The Thing Optical Illusion

• andy cochrane
  March 15th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

  BRILLIANT. i never understand how artists can paint in such extreme perspective like this.

• Azrael Brown
  March 16th, 2008 at 12:10 am

  That is truly awesome — I imagine a projector was used and the spots filled in, which isn’t exactly easy, but easier than manually figuring out what paint goes where. Some guys, like the sidewalk chalk guy, seem to do it from scratch, which is definitely talented.

• hel80
  March 18th, 2008 at 1:14 am

  I dont get it…

• Steven
  March 18th, 2008 at 1:21 am

  I don’t really get it either……….what talent (other than the obvious that he can draw great) or specific drawing skill does it showcase?

• Joe
  March 18th, 2008 at 1:29 am

  This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen. A 6th year old could have done this in Photoshop.

  Dont quit your day job.

• Zak
  March 18th, 2008 at 1:41 am

  Make sure you click the link and check out the side view, or you WON’T get it. Very Cool!!

• Ep
  March 18th, 2008 at 1:49 am

  Morons. It’s not a picture of the Thing superimposed on a crappy auditorium. It’s really there. When you walk in the auditorium, that’s what you see. Click on the link and learn before you embarrass yourself with your ignorance.

  Ep out.

• Donald
  March 18th, 2008 at 1:52 am

  Yeah, I guess it was projection, but that’s pretty awesome in any case.

• rey
  March 18th, 2008 at 2:04 am

  hmm probably he did an amazing job, but from the picture, it looks like a pathetic photoshop job!

• Just_helping
  March 18th, 2008 at 2:20 am

  To those of you who keep saying it can be done in photoshop, you don’t quite grasp what you are looking at. The feet and shadow are actually painted ON THE CHAIRS, the rest of it is painted on the wall.

• tardigrade
  March 18th, 2008 at 6:14 am

  I didn’t get it all until I did what Zak said and clicked on the link and looked at the side view.

  Very, very clever. Whether a projector was used to help with drawing it or not, it must still require a lot of talent to get this right.

• uz
  March 18th, 2008 at 6:28 am

  Yeah you definitely have to click on that link and than click “side view”.

  Thats pretty freakin crazy, kind of hard to believe he did that.

• t0m4
  March 18th, 2008 at 7:41 am

  Nice, but the shadow isn’t in the right place!

• MyName
  March 18th, 2008 at 8:37 am

  Ok, people. All you “this is photoshop” idiots try clicking the link to the actual webpage and click on the “side view”. Morons.

• Dave Nofmeister
  March 18th, 2008 at 9:06 am

  Very cool effect, considering this is painted on.

  I wonder where this actually is, the shape of the room, the building looks like it’s on it’s last legs.

• alezunde
  March 18th, 2008 at 9:25 am

  This is quite cool but it’s not a trompe l’oeil.

• Ringtonesdownload
  March 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am

  Just for those who are confused this is done by projecting an image from a POV and then tracing over the features with paint.

• brian c
  March 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am

  forget the painting… what are those jenky seats???

• TheNomad
  March 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am

  I don’t see anything special about this… whoopie! I kid with a can of spray paint…

• misk
  March 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am

  http://www.virb.com/misk

• SOWHATSTHEBIGDEAL
  March 18th, 2008 at 12:23 pm

  (1) Project image across auditorium.
  (2) Trace onto applicable objects.
  (3) Paint/fill traced areas.
  (4) Big friggin’ deal.

• Brandon
  March 18th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

  Joe(Joe March 18th, 2008 at 1:29 am) …you’re an idiot…

• bob
  March 18th, 2008 at 4:39 pm

  i love how the retard that mentioned photoshop said “6th year old” instead of 6 yr old lol

• marshall
  March 18th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

  Its not photoshop and its not easy. Its an artistic style called Trompe L’Oleil, its painted in a way that it looks like its 3-D on a 2-D surface

• Fascist Nation
  March 18th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

  Very, very cool. I want one painted on the wall in my theater. It is amazing that it appears to be climbing on the furniture.

• Mando
  March 18th, 2008 at 5:49 pm

  I don’t think a projector was used for this. If you think about it if he projected the image of the thing on to that wall he would be distorted because the projector isn’t parallel to the wall. It would have been all stretched and skewed.

• jeffzzz
  March 18th, 2008 at 6:41 pm

  it’s not all that amazing if you just use a projector and trace it. which is what they did.

  try it some time. very simple.

• name
  March 18th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

  It is a real photograph of a REAL AUDITORIUM with a painting of “The Thing” on a REAL WALL…..which is not obvious even after looking at “side view”. But for sure both photos are still photoshopped.

• Malachi
  March 19th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

  First, this is a great piece of work. Not only is it retro comic book pop art, but its an optical illusion that feels like early 80’s New York graffiti. Great Post.

  BUT…

  I have never laughed so hard reading the comment thread! The back and forth of explaining it over and over… too funny. So many idiots. Sooooooo many IDIOTS on the web. How are any of you even remembering to breath? I love you guys, I really do. This thread is priceless.

• Kirk Elliott
  March 21st, 2008 at 8:46 am

  it’s a shoop i can tell by the pixels and having seen a few shoops in my day

  just kidding this is great work and the comments are truly hilarious. it’s very easy to deride a great work but coming up with an idea like this and then implementing it is very challenging. Have any of the dissenters even used a projector to do this type of work? It’s a little more difficult than you might think.

  I think there are lots of trolls around here too…just trying to get a reaction.

• johnny
  March 26th, 2008 at 10:21 pm

  Right on Malachi!!!!

Want your own avatar? Get one for free at Gravatar!