5 Easy Optical Illusion Drawings for Beginners

Written by Daisie Team

Published on 11 July 2023 6 min read

Drawing can be a fun and relaxing activity, but have you ever tried your hand at creating optical illusions? Optical illusions can take your artwork to a completely new level, adding an intriguing element of surprise and wonder. This blog will guide you through the process of creating easy optical illusion drawings, from gathering your art tools to sharing your masterpieces with the world. So, let's get started!

1. Get Your Art Tools Ready

Before we dive into the world of optical illusion drawings, you'll need to get your art tools ready. Don't worry, you won't need anything fancy or expensive — just a few basic items will do.

Select a Pencil

First off, you'll need a good pencil. While any pencil can create an optical illusion drawing, I recommend using a standard HB pencil. It’s perfect for sketching and outlining, and its medium hardness allows for both light and dark lines. Remember, control is key in pencil drawing, and an HB pencil will give you just that.

Choose Drawing Paper

Next, let's talk about paper. You'll want something that's sturdy but not too textured. A sketchpad with medium-weight paper is perfect for easy optical illusion drawings. It's thick enough to handle erasing and shading, yet smooth enough to keep your lines sharp and clean.

Prepare an Eraser

Finally, grab an eraser. Yes, even the best artists make mistakes! A good quality white eraser is your best friend in this journey. It can cleanly remove pencil marks without leaving smudges or damaging your paper. Now that you've got your tools ready, we're all set to explore the fascinating world of optical illusions.

2. Learn the Basics of Optical Illusion

Now that you've got your art tools ready, it's time to dip your toes into the waters of optical illusions. You might think that optical illusions are tricky and complicated, but once you grasp the basics, you'll find them surprisingly easy to create.

Explore the Concept

Let's start with understanding what an optical illusion is. Simply put, optical illusions are images that deceive our brains into perceiving something that doesn't match reality. Pretty cool, right? They make use of color, light, and patterns to create images that can be deceptive or misleading to our brains. The result? Amazing art pieces that captivate and surprise viewers.

Grasp the Illusion Principle

The core principle of optical illusions is playing with perspective. By manipulating angles, distances, and the relative position of objects, you can make flat drawings appear three-dimensional, or make static objects look like they're moving. The key is understanding how our eyes perceive depth and dimension. Once you master this, you'll be well on your way to creating easy optical illusion drawings.

Identify Common Optical Illusion Patterns

There are several common patterns used in optical illusion drawings. For beginners, three of the easiest patterns to start with are the Penrose triangle, the infinite staircase, and the ambiguous cylinder. These patterns are simple yet effective, making them perfect for those just starting out with optical illusion drawings. We'll dive deeper into these in the next section, so stay tuned!

3. Start with Simple Illusion Drawings

Armed with your basic understanding of optical illusions, it's time to put pencil to paper and start creating some magic. We'll kick things off with some easy optical illusion drawings that are perfect for beginners. Don't worry if you don't get it right on the first try — remember, practice makes perfect!

Draw the Penrose Triangle

Ever seen a triangle that seems to loop forever? That's the Penrose triangle, a classic optical illusion. It's a simple three-sided figure that appears to have no beginning or end. To draw it, start with an L-shape, then add a line from the corner of the L to form a triangle. Finally, add a second L-shape inside the triangle. Voilà! You've drawn your first optical illusion.

Create the Infinite Staircase

Next, let's try the infinite staircase, another easy but impressive optical illusion drawing. This one's all about perspective. Start by drawing a small square, then draw a slightly larger square around it. Connect the corners of the two squares to create a 3D box. Now, imagine that the box is a stair, and keep drawing more stairs around it. Soon, you'll have a staircase that seems to climb forever!

Sketch the Ambiguous Cylinder

Our final beginner-friendly optical illusion is the ambiguous cylinder. This one's a bit trickier, but don't fret! With a little patience, you'll get the hang of it. Start by drawing two parallel lines. Connect them with a pair of curved lines at the top and bottom to form a cylinder. Now, here's the fun part: draw a third line inside the cylinder, but make it wavy. This creates the illusion that the cylinder is both round and square at the same time. Mind-blowing, isn't it?

Now that you've got these easy optical illusion drawings down, you're ready for more complex designs. Let's keep going!

4. Advance to Complex Illusion Drawings

Ready to take your optical illusion art to the next level? Now that you've mastered the basics, let's move on to some more challenging designs. Don't be intimidated, though. With the skills you've developed, you're more than prepared for these complex optical illusion drawings. Let's dive in!

Craft the Hermann Grid

The Hermann Grid is a classic optical illusion consisting of a grid of squares, with ghostly grey blobs appearing at the intersections. To draw this, start by creating a grid of black squares on a white background. Make sure the squares are evenly spaced. Now, step back and look at your drawing. Can you see the grey blobs in between the squares? That's the power of optical illusion!

Design the Cafe Wall Illusion

Next up is the Cafe Wall Illusion, a mind-bending pattern that seems to warp straight lines. Begin by drawing a series of horizontal black and white lines. Then, draw a set of black squares along the lines, offsetting each row. When you're done, the lines will appear to tilt and warp, even though they're perfectly straight. It's like magic, but it's really just the power of optical illusion.

Construct the Rotating Snakes Pattern

Our final complex optical illusion drawing is the Rotating Snakes Pattern. This one might look intimidating, but don't worry—you've got this! Start by drawing a series of circles in a line. Within each circle, draw a smaller circle, and fill it with a checkerboard pattern. The trick is to alternate the direction of the checkerboard pattern in each circle. When you're done, the circles will appear to spin like rotating snakes. It's a challenging but rewarding design that's sure to impress.

Now that you've tackled these complex optical illusion drawings, you're well on your way to becoming a master illusion artist. But remember, art is a journey, not a destination. So keep practicing, experimenting, and most importantly, having fun!

Creating easy optical illusion drawings is a fun and rewarding journey, but it's even better when you can share your journey with others. By sharing your work, you can inspire others, learn from their feedback, and improve your own skills. So let's look at some ways you can share and improve your optical illusion art.

Show Your Work to Others

First off, don't be shy about showing your work to others. This could be as simple as showing your drawings to family and friends. Or you could even host a small art show in your community. Remember, your art doesn't have to be perfect to be appreciated. The simple act of creating and sharing can bring joy to both you and those who see your work.

Get Feedback and Improve

Feedback is a valuable tool for any artist. By listening to what others have to say about your work, you can gain new insights and ideas for improvement. And don't just look for praise—constructive criticism can be just as valuable. So the next time someone offers feedback on your optical illusion drawings, be open to their thoughts. It could be the key to taking your art to the next level.

Join Art Communities

Finally, consider joining an art community. This could be a local art club, an online forum, or even a social media group. By connecting with fellow artists, you can share ideas, learn new techniques, and find inspiration for your next optical illusion drawing. Plus, being part of a community can make your art journey even more enjoyable and rewarding.

By sharing your work and seeking feedback, you're not just improving your art—you're also becoming part of a vibrant, creative community. So don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Who knows? Your optical illusion drawings could inspire the next great artist.

If you enjoyed learning about optical illusion drawings and want to take your skills even further, be sure to check out the workshop, 'A Foolproof Fish-Eye Perspective' by Roberto Bernal. This workshop will teach you the secrets of creating stunning fish-eye perspective drawings, adding a unique and captivating touch to your art.