An amazing 3D illusion

November 20, 2015 • 2:30 pm

We’ll finish off the week with a topic beloved of Matthew Cobb: optical illusions.

A German artist named Stefan Pabst specializes in doing drawings that look amazingly three-dimensional, as well as speed drawings (his YouTube site is here; be sure to check out the 3D Eiffel Tower, just put up to honor the victims of Paris). And check out his tarantula, too: stunning!

Here’s Pabst’s amazing drawing of a glass of water. I have a vague feeling that I may have posted this before; sue me if I have:

h/t: Ant

 

25 thoughts on “An amazing 3D illusion”

  4. I’ve always been envious of people who can draw ANYTHING. This is impressive. I can’t even draw a decent 2D glass.

  6. Love both the spider and the glass though the glass seems more difficult to me, because the spider is more just blobby.

    In either case, what a spectacular eye (and training) for perspective.

  8. These are cool, but I wonder if they are done with the aid of a camera lucida. As in other videos like these, the drawings are always done with minimal preliminary sketching, and they are done without hesitation or the slightest error. Also, the object being drawn is never shown on camera while it is being drawn.

    1. Well, the glass of water is very faintly outlined on the paper before he starts. Which doesn’t detract from the remarkable drawing skill shown by the artist.

      cr

  11. It’s not actually an optical illusion, except in the sense that all perspective drawings (of which this is an extremely well-executed example) are illusions.

    I think most optical illusions (which are identified as such) incorporate some paradox or incongruity.

    I realise I may be splitting hairs on terminology here.

    cr

      1. Yes I quite agree, but we don’t usually class it as such. That is, if we see a Canaletto or a Turner (or a photo!) we say ‘that’s a great picture’ not a ‘great illusion’. A TV screen is the exact same thing.

        All those things are a sub-class of illusion but we don’t usually identify it as such. Virtually every picture on paper or a screen is the same in that respect. The man’s hand holding the pencil in the video clip on your (flat) screen for example. In fact the usual aim of such representations is to give the semblance of reality.

        “Illusions” we usually save for things which are deliberately counter-intuitive, paradoxical, or visually disturbing, like Muller-Lyer arrows or Ponzo railway lines or the Ames room or Escher staircases or the waterfall illusion…

        cr

        1. No argument. But this drawing is an example of Illusionism which uses perspective, light and shadow to create an image that fools the observer into seeing a completely lifelike image. To be pendantic, this art form goes back to ancient greece. Zeuxis apparently painted a mural of grapes so realistic that birds pecked them.

  12. I vaguely recall you putting this up before because I remember being scared by the spider. I think it was only the spider you put up before though.

    These things are amazing!

  13. It’s interesting that he appears to be drawing the glass from the back (upside down), so he doesn’t even see it in 3D. Maybe he’s copying a previous one?

    1. That’s what I thought. The strokes seem so sure and polished, it looks like he might have a faint line drawing already in place not visible to the camera.

      1. I was thinking he was just looking at a copy rather than having it pre-drawn.

        But now that you mention that, he could have an overhead projector and use it to draw faint outlines etc., and turned off whenever the camera is on.

      2. Well on my screen I can certainly see faint guide lines.

        But still a high level of artistic ability required to create the finished drawing.
        cr

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