-by-nikita-prokhorov/) - Graphic designer Nikita Prokhorov designed this entertaining tessellation featuring a series of happy rabbits. The rabbit heads are arranged in a pattern that is seamless with no gaps or overlaps. More of Nikita Prokhorov's graphic designs can be viewed at Elusive Illusion.
- [Ripple](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/ripple/) - A very large finger disturbs the calm surface of a pond and creates a series of ripples. Or... a man throws a rock into the water, quickly positions his finger in front of the camera, and then takes a quick forced perspective photograph.
- [Putting it Together by J.D. Hillberry](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/putting-it-together-by-j-d-hillberry/) - Inspired by his two-year old son, J.D. Hillberry created the following trompe l'oeil drawing. It features an impossible scenario of his son putting together a puzzle that is actually himself. Hillberry remarks that: At this age, he was just beginning to learn about himself and what the world has to offer. I believe that this
- [Exclamation Mark by Simon C Page](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/exclamation-mark-by-simon-c-page/) - As a finger and thumb reach for a circle, something else can be perceived in the negative space. What do you see? Visit Excites.co.uk to view more works from graphic designer and illustrator Simon C Page.
- [Water Dancers by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/water-dancers-by-rob-gonsalves/) - Female dancers in white gowns appear to seamlessly emerge from the crashing water of a moonlit waterfall. Much like many of Canadian artist Rob Gonsalves' paintings, this image almost has a dream-like feeling to it. To order prints of Rob Gonsalves’ work, please visit Huckleberry Fine Art.
- [Impossible Triangle Sculpture](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/09/impossible-triangle-sculpture/) - Located in the center of the Belgian village of Ophoven is the following sculpture of an impossible triangle. The sculpture is made from wood and finished with polyester. The triangle only appears to be "impossible" when viewing it from a specific angle. The photograph on the right shows how it looks when viewed from other
- [Orange and Red Squares](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/orange-and-red-squares/) - The two images below present one two-headed arrow that looks to be orange in color and another that appears to be red. In reality, the two are exactly the same color (red). The only difference between the two is the color of the border that surrounds the red squares. The light yellow border used in
- [Ideal Ambigram by Punya Mishra](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/ideal-ambigram-by-punya-mishra/) - The left and right side of this ambigram designed by Punya Mishra are mirror images of each other. While the design itself is very simple, it is a remarkable example of a mirror ambigram. When asked about the design, Punya Mishra offered the following: "I like the manner in which the same shape is read
- [Swimming Pool Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/swimming-pool-illusion/) - Brusspup had to drain his pool and used the opportunity to create a new anamorphic illusion. When standing in a specific spot, a blue #2 pool ball can be seen in the pool. From all other angles, the ball is distorted. Additional footage related to the creation of this optical illusion can be viewed by
- [Pool by David Macdonald](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/pool-by-david-macdonald/) - "Pool", by David Macdonald, features a man in the center of the image who appears to be climbing down a ladder. (I suppose he could be climbing up, but since he is looking down, that is probably the direction that he is headed. Either way, the illusion is the same!) The top and the bottom
- [The Hidden Tiger Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/the-hidden-tiger-optical-illusion/) - A tiger can be seen in the foreground of the image below. Can you locate the hidden tiger in this painting by American artist Rusty Rust? More of Rusty’s paintings can be viewed on his personal website at Rusty Art.
- [Shelf Life by James Hopkins](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/shelf-life-by-james-hopkins/) - British artist James Hopkins transforms everyday items into sophisticated illusions. His work below, titled "Shelf Life", was created in 2006 for a private collection. Does the bookshelf resemble something else? To learn more about James Hopkins and view more of his works, please visit JamesHopkinsWorks.com.
- [Horizons by Neil Dawson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/horizons-by-neil-dawson/) - New Zealand sculptor Neil Dawson creates large-scale pieces crafted from aluminum and steel. His sculpture titled 'Horizons' shown below resembles a sheet of cloth or paper gently floating to the ground. In reality, it is made of welded steel and measures an imposing 15m high and 36m long. The tree in the background of this
- [Ouchi Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/ouchi-illusion/) - The Ouchi illusion is named after Japanese artist Hajime Ouchi. The central disk with vertical black and white bars appears to float above the background with the horizontal black and white bars. This version of the Ouchi illusion was drawn by Japanese profressor Akiyoshi Kitaoka for Visiome in 2005.
- [Impossible Stairs by Andreas Aronsson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/impossible-stairs-by-andreas-aronsson/) - If you tried to walk up or down these stairs to get to the top or the bottom, you would find yourself walking for a very long time. This is a variation of the Penrose Stairs created by Lionel and Roger Penrose in 1959. More of Andreas Aronsson's impossible figures can be viewed on his
- [Hollow Necker Cube by Robin Hunnam](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/hollow-necker-cube-by-robin-hunnam/) - Robin Hunnam creates stunning digital op art. He studied graphic design at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design and previously worked as an art director at an advertising agency in London. He cites Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely and M. C. Escher as artists who have influenced his style. His work below features several hollow Necker
- [The Crevasse by Edgar Mueller](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/the-crevasse-by-edgar-mueller/) - Edgar Mueller is a very talented pavement artist who has created a number of outstanding works. The time-lapse video below demonstrates how he created 'The Crevasse', which happens to be one of my favorite 3D street art pieces. It is very interesting to watch how far back the team starts the painting so that it
- [Vintage Quaker Oats Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/vintage-quaker-oats-illusion/) - In the late 19th century, Quaker Oats released a pamphlet with an optical illusion on the cover. The paper that the Quaker Man is holding below reads , "How many packages can you count?" Do you see six or seven packages of Quaker White Oats? Both answers are correct depending on how you look at
- [Eiffel Tower Forced Perspective](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/eiffel-tower-forced-perspective/) - The Eiffel Tower, named after its engineer Gustave Eiffel, was erected in 1889 in Paris, France for the 1889 World's Fair. The tower measures over 1,000 feet in height. From 1889 to 1930, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world. In the photograph below, a giant man shows off his height by playfully
- [Impossible Windows](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/08/impossible-windows/) - Oscar Reutersvärd drew many impossible figures during his lifetime. These figures and drawings have inspired many artists in the past and will continue to do so for quite some time. The following example of one of Reutersvärd's "impossible windows" was created by Catherine Leah Palmer. Two additional examples of impossible windows can be viewed by
- [Exorcist Illusion - Twisting Necks](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/exorcist-illusion-twisting-necks/) - Remember the "twisting neck" scene from 1973's Exorcist movie? The "Exorcist illusion" provides a similarly creepy effect. It is a variation of the hollow-face illusion. Although there are no moving parts on the construction, it appears that the torso and face rotate in opposite directions. Watch the following video and see for yourself. This illusion
- [Impossible (and Crazy) Tennis](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/impossible-and-crazy-tennis/) - Take a quick look at the scene below. Does something seem strange or awkward about it? The tennis players are normal (i.e., right-side-up), but the rest of the scene has somehow been inverted. The court and people on the perimeter of the image are upside-down. This image can be hard to look at as your
- [Anamorphic Eye](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/anamorphic-eye/) - One form of anamorphosis involves a deformed image that is painted on a flat surface, such as a sheet of paper. When a cylindrical (or sometimes conical) mirror is placed in the appropriate spot, the deformed image is suddenly transformed into something recognizable. In the example above by Hungarian artist István Orosz, a human eye
- [Che Guevara Afterimage Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/che-guevara-afterimage-illusion/) - Stare at the image of Che Guevara below for at least 30 seconds and then look at a blank surface or close your eyes. If you close your eyes, it can help if you look toward a light source such as a window or a lamp. What do you see? If you enjoyed this illusion,
- [Floating Star Illusion by Kaia Nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/floating-star-illusion-by-kaia-nao/) - Optical artist Kaia Nao designed the following star that incorporates a peripheral drift effect applied to a random pattern. Does it appear to be moving? This illusion was selected to be a finalist in the 2012 Best Illusion of the Year Contest.
- [Strange Legs Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/strange-legs-illusion/) - The photograph below is a bit ambiguous, although it probably was not meant to be. What exactly is going on with the two people's legs? It looks like the person facing the camera is wearing long white shorts... or is she? Did you figure it out?
- [Seahorses & Eels by Robert Fathauer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/seahorses-and-eels-by-robert-fathauer/) - A tessellation is an image that repeats the same shapes over and over again to cover a plane with no overlap or gaps. This type of pattern was frequently employed by M.C. Escher who was fascinated by the symmetry involved in these designs. In 1993, Dr. Robert Fathauer created the following pattern that features points
- [The Upside Downs of Gustave Verbeek](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/upside-downs-of-gustave-verbeek/) - From 1903 to 1905, the New York Herald ran a series of original comic strips called The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo. This comic strip, created by cartoonist and illustrator Gustave Verbeek, consisted of a total of 6 drawn panels. After reading the 6 panels right-side-up, the entire comic could
- [Impossible Interlocking Triangles by Monika Buch](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/impossible-interlocking-triangles-by-monika-buch/) - Impossible triangles, also known as Penrose triangles, have been featured on this site in the past. The truth is, no optical illusion website would be complete without them since they represent a classic illusion that most people instantly recognize and appreciate. Today's illusion is a painting by artist Monika Buch featuring three impossible triangles that
- [Droste Effect](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/droste-effect/) - A Droste Effect is a term with Dutch origins that refers to a recursive image where seemingly never-ending smaller versions of an image appears within the image itself. Some, such as the one below, have an almost strange and uneasy feel to them. I suppose that this is what infinity looks like. Continue reading this
- [The Impossible Geometry of Jos Leys](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/the-impossible-geometry-of-jos-leys/) - Jos Leys created the following impossible pattern taking inspiration from both Oscar Reutersvärd and M.C. Escher. These cubes could not possibly be connected to one another in this way. To see more impossible geometry, fractals and other works from Jos Leys, please visit his site.
- [Apache Head in the Rocks](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/apache-head-in-the-rocks/) - In Ebihens, France, an interesting natural optical illusion can be seen called the Apache Head in the Rocks. A face can be seen looking to the left. Green grass growing on top of the mountain, resembling hair, further enhances the illusion. Optical illusions like this one are a result of something known as pareidolia. This
- [The Art of the Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/the-art-of-the-illusion/) - The Art of the Illusion: Deceptions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind is a new book from Brad Honeycutt and Terry Stickels featuring a foreword by renowned puzzle creator and game designer Scott Kim. The book contains more than 200 stunningly deceptive optical illusion works of art from artists around the globe. The cover,
- [Moving Mona Lisa Face](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/moving-mona-lisa-face/) - The Mona Lisa was painted by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500's. Since that time, it has become one of the most famous and recognized works of art in the world. It is hard to imagine that da Vinci would have foreseen the following incarnation of his painting by Akiyoshi Kitaoka, but
- [Two Birds With One Stone by Rusty Rust](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/two-birds-with-one-stone-by-rusty-rust/) - Donald "Rusty" Rust is an American painter focusing primarily on wildlife scenes and portraits. Some of his works also feature illusionary elements involving hidden objects or other deceptive techniques. His work is featured in a number of prestigious collections including the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Philadelphia, PA. Rusty has
- [Dragon Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/dragon-illusion/) - As the camera moves, the dragon's head appears to follow it. Whether the camera moves side to side or up and down, the eyes always seem to move to look directly at the camera. The video reveals how the illusion works. Your mind makes the assumption that the dragon head is shaped one way when
- [He and She by Elena Moskaleva](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/he-and-she-by-elena-moskaleva/) - A young woman holding a book looks out her window toward the horizon. As she does, she gets the feeling that a man is watching over her. Elena Moskaleva is a Russian artist who frequently paints gentle, camouflaged landscapes resulting in a mixture of beauty and deception. More paintings from Elena Moskaleva can be viewed
- [Fact / Fiction Ambigram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/fact-fiction-ambigram/) - When you look at the following ambigram, do you first see FACT or FICTION? Or do you see another word? Oftentimes, it seems like the two are indistinguishable. The designer of this work, Michigan State University professor Punya Mishra, ponders: "The question is... is that fact and fiction or is it making a meta statement
- [The Topsys & Turvys of Peter Newell](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/the-topsys-turvys-of-peter-newell/) - In 1893, American illustrator Peter Newell released a novelty children’s book titled Topsys and Turvys. This book, and the follow-up volume Topsys and Turvys – Number 2 released in 1894, featured pictures and rhymes that could be viewed and read both right side up and upside down. An enchanting transformation occurs when any page of
- [Checker Shadow Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/checker-shadow-illusion/) - The checker shadow illusion was originally published by MIT professor Edward H. Adelson in 1995. It presents two squares that are the same shade but appear to be quite different from one another. The video below demonstrates the illusion as a light square in a shadow is moved to reveal that it is the same
- [Hidden Face Illusion by István Orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/hidden-face-illusion-by-istvan-orosz/) - Hungarian artist István Orosz trained as a graphic designer at the University of Arts and Design in Budapest. He frequently uses visual paradox and elements of illusion while using traditional printing techniques such as woodcutting and etching. One such example is the following ambiguous landscape featuring a hidden face. Can you find it? You might
- [Church of Christ by Rusty Rust](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/church-of-christ-by-rusty-rust/) - A peaceful church beside a creek sits nestled among pine trees in this snowy landscape painted by Donald "Rusty" Rust. Can you locate the ominous presence of a man among the landscape? More of Rusty's paintings can be viewed on his personal website at Rusty Art.
- [White's Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/white-illusion/) - Does the gray bar on the left look exactly the same as the gray bar on the right? Or does it seem to be lighter? The gray bars are identical. You can confirm this by covering up the black lines. This color phenomena is called White's illusion.
- [Red Agenda Stereogram by Gene Levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/red-agenda-stereogram-by-gene-levine/) - A stereogram is a 2D image that is able to be experienced in 3D through specific viewing techniques. Stereogram master Gene Levine created the illusion below which contains both photographic elements and a stereogram. Stare at the pattern on the torso of the statue to see if you can reveal the hidden image. Continue reading
- [Taylor Hall Mural by John Pugh](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/taylor-hall-mural-by-john-pugh/) - John Pugh is an American artist known for this large three-dimensional trompe l'oeil wall murals. One of his most famous murals, titled Academe, was painted on a wall on the side of Alva P. Taylor Hall at Chico State University in California. As a passerby, it appears that the wall of the building has crumbled
- [Ugly Celebrities Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/ugly-celebrities-illusion/) - If you stare directly at the faces in this video, they will look completely normal. If you stare at the cross, however, you will notice that the faces begin to look ugly and distorted. This illusion is known as the flashed face distortion effect and recently won second prize at the 2012 Best Illusion of
- [Ambiguous Face by Humberto Machado](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/06/ambiguous-face-by-humberto-machado/) - What is the first thing that you see when you look at the image below? Do you see a young woman looking away from you or an older man looking toward you? This ambiguous face was drawn by Humberto Machado.
- [Vintage Ames Room Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/07/vintage-ames-room-illusion/) - At first glance, it looks like a giant, a normal-sized man and a very small man are standing in the same room together. This type of illusion is called an Ames Room and uses a fixed viewing perspective to fool you. In reality, the right corner of the room is much closer to the viewer
- [Vintage and Ambiguous](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/vintage-and-ambiguous/) - Today's illusion is from the late 19th century. It originally appeared in a magazine called Strand in 1899. It addition to being very old, it also happens to be quite ambiguous. What do you see? Do you see a bearded man's face or a pair of lovers?
- [Matchbox Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/matchbox-illusion/) - Does that matchbox on the left appear to be the exact same size as the one on the right? They certainly do not look to be the same size, but they are. This animation was created by Digitalvaho/Fred van Houten after being inspired by an article written by Bruno Ernst. It is a variation of
- [Still Waters by Rob Gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/still-waters-by-rob-gonsalves/) - Canadian artist Rob Gonsalves paints surreal scenes that inject a sense of magic into realistic scenes. As a result, his work can be accurately described as "Magic Realism". Not surprisingly, he has been recognized as the most famous living surrealist painter in North America. In his painting titled "Still Waters" below, a woman appears to
- [Impossible Aqueduct by Catherine Leah Palmer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/impossible-aqueduct-by-catherine-leah-palmer/) - One of the many engineering wonders of the Roman Empire were the series of aqueducts that were built to supply drinking water and water for public baths. These structures set a standard of engineering that was not surpassed for nearly one thousand years. Despite this fact, it is highly doubtful that the Roman engineers would
- [Percolator Mosaics](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/percolator-mosaics/) - Percolator is an app available for the iPad and iPhone that allows anyone to transform photographs into multicolor mosaics. Where The Art Is, a London-based artist, used this app on his iPhone to create several dazzling images. One such example below depicts a very famous woman. Do you recognize her? Continue reading this post to
- [Hoops by Andreas Aronsson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/hoops-by-andreas-aronsson/) - If you travel clockwise around this figure, you will find that you would go down for ever. If you move in a counter-clockwise direction, then you would travel up forever. The hoop, in the center, however, makes this object appear to be entirely flat. Andreas Aronsson has designed a number of perplexing impossible figures. Visit
- [Skull Illusion by István Orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/skull-illusion-by-istvan-orosz/) - What do you see in this drawing by István Orosz? Do you see a ship traveling through stormy weather or something more sinister? To view more of István's work, please visit his website at Gallery Diabolus or his blog.
- [Ambiguous Cubes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/ambiguous-cubes/) - Today's update features a series of ambiguous cubes from designer Martin Isaac. In the image below, do you see a cube on the left or a cube on the right? You can either perceive one or the other, but not both at the same time. Try to get them to flip-flop back and forth. Continue
- [Good / Evil Ambigram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/good-evil-ambigram/) - Two words with opposite meanings coexist in the same space in the following ambigram from Michigan State University professor Punya Mishra. Do you see both interpretations? This type of image is known as figure-ground ambigram. The concept of figure-ground refers to the cognitive ability to separate and process an image based on contrast (such as
- [The Portraits of Paul N. Grech](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/the-portraits-of-paul-n-grech/) - Artist Paul N. Grech attempts to paint people as tangible extensions of a living, breathing environment. In his aptly-titled painting below, "Beethoven", he uses a composite style to form a portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven from a collection of individuals wearing hats. Have a closer look and you will see that the famous composer's eyes
- [Zöllner Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/zollner-illusion/) - Do the black lines presented below appear to be parallel? The black lines are indeed parallel even though they do not appear to be. In 1860, this classic optical illusion was discovered by Johann Karl Friedrich Zöllner. This illusion was the basis for the discovery of the Poggendorff illusion.
- [Necker Cube](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/necker-cube/) - While it does not look like much, the wire frame drawing of a cube below is actually an ambiguous optical illusion. The cube can be seen in one of two ways. Either the lower left face or the upper right face can be seen as the front most surface of the cube. Can you flip-flop
- [Müller-Lyer Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/muller-lyer-illusion/) - These three horizontal lines are all the same length. Does the middle line appear to be longer than the top line? The arrows on the end of the lines give the impression that the lines are different lengths. The red horizontal lines help to show that they are all equal. This is known as the
- [Hering Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/hering-illusion/) - Do the red lines below appear to bow outward? Or are they parallel? The red lines are straight and parallel and do not bow outward despite their appearance. This illusion, known as the Hering illusion, was discovered in 1861 by a German physiologist named Ewald Hering. The Hering illusion produces the opposite effect of the
- [Wundt Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/wundt-illusion/) - Do the red bars appear perfectly straight and parallel? The lines are straight and parallel. Some viewers will perceive the lines to bow inwards due to the angles of the blue lines. This illusion was first observed by German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt during the 19th century. The Wundt illusion produces the opposite effect of the
- [Hermann Grid](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/hermann-grid/) - Presented below is a series of black squares. Do you notice anything peculiar about this pattern? As your eyes scan this matrix, do you see dark phantom dots appear in the white intersections? This illusion was proposed by Ludimar Hermann in 1870. As such, it is referred to as the Hermann grid illusion.
- [Fraser Spiral Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/fraser-spiral-illusion/) - Do you see a spiral in the image below? There is no spiral. This drawing consists of a series of concentric circles. This illusion, called the Fraser spiral was discovered by British psychologist James Fraser in the early 20th century.
- [Poggendorff Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/poggendorff-illusion/) - Looking at the figure on the left, does the blue or red line appear to intersect with the black line to the left? While it doesn't look like it, the red line is actually aligned with the black line as shown on the figure to the right. This illusion is known as the Poggendorff Illusion
- [Illusion From Rotating Rings](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/illusion-from-rotating-rings/) - When you first look at the rings moving in this video, it might appear that they are all moving together uniformly. Stare at the dot in the middle, however, and the three circles will become "unstuck" and begin to slide independently of one another. This illusion was created by Stuart Anstis & Patrick Cavanagh and
- [The Terrace by David Macdonald](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/the-terrace-by-david-macdonald/) - The Terrace by David Macdonald is an illusion that you may very well have seen before. Even so, this is an illusion worth another look (or two). This image is his most popular creation and has appeared numerous places around the Internet as well as in books and calendars. Looking at this image leads to
- [Escher's Nightmare by J.D. Hillberry](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/eschers-nightmare-by-j-d-hillberry/) - In 1948, M.C. Escher created a lithograph called "Drawing Hands" which depicted two hands drawing each other into existence. This surreal work has inspired many artists over the last 64 years. One such work is "Escher's Nightmare" by J.D. Hillberry. His version, a charcoal and pencil drawing on white paper, has a twist. Instead of
- [Dancers - A Magic Angle Sculpture](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/dancers-a-magic-angle-sculpture/) - John V Muntean has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago. He is also an artist, creating what he calls "Magic Angle Sculptures". Each of these sculptures resembles an abstract wooden carving. However, when lit from above, the carving can be rotated to reveal three distinct shadows. The video below details Muntean's sculpture
- [Kaleidoscopic Motion Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/kaleidoscopic-motion-illusion/) - Does it look like the red portion of this animation is rotating clockwise and the blue portion is rotating counter-clockwise? The blue part is actually stationary, only the red part is moving. This effect was described by Peter van der Helm in an abstract in 2006 and was a Top 10 finalist in the 2007
- [SUV Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/suv-illusion/) - Presented below are three sport utility vehicles parked in a row. Which one is the biggest? Would you believe that all three of these are identical and exactly the same size? Perhaps you'll want to measure them with something to find out for yourself. Remember, new illusions are posted daily Monday through Friday. If you
- [The Crazy Chair Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/the-crazy-chair-illusion/) - Brusspup creates very interesting optical illusion videos that he uploads to his YouTube channel. You may recall the incredible portrait that he made from push pins posted two weeks ago. Here, he has created the illusion of a chair sitting in the middle of a room when no chair actually exists. Some behind the scenes
- [The Inverted Faces of Rex Whistler](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/the-inverted-faces-of-rex-whistler/) - Rex Whistler was a British artist and illustrator who among other things designed a series of faces that could be inverted to reveal an entirely new face. In the example below, an officer of some sort is presented on the left wearing a hat with a badge on it, a collar with a series of
- [Impossible Owl Tower by Jos de Mey](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/impossible-owl-tower-by-jos-de-mey/) - Jos de Mey was a Flemish-Belgian painter known for his paintings that frequently included impossible objects. In the painting below, three owls perch on a tower that would not be possible in the real world. Fortunately for us, we can escape the real world any time we want by diving into one of Jos de
- [Pencil and Paper Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/pencil-and-paper-illusion/) - Colombian artist Cesar Del Valle draws realistic images using a pencil and paper. Presented below is his drawing called "Retratos III 7" in which a man struggles to hold up the paper over his head as it appears to be crumpling on him. It is almost as if he is doing everything in his power
- [Bar Code Elvis](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/05/bar-code-elvis/) - Scott Blake creates art using bar codes. This video demonstrates his interactive exhibit called Barcode Elvis at Ripley's Believe It Or Not! in San Francisco, California. Scott arranged barcodes from Elvis CDs in such a way that they resemble a composite portrait of the man himself. When one of the bar codes is scanned using
- [Corner House by István Orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/corner-house-by-istvan-orosz/) - István Orosz is a Hungarian painter and graphics designer, among other things. His work is on par with (or better than) any other artist designing illusion-themed art alive today. In the example below, titled Corner House, Orosz presents two windows that appear to be on opposite sides of a building. At the same time, they
- [Amazing Portrait from Thumb Tacks](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/amazing-portrait-from-thumb-tacks/) - Some artists are blessed with a great deal of talent and originality. Brusspup is one of those artists. He creates and uploads a lot of optical illusion videos on Youtube. One of his latest ones, however, was his biggest effort yet. Using approximately 15,000 push pins (thumb tacks), he created a portrait of a young
- [Leaf Wave by Akiyoshi Kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/leaf-wave-by-akiyoshi-kitaoka/) - Akiyoshi Kitaoka is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. He is well known for his work developing and trying to understand anomalous motion illusions. His most famous work is Rotating Snakes where a series of circular snakes appear to rotate spontaneously. Upon releasing this work to the public
- [Ladder Maker by Flying Mouse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/ladder-maker-by-flying-mouse/) - For some, a T-shirt represents an article of clothing worn as an undergarment. For others, it is worn as a fashion statement as a medium of self-expression. For Malaysian T-shirt designer Chow Hon Lam (aka Flying Mouse), a tee represents a blank canvas on which a story can be told. He believes that each of
- [The Purple Nurple Optical Illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/the-purple-nurple-optical-illusion/) - Take a quick look at the image below. Do you notice anything? Does it make you feel like you are sea sick? This is a wonderful example of a motion illusion. Most people experience significant movement when they move their eyes around this image. Some people will be convinced that it is an animated image,
- [The Impossible Figures of Oscar Reutersvärd](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/impossible-figures-oscar-reutersvard/) - Oscar Reutersvärd, born in Sweden in 1915, is often referred to as "the father of the impossible figure". He earned this title by being the first artist to explore impossible figures. Over his lifetime, he literally drew thousands of impossible figures. Today, artists are still learning from his works, creating derivatives of his creations and
- [The Inversions of Scott Kim](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/the-inversions-of-scott-kim/) - Scott Kim is an American puzzle designer. His puzzles have appeared in numerous places online, in books, magazines and toys. He is the author of the books Inversions and NewMedia Puzzle Workout and speaks regularly at conferences. Inversions, originally published in 1981, features graphic designs from Scott that represent a word or name that can
- [An Elephant on Mars](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/04/an-elephant-on-mars/) - The following photograph was captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It is a lava flow in Elysium Planitia on the planet Mars. Does it resemble anything? Do you see the head and trunk of an elephant? While it certainly is not proof of any life on Mars, it is an interesting natural illusion. Image courtesy
- [The Portraits of Giuseppe Arcimboldo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/2012/03/portraits-of-giuseppe-arcimboldo/) - In the 16th century, an Italian painter named Giuseppe Arcimboldo was on the cutting edge of his craft as he painted composite portraits of people using a variety of objects. Some of his most famous paintings involved creating portraits out of fruits and vegetables. In his painting below, he uses books to represent the head

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## Categories

- [Impossible](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/impossible/)
- [Ambigrams](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/ambigrams/)
- [Upside Down](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/upside-down/)
- [Composite](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/composite/)
- [Video](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/video/)
- [Motion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/motion/)
- [Ambiguous](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/ambiguous/)
- [Natural](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/natural/)
- [Afterimage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/afterimage/)
- [Estimation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/estimation/)
- [Forced Perspective](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/forced-perspective/)
- [Hidden Objects](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/hidden-objects/)
- [Anamorphosis](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/anamorphosis/)
- [Miscellaneous](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/miscellaneous/)
- [Animation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/animation/)
- [Shadow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/shadow/)
- [Skull](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/skull/)
- [Trompe L'oeil](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/trompe-loeil/)
- [Color](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/color/)
- [Tessellation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/tessellation/)
- [Stereo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/category/stereo/)

## Tags

- [impossible](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/impossible-2/)
- [figure](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/figure/)
- [reustersvard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/reustersvard/)
- [oscar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/oscar/)
- [upside down](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/upside-down-2/)
- [topsy turvy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/topsy-turvy/)
- [scott kim](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/scott-kim/)
- [ambigram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ambigram/)
- [arcimboldo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/arcimboldo/)
- [composite](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/composite-2/)
- [fruit](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fruit/)
- [portrait](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/portrait/)
- [video](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/video-2/)
- [brusspup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/brusspup/)
- [motion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/motion-2/)
- [ambiguous](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ambiguous-2/)
- [spinning dancer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/spinning-dancer/)
- [elephant](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/elephant/)
- [animal](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/animal/)
- [natural](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/natural-2/)
- [afterimage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/afterimage-2/)
- [jesus](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jesus/)
- [estimation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/estimation-2/)
- [ebbinghaus](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ebbinghaus/)
- [perspective](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/perspective/)
- [istvan orosz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/istvan-orosz/)
- [invisible](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/invisible/)
- [car](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/car/)
- [oscar reustersvard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/oscar-reustersvard/)
- [flying mouse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/flying-mouse/)
- [hidden](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hidden/)
- [face](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/face/)
- [akiyoshi kitaoka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/akiyoshi-kitaoka/)
- [wave](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wave/)
- [anamorphosis](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/anamorphosis-2/)
- [jos de mey](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jos-de-mey/)
- [pencil](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/pencil/)
- [lilac chaser](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lilac-chaser/)
- [crazy nuts](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/crazy-nuts/)
- [nuts](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/nuts/)
- [animation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/animation-2/)
- [rings](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rings/)
- [david macdonald](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/david-macdonald/)
- [elvis](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/elvis/)
- [punya mishra](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/punya-mishra/)
- [figure-ground](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/figure-ground/)
- [paul grech](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/paul-grech/)
- [paper](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/paper/)
- [cesar del valle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cesar-del-valle/)
- [owl](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/owl/)
- [tower](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tower/)
- [rex whistler](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rex-whistler/)
- [relative size](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/relative-size/)
- [heart](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/heart/)
- [star](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/star/)
- [kaleidoscope](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/kaleidoscope/)
- [shadow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/shadow-2/)
- [sculpture](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sculpture/)
- [wood](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wood/)
- [john muntean](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/john-muntean/)
- [boat](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/boat/)
- [flying](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/flying/)
- [floating](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/floating/)
- [funny](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/funny/)
- [negative space](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/negative-space/)
- [simon c page](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/simon-c-page/)
- [andreas aronsson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/andreas-aronsson/)
- [skull](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/skull-2/)
- [pacman](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/pacman/)
- [gravity](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/gravity/)
- [pulsate](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/pulsate/)
- [rocks](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rocks/)
- [trompe loeil](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/trompe-loeil-2/)
- [jd hillberry](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jd-hillberry/)
- [escher](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/escher/)
- [mosaic](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mosaic/)
- [aqueduct](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/aqueduct/)
- [catherine palmer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/catherine-palmer/)
- [matchbox](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/matchbox/)
- [vintage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vintage/)
- [poggendorff](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/poggendorff/)
- [cafe wall](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cafe-wall/)
- [lines](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lines/)
- [fraser](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fraser/)
- [spiral](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/spiral/)
- [twisted cord](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/twisted-cord/)
- [circle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/circle/)
- [hermann](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hermann/)
- [grid](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/grid/)
- [scintillating](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/scintillating/)
- [phantom](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/phantom/)
- [hering](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hering/)
- [wundt](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wundt/)
- [color](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/color-2/)
- [white](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/white/)
- [che guevara](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/che-guevara/)
- [muller-lyer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/muller-lyer/)
- [arrows](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/arrows/)
- [cube](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cube/)
- [necker](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/necker/)
- [penrose](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/penrose/)
- [triangle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/triangle/)
- [tribar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tribar/)
- [jastrow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jastrow/)
- [checker](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/checker/)
- [orbison](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/orbison/)
- [zollner](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/zollner/)
- [rob gonsalves](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rob-gonsalves/)
- [magic realism](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/magic-realism/)
- [water](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/water/)
- [ames room](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ames-room/)
- [humberto machado](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/humberto-machado/)
- [peter newell](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/peter-newell/)
- [skating](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/skating/)
- [tessellation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tessellation-2/)
- [robert fathauer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/robert-fathauer/)
- [symmetry](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/symmetry/)
- [unstable](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/unstable/)
- [mona lisa](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mona-lisa/)
- [martin isaac](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/martin-isaac/)
- [leon keer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/leon-keer/)
- [sidewalk](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sidewalk/)
- [chalk](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/chalk/)
- [3d](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/3d/)
- [jos leys](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jos-leys/)
- [monika buch](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/monika-buch/)
- [roger shepard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/roger-shepard/)
- [droste](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/droste/)
- [bridge](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bridge/)
- [paul agule](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/paul-agule/)
- [gustave verbeek](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/gustave-verbeek/)
- [stereogram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/stereogram/)
- [gene levine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/gene-levine/)
- [daniel picon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/daniel-picon/)
- [square](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/square/)
- [horse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/horse/)
- [furniture](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/furniture/)
- [outdoor](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/outdoor/)
- [celebrity](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/celebrity/)
- [ugly](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ugly/)
- [distorted](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/distorted/)
- [hollow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hollow/)
- [neck](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/neck/)
- [3dimka](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/3dimka/)
- [john pugh](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/john-pugh/)
- [mural](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mural/)
- [kaia nao](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/kaia-nao/)
- [flag](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/flag/)
- [eye](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/eye/)
- [mirror](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mirror/)
- [rusty rust](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rusty-rust/)
- [house](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/house/)
- [tennis](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tennis/)
- [sport](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sport/)
- [michael kai](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/michael-kai/)
- [elena moskaleva](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/elena-moskaleva/)
- [book](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/book/)
- [brad honeycutt](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/brad-honeycutt/)
- [terry stickels](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/terry-stickels/)
- [dragon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/dragon/)
- [jerry andrus](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jerry-andrus/)
- [pool](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/pool/)
- [beach](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/beach/)
- [hug](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hug/)
- [boy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/boy/)
- [girl](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/girl/)
- [handprint](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/handprint/)
- [lion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lion/)
- [edgar mueller](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/edgar-mueller/)
- [window](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/window/)
- [lake](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lake/)
- [mountain](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mountain/)
- [stairs](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/stairs/)
- [neil dawson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/neil-dawson/)
- [james hopkins](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/james-hopkins/)
- [bookshelf](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bookshelf/)
- [bicycle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bicycle/)
- [win](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/win/)
- [op art](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/op-art/)
- [robin hunnam](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/robin-hunnam/)
- [sun](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sun/)
- [ouchi](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ouchi/)
- [tiger](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tiger/)
- [tracy lee stum](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tracy-lee-stum/)
- [isia leviant](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/isia-leviant/)
- [markus raetz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/markus-raetz/)
- [waterfall](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/waterfall/)
- [john langdon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/john-langdon/)
- [mathieu hamaekers](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mathieu-hamaekers/)
- [vicente meavilla](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vicente-meavilla/)
- [gymnastics](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/gymnastics/)
- [tunnel](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tunnel/)
- [man](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/man/)
- [photograph](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/photograph/)
- [william hogarth](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/william-hogarth/)
- [puzzle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/puzzle/)
- [dog](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/dog/)
- [tattoo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tattoo/)
- [nikita prokhorov](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/nikita-prokhorov/)
- [mark crilley](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mark-crilley/)
- [roy lichtenstein](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/roy-lichtenstein/)
- [erik minnema](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/erik-minnema/)
- [chess](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/chess/)
- [ken knowlton](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ken-knowlton/)
- [ladder](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ladder/)
- [worker](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/worker/)
- [caterpillar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/caterpillar/)
- [head](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/head/)
- [peripheral](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/peripheral/)
- [ryota kanai](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ryota-kanai/)
- [blindness](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/blindness/)
- [cartoon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cartoon/)
- [street](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/street/)
- [sign](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sign/)
- [norman parker](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/norman-parker/)
- [toy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/toy/)
- [mirage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mirage/)
- [hologram](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hologram/)
- [letters](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/letters/)
- [axel peemoeller](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/axel-peemoeller/)
- [cat](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cat/)
- [building](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/building/)
- [leaf](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/leaf/)
- [joe burull](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/joe-burull/)
- [tree](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tree/)
- [tang yau hoong](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tang-yau-hoong/)
- [snow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/snow/)
- [elevator](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/elevator/)
- [tilt shift](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tilt-shift/)
- [santa](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/santa/)
- [holiday](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/holiday/)
- [liu bolin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/liu-bolin/)
- [body paint](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/body-paint/)
- [sphere](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sphere/)
- [door](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/door/)
- [garage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/garage/)
- [reflection](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/reflection/)
- [brightness](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/brightness/)
- [billboard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/billboard/)
- [roof](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/roof/)
- [cards](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cards/)
- [depth](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/depth/)
- [television](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/television/)
- [optical illusions of the year](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/optical-illusions-of-the-year/)
- [top optical illusions](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/top-optical-illusions/)
- [illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/illusion/)
- [fade](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fade/)
- [troxler](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/troxler/)
- [igor lysenko](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/igor-lysenko/)
- [houdini](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/houdini/)
- [snake](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/snake/)
- [bus](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bus/)
- [transportation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/transportation/)
- [kurt wenner](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/kurt-wenner/)
- [victor vasarely](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/victor-vasarely/)
- [shigeo fukuda](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/shigeo-fukuda/)
- [legs](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/legs/)
- [kumi yamashita](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/kumi-yamashita/)
- [balls](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/balls/)
- [ramp](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ramp/)
- [stereo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/stereo-2/)
- [camera](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/camera/)
- [saw](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/saw/)
- [pyramid](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/pyramid/)
- [vase](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vase/)
- [metal](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/metal/)
- [bottle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bottle/)
- [dance](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/dance/)
- [gregor wosik](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/gregor-wosik/)
- [cage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cage/)
- [kite](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/kite/)
- [train](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/train/)
- [oleg shupliak](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/oleg-shupliak/)
- [spider](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/spider/)
- [ben heine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ben-heine/)
- [hexagon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hexagon/)
- [spinning](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/spinning/)
- [speed](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/speed/)
- [column](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/column/)
- [rotation](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rotation/)
- [cow](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cow/)
- [barn](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/barn/)
- [farm](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/farm/)
- [sandro del-prete](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sandro-del-prete/)
- [fence](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fence/)
- [wheel](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wheel/)
- [stripe](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/stripe/)
- [box](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/box/)
- [guido moretti](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/guido-moretti/)
- [erik johansson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/erik-johansson/)
- [traf](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/traf/)
- [brain](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/brain/)
- [igor morski](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/igor-morski/)
- [bird](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bird/)
- [outside](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/outside/)
- [special head](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/special-head/)
- [tim noble](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tim-noble/)
- [sue webster](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sue-webster/)
- [mark palmer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mark-palmer/)
- [track](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/track/)
- [library](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/library/)
- [gary priester](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/gary-priester/)
- [ball](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ball/)
- [logos](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/logos/)
- [sad](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sad/)
- [tub](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tub/)
- [thomas barbey](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/thomas-barbey/)
- [zebra](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/zebra/)
- [piano](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/piano/)
- [plane](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/plane/)
- [coffee](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/coffee/)
- [bean](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bean/)
- [camouflage](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/camouflage/)
- [jan von holleben](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jan-von-holleben/)
- [boxer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/boxer/)
- [sarah rosado](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sarah-rosado/)
- [moon](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/moon/)
- [kids](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/kids/)
- [flowers](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/flowers/)
- [richard wiseman](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/richard-wiseman/)
- [andre martins de barros](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/andre-martins-de-barros/)
- [mouse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mouse/)
- [rope](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rope/)
- [phone](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/phone/)
- [light](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/light/)
- [paint](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/paint/)
- [accidental](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/accidental/)
- [octavio ocampo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/octavio-ocampo/)
- [Baingio Pinna](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/baingio-pinna/)
- [Richard Gregory](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/richard-gregory/)
- [bernard pras](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bernard-pras/)
- [vladimir kush](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vladimir-kush/)
- [knife](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/knife/)
- [butterfly](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/butterfly/)
- [apple](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/apple/)
- [patrick hughes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/patrick-hughes/)
- [reverse](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/reverse/)
- [julie heller](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/julie-heller/)
- [present](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/present/)
- [hybrid](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hybrid/)
- [teodosio sectio aurea](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/teodosio-sectio-aurea/)
- [leonardo da vinci](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/leonardo-da-vinci/)
- [wall](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wall/)
- [fish](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fish/)
- [church](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/church/)
- [charline lancel](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/charline-lancel/)
- [parking](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/parking/)
- [blue sky](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/blue-sky/)
- [makoto nakamura](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/makoto-nakamura/)
- [transparent](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/transparent/)
- [aakash nihalani](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/aakash-nihalani/)
- [tape](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tape/)
- [bulge](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bulge/)
- [lego](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lego/)
- [candy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/candy/)
- [truly design](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/truly-design/)
- [monkey](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/monkey/)
- [edgar rubin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/edgar-rubin/)
- [miwa miwa](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/miwa-miwa/)
- [alexis facca](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/alexis-facca/)
- [bridget riley](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bridget-riley/)
- [sand](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sand/)
- [nico laan](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/nico-laan/)
- [baseball](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/baseball/)
- [road](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/road/)
- [calendar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/calendar/)
- [movie](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/movie/)
- [music](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/music/)
- [jamie harkins](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jamie-harkins/)
- [clown](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/clown/)
- [noma bar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/noma-bar/)
- [zoo](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/zoo/)
- [age](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/age/)
- [cross](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cross/)
- [umbrella](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/umbrella/)
- [grass](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/grass/)
- [crane](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/crane/)
- [whale](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/whale/)
- [sword](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sword/)
- [audio](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/audio/)
- [sound](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/sound/)
- [ears](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ears/)
- [victor molev](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/victor-molev/)
- [paintbrush](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/paintbrush/)
- [josh sommers](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/josh-sommers/)
- [nasa funahara](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/nasa-funahara/)
- [fanette g](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fanette-g/)
- [pablo picasso](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/pablo-picasso/)
- [fire](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fire/)
- [thomas woodruff](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/thomas-woodruff/)
- [minecraft](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/minecraft/)
- [wreath](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wreath/)
- [arai](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/arai/)
- [robert ausbourne](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/robert-ausbourne/)
- [alexander khokhlov](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/alexander-khokhlov/)
- [troika](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/troika/)
- [obama](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/obama/)
- [president](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/president/)
- [octopus](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/octopus/)
- [alan stubbs](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/alan-stubbs/)
- [dress](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/dress/)
- [guitar](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/guitar/)
- [floor](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/floor/)
- [peter kogler](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/peter-kogler/)
- [warped](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/warped/)
- [jane perkins](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jane-perkins/)
- [vermeer](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vermeer/)
- [screws](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/screws/)
- [andrew myers](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/andrew-myers/)
- [wine](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wine/)
- [stripes](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/stripes/)
- [stamps](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/stamps/)
- [vegetables](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vegetables/)
- [klaus enrique](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/klaus-enrique/)
- [witch](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/witch/)
- [laurent blachier](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/laurent-blachier/)
- [duck](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/duck/)
- [hair](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hair/)
- [green](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/green/)
- [johannes stoetter](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/johannes-stoetter/)
- [typography](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/typography/)
- [lex wilson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lex-wilson/)
- [giant](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/giant/)
- [swamp](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/swamp/)
- [candle](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/candle/)
- [einstein](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/einstein/)
- [morgan davidson](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/morgan-davidson/)
- [lips](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lips/)
- [nagai hideyuki](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/nagai-hideyuki/)
- [fred eerdekens](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fred-eerdekens/)
- [copper](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/copper/)
- [bear](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bear/)
- [chain](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/chain/)
- [tom french](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tom-french/)
- [michael nolan](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/michael-nolan/)
- [ice](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ice/)
- [michael murphy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/michael-murphy/)
- [jim warren](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/jim-warren/)
- [guido daniele](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/guido-daniele/)
- [hand](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hand/)
- [felice varini](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/felice-varini/)
- [vik muniz](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vik-muniz/)
- [tolga girgin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tolga-girgin/)
- [blind](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/blind/)
- [kokichi sugihara](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/kokichi-sugihara/)
- [makeup](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/makeup/)
- [candy cane](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/candy-cane/)
- [parallel](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/parallel/)
- [pizza](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/pizza/)
- [arvind narale](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/arvind-narale/)
- [stefan pabst](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/stefan-pabst/)
- [insect](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/insect/)
- [mask](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mask/)
- [straight](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/straight/)
- [swing](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/swing/)
- [tamas farkas](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tamas-farkas/)
- [iphone](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/iphone/)
- [natalie fletcher](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/natalie-fletcher/)
- [magic](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/magic/)
- [beard](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/beard/)
- [bench](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bench/)
- [dots](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/dots/)
- [table](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/table/)
- [large](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/large/)
- [robert therrien](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/robert-therrien/)
- [brick](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/brick/)
- [basketball](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/basketball/)
- [painting](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/painting/)
- [drift](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/drift/)
- [weather](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/weather/)
- [zoetrope](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/zoetrope/)
- [steven gardner](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/steven-gardner/)
- [donald trump](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/donald-trump/)
- [political](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/political/)
- [valentine dubinin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/valentine-dubinin/)
- [arm](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/arm/)
- [money](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/money/)
- [woman](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/woman/)
- [baby](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/baby/)
- [francois abelanet](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/francois-abelanet/)
- [fireplace](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fireplace/)
- [couch](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/couch/)
- [fountain](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/fountain/)
- [mug](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/mug/)
- [hallway](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/hallway/)
- [tiles](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/tiles/)
- [survivor](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/survivor/)
- [disappear](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/disappear/)
- [ponzo illusion](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/ponzo-illusion/)
- [cowboy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cowboy/)
- [bathroom](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/bathroom/)
- [wallpaper](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/wallpaper/)
- [rabbit](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/rabbit/)
- [lamp](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/lamp/)
- [gift](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/gift/)
- [chaplin](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/chaplin/)
- [charlie](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/charlie/)
- [charles allan gilbert](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/charles-allan-gilbert/)
- [vanity](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/vanity/)
- [delboeuf](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/delboeuf/)
- [cereal](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/cereal/)
- [food](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/food/)
- [physics](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/physics/)
- [energy](http://www.anopticalillusion.com/tag/energy/)