How to Make a Trompe L'Oeil Painting

Manipulate the perception of space to create a trompe l'oeil painting.

Trompe l'oeil, a French term meaning "trick of the eye," is an artistic method that uses the technique of illusion. It involves depicting something in such a way as to appear real. Trompe l'oeil first flourished in the Renaissance, remained a motif throughout successive artistic movements, and continues to pop up in contemporary works of art. Artists play with optics, perspective, space, and color to create trompe l'oeil. Master the technique yourself by recreating a common trompe l'oeil, that of the real-looking archway.

Things You'll Need

• Dropcloth
• Paints
• Brushes
• Wool brush
• Sea sponge

Instructions

1. Lay down a dropcloth before beginning. Paint the outlines of three rounded arches on a wall, mural, or large canvas. Complete the archways by detailing their "stone" or "brick" features. Paint in the background using a wool brush.

2. Block in the trees with a sea sponge and lay out a base for the background. Finish filling in the base.

3. Start building up the details of the work. You can recreate a country scene with trees, a manor house, and hills. Build up perspective and depth by detailing the countryside. Start with the background and work your way to the foreground.

4. Finish the details and shading to make the trompe l'oeil painting seem as if you are looking out through an open archway onto the countryside.

References

• National Gallery of Art: Five Centuries of Trompe L'Oeil Painting
• Art Effects: How to Paint a Trompe L'Oeil

Resources

• ArtLex: Trompe L'Oeil