How to Make a Moving Art Illusion

Tessallated arrows appear to move in this optical illusion.

Moving art illusions are different from traditional two-dimensional images. Optical illusion pieces are created so they appear to be in a constant state of movement. There are many types of moving art illusions; they range in complexity from difficult moving stair case designs, or designs like that of Maurits C. Escher's famous "Waterfall" sketch, to simple cube and circle drawings. Simple optical illusion drawings can be created with a geometric tessellation pattern. An arrow shape is one of the easiest designs to create.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil or markers
• Ruler

Instructions

1. Consider layout and direction. The design can be drawn horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Diagonal drawings work really well because of they are unexpected and non-traditional.

2. Divide an 8-inch by 10-inch sheet of paper into a diagonal 13 line grid. Use the width of a ruler as a guide for drawing each section width. Start at one edge of the paper and draw an arrow that fits between the first section grid lines. Work from left to right. Makes sure each arrowhead touches the one next two it. Repeat the pattern until the entire row is filled with arrows.

3. Add a second row of arrows between the next grid lines. Again, draw the arrows from left to right. Use the completed row above as a guide. The first arrow point on the second row should fall in the center of the shaft above it. The arrows across the page may slightly vary in size and shape, but should all be similar in appearance. Fill in each row with arrows. Soon, other arrows will appear. These arrows will point the opposite direction filling in the space between the hand-drawn arrows. Because the eye doesn't know exactly where to focus, the tessellated arrow appears to move across the page. Unfortunately, this effect also creates eye strain, so it may take several different settings to complete the entire work.

   Erase any stray lines. Stray lines interfere with the pattern's symmetry. Draw the arrow points and shafts so that the lines are crisp and bold. Strong bold lines create definition and uniformity.

4. Choose the color scheme. Select no more than two colors. Color all the arrows pointing to the right one color and the arrows pointing to the left another color. This emphasizes the contrast between the right-pointing arrows and the leftpointing arrows. It also gives the project a cohesive look. The moving art illusion is very busy on the page, so the sparing use of color allows the image to stand out, and doesn't confuse the concept. Black and white, red and black, purple and yellow, all make great choices. Make sure the colors you choose complement each other. Outline the colored arrows with a black permanent marker.

References

• Op-Art: History of Perspective in Art; Illusion Art
• Visual Illusions: The Principles of Artist Illusions