Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

25 Optical Illusion Art Pieces Made by Rob Gonsalves
25 Optical Illusion Art Pieces Made by Rob Gonsalves
User submission
517.1K

25 Optical Illusion Art Pieces Made by Rob Gonsalves

460

ADVERTISEMENT


The eyes are rather deceitful. It’s thanks to the most eye-bending optical illusion art pieces ever created. They combine beauty and confusion in one perfect mix that throws our eyes for a loop. What is the object you see? Where is the end to the illusion? These types of questions only became more prominent as more illusion drawings spread throughout the internet.

The global net allowed artists to spread their optical illusion drawings to every corner of the world. Also, the rise of competition sparked a race to create the most complex design ever. Different art pieces became prominent. 3D optical illusion art tried to rival 2D ones. However, this rivalry was squished swiftly.

Nothing beats the skills of professional optical illusion art creators. Need an example of that? Look at the many works of Rob Gonsalves — a Canadian artist. He created some of the most colorful optical illusions ever seen online. Don’t believe us? Take a look at some of his work below.

Also, find out more about hard and easy optical illusion art creations. Learn why they stick out from most art pieces and how they are made in the first place. Think they are for beauty alone? Stick to the end of the post to find out just how wrong you might be.

ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED:

    Who is Rob Gonsalves?

    Robert Gonsalves isn’t a stranger to Bored Panda. He is a Canadian artist known for combining several elements into one perfect creation. Architecture, illusions, and surrealism play nicely in several of the art pieces he created. When looking at the illusion artwork pieces he created, you will understand just how talented this man really is.

    More info: Facebook (h/t: Vaalkor)

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves featuring sailing ships and a bridge merging with clouds.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves: cyclists appear to ride on tree tops and a road simultaneously.

    Optical illusion artwork by Rob Gonsalves: figures in white robes blend with a waterfall cascading through a canyon.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves depicting dancers seamlessly merging into a flowing waterfall under a moonlit sky.

    Children jumping on beds turning into fields, showcasing Rob Gonsalves' optical illusion art.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    What is Optical Illusion in Art?

    The purpose of an optical illusion painting is to confuse the person watching it. How it works is the more interesting part. Our eyes aren’t perfect. Even if you have 20/20 vision, they tend to make errors or register something strange as one. Illusion artwork works with this element to confuse us even more.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Any art piece that makes us think — “What the hell am I watching?” — accomplishes the needed goal. So don’t write off easy optical illusion art pieces as too simple. Even AI can create illusion pieces that will bend your mind backward and forward.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves featuring a woman floating seamlessly between a lake and a starry sky.

    Child building a city with blocks at a picnic table, blending into a skyline; an optical illusion artwork by Rob Gonsalves.

    Skaters holding lanterns glide on a moonlit path, creating an optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves of a snowy forest transitioning into a quilted bed with a sleeping child and a lamppost.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves showing trees transforming into sailing ships on a reflective water surface.

    How Do You Make an Optical Illusion in Art?

    Repetition and creativity is the key to many brilliant optical illusion art pieces. However, there is a tried and failed method of creating a solid piece of art. If you use the black-and-white method, create patterns and lines. You create two different designs and blend them. Chances are you created an optical illusion.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    However, there is also an illusion in color. It’s a harder illusion to master, but you’ll have quite an art piece when you do. Looking at Rob Gonsalves’s creations, you’ll notice that there never is an ending to them. A waterfall changes to a group of men. Kids with lanterns act as stars in the sky.

    Person holding a candle in an illusionary corridor with robed figures, showcasing optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves shows a person pulling curtains resembling a city skyline over a starry sky.

    People flying kites that transform into sailing ships in a surreal optical illusion art piece by Rob Gonsalves.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion showing a treehouse blending seamlessly with a brick house, created by Rob Gonsalves.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves shows a chess game blending into a snowy landscape with towers.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Why Are Illusions Fun?

    Tricks and pranks are always fun, even if we don’t completely understand them in the first place. The same goes for optical illusion art. Some people even decided to put illusions on the skin. Why? Because they are just that much fun to look at. So, if you are looking for a fun way to make an optical illusion drawing even more fun — put it on your skin.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    A woman releases blue balloons blending into a clouded sky, creating an optical illusion art piece by Rob Gonsalves.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves, featuring people balancing on a fence merging with a cityscape.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves depicting a room seamlessly blending into a forest with people around a fireplace.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Person holding a globe and flashlight, creating an optical illusion with forest shadows under a night sky.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves shows mirrored cathedrals blending into mountains by a tranquil lake.

    What Are the 3 Types of Illusions?

    There is more than one illusion in this world. Art is just one of the ways the world tricks us into believing something else. Together with optical illusions, two more “branches” exist. Auditory and tactile illusions are just as confusing as optical ones. However, they trick us into thinking differently.

    • Auditory illusions. Our ears are just as sensitive as our eyes. An unknown noise source tricks our minds into thinking something is out there — waiting. However, it might be just a minor noise our ears picked up. Some noise frequencies are so “strange” that our ears just go haywire with confusion.
    • Tactile illusions. It is one of the most uncommon illusions people encounter. Usually, amputees encounter it. If you are a fan of House, you might know about the condition “Phantom Limb.” The brain believes that a body part (cut off) feels pain.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves featuring hikers crossing a river that transforms into a castle.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion art featuring flying ships transforming into clouds by Rob Gonsalves.

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves showing acrobats forming a bridge blending into a railway scene.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves showing a puzzle merging with a scene of people constructing a house.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Optical illusion art by Rob Gonsalves depicts figures emerging from a forest reflected in water.

    2Mviews

    Share on Facebook
    Dovas

    Dovas

    Author, Community member

    Read more »

    There is a beast with heart of cold stone that dashes like lightning, shreds flesh from bone. // Bewitched by this beast, I fell to my knees. My mouth babbled madness and mumbled soft pleas. // I stared down the ravenous, gnashing dark maw of a cute cuddly kitten with yarn in its paw

    Read less »
    Dovas

    Dovas

    Author, Community member

    There is a beast with heart of cold stone that dashes like lightning, shreds flesh from bone. // Bewitched by this beast, I fell to my knees. My mouth babbled madness and mumbled soft pleas. // I stared down the ravenous, gnashing dark maw of a cute cuddly kitten with yarn in its paw

    What do you think ?
    ResendizSnchz
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm amazed by his work. His artwork astonished me!

    JohnWalter
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Crazy transitions that can make you feel strange, but really good http://bit.ly/1Cedk7k

    Load More Replies...
    DiliniRathanayake
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing.. And sometimes I can't understand what is real and what is not..

    RussHatch
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    You should probably consider cutting down on the psychotropic drugs...

    Load More Replies...
    PamelaSorin
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing! The style and illusion makes me think of the illustrations in Chris Van Allsburg's children's books.

    Load More Comments
    ResendizSnchz
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm amazed by his work. His artwork astonished me!

    JohnWalter
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Crazy transitions that can make you feel strange, but really good http://bit.ly/1Cedk7k

    Load More Replies...
    DiliniRathanayake
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing.. And sometimes I can't understand what is real and what is not..

    RussHatch
    Community Member
    10 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    You should probably consider cutting down on the psychotropic drugs...

    Load More Replies...
    PamelaSorin
    Community Member
    10 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Amazing! The style and illusion makes me think of the illustrations in Chris Van Allsburg's children's books.

    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT