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Optical Illusions patterns

Flat paper that refuses to look flat. Grids that swell like there's a marble under the page, and blocks that tumble and stack in ways your eyes can't quite settle on.

An Optical Illusions doodle pattern from the Doodles.live pack
An Optical Illusions design from the pack. Every one comes out different.

What makes an optical illusion pattern?

An optical illusion pattern takes regular geometry, a grid or a field of blocks, and distorts it just enough that your brain reads depth where the paper is flat. Bulge a grid from the center and it looks like a sphere pushing through. Stack cubes the right way and they tumble. The trick lives in the shading, which is the part you get to do.

How to color an optical illusion

The illusion snaps into place as you shade. Keep three values of the same marker going, or build the depth up gently in pencil, and the flat page starts to bend in front of you. Half the fun is watching it fool you even though you're the one drawing it.

Great for: brain-bending shading, markers and pencils, and a satisfying reveal.

The Optical Illusions printable doodle pattern pack

Get the Optical Illusions pack of twenty →

Or explore the free pattern generator →

More styles

All patterns explained, plus tips and supplies →