This optical illusion is captivating the internet
Can you see the secret face?
We've seen no shortage of optical illusions here at Creative Bloq, and you'd think by now we'd be immune to having our minds blown, bent, fried, etc, by the things. But here's a genuinely impressive example that's driving Twitter wild.
At first glance the image looks like a simple black and white photograph of two young girls smiling among some trees. But look a little closer – actually, look a little less closely – and you might see something very different. (Looking for more inspiration? Check out the best optical illusions ever.)
A kind of optical illusion used in paintings for centuriesSquint or hold your phone away, you will see something else pic.twitter.com/4eBSGRUj9vAugust 28, 2023
User @Rainmaker1973, who frequently posts illusions, shared the image (above), describing it as "a kind of optical illusion used in paintings for centuries". When squinting at the image from a distance, the body of the girl on the left starts to resemble a large face.
Users are blown away by the illusion, describing it as "creepy," "trippy," and "incredible". Several users claim to see the face of a person wearing an Indian-style headdress. Meanwhile, opticians Specsavers simply comments, "New eye test just dropped".
This is really well done.Curiously, I find that I can see it by squinting, but also by scrolling past the image rapidly. https://t.co/X7ImTXMsnoAugust 28, 2023
I squinted. Saw nothing.Held my phone away, squinting.Me: https://t.co/7ZeZd3LD7E pic.twitter.com/2KQvajJS7WAugust 29, 2023
Indeed, the illusion certainly does resemble others that we've seen in paintings. Ukrainian artist Oleg Shupliak has been creating elegant paintings with faces hidden inside them for over 30 years, and they go viral online every other day. If you're inspired to create an illusion of your own, take a look at our guide on how to download Photoshop.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.