You don’t need to be an artistic genius to draw an illusion – anyone is capable of creating a mesmerizing masterpiece that looks like it could be straight out of a surrealist painting. All you need is the right approach and techniques and soon enough you’ll be able to wow everyone with your intricate illusional designs.
Think outside of the box
Realistic drawings might be easier to pull off, as you can base them off of something that exists in real life, but illusions require more imaginative thinking. Start off by brainstorming a variety of ideas and drawings that you’d like to create and then research what techniques and tools you’ll need to do it. Don’t limit yourself by conventions and rules, let the magic of your creativity flow and the rest will be much easier.
Divide the drawing into sections
Break down the illusion into smaller components and work on them one by one, rather than trying to tackle the entire complex at once. It’s all a matter of tiny details and focusing on them one at a time will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and confused. What’s more, having an established game plan before you start sketching will prevent mistakes and give you a sense of accomplishment.
Integrate different objects
The foundation of a great illusion is mixing of several objects and forms – let yourself go wild and freely combine different things in unexpected and fascinating ways. Try different compositions and come up with something that’s never been done, but blend them together in a way that all the elements harmoniously combine to establish an illusion. Every part should look realistic and yet they should all be intermingled in an unnatural manner.
Play with color and dimension
Illusions art works are incredibly powerful by themselves, so you don’t need to use a full spectrum of colors to achieve the desired effect. Instead, focus on subtle tones and shades that are just right for the design, pick the most suitable one to represent the impossible object you’re splicing together and use it to emphasize the intermixture. When it comes to dimension, you have lots of options- using vibrant hues, layers and gradients to create a subtle but clear illusion of depth and the impossible.
Drawing illusions isn’t about perfection
There’s no such thing as perfect in art – whether abstract or realistic, plans and perspectives don’t necessarily have to match the reality of the situation. Instead, embrace irregularities and unevenness as well as asymmetry and dissonance; these are only a few elements that can help you create an amazing illusion. Remember that an illusion doesn’t have to perfectly mimic realism, it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a fixed frame and it should above all make you feel something.
Be patient with yourself
Drawing illusions is both fun and demanding, so it’s important to remain patient and don’t get discouraged if it takes longer than usual. As its name suggests, an illusion is all about deception, so if at some point it isn’t matching your vision, think of it as an acquired taste, which will take a while before you can make it look just right.
Be mindful of the technique
Illusions come in many shapes and sizes, but the most effective ones require the use of extraordinary techniques. Start by using lines and shapes – whether linear or non-linear, warped or contorted – to create a complex structure and with time you can move on to other techniques such as mixture figures, negative spaces, perspective and surface manipulation. Take your time to experiment with different methods and find the perfect one for your illusion.
Mix various perspectives
Once you have all the necessary techniques down pat, it’s time to think even more creatively and combine multiple points of view to photostat your illusion. Create harmony between the drawings and play with point of view to further add to the effect; look at the shape from different angles and add multiple layers to make the most out of your design. Finally a quick checkup and a small tweak here and there and you are ready to show off your masterpiece to the world.
