Optical Illusion Drawings

I love teaching the kids how to use simple lines and shapes that create illusions :)  For this project, we started with an X, drew a vertical line through the middle, and then a horizontal line.  I use food terms a lot when giving demonstrations b/c it's something we can all relate to.  For this one, I talk about pizza crust and toppings.  I say, in the first slice of pizza, draw a crust that goes out (a line that curves out).  Then, in the next slice of pizza, draw a 'crust' that goes in.  We repeat this pattern all the way around our 'pizza'.  Next, for the toppings (or, the lines inside of the pizza), I tell them the toppings have to match the crust...if the crust is a line that goes out...the toppings have to curve out and vice versa.  It's also important to emphasize that the toppings have to connect from one slice of pizza to the next.

We used oil pastels to add color and to create the 'highlight' in each space.  I show them that using shadows and highlights makes objects look like they are receding and advancing off the page.