Today we are going to do an experiment using our understanding of the senses to create our own optical art piece! Follow along with our Youtube video!
Have you ever seen a piece of art that almost tricked you into thinking it was real? Perhaps a beautiful landscape that looked like you could just walk right into it, or a painted portrait that looked more like a photograph. You might wonder how this is even possible…
Let’s learn about some of the secret science behind how this great art is made and how our brain perceives the things we see!
Even though science and art are often thought of as very different subjects, they actually overlap in many ways! For example, to draw people it is helpful to understand anatomy- the science of the structure of the human body!
Perception is our understanding of the world around us based on our senses: how we interpret what we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. Understanding how people view the world through the science of perception can also help create really cool art!
Even art that is abstract, meaning that it doesn’t look realistic, can use perception to trick our minds into seeing things differently!
Today we are going to do an experiment using our understanding of the senses to create our own optical art piece!
Materials:
Pencil, Paper, Coloring pencils or crayons (optional), Ruler (optional)
Time Estimated:
10-15 minutes
Directions:
Lightly trace your hand with a pencil on your paper.
Draw lots of lines evenly spaced across the paper. Make the background lines straight and the lines inside the hand-shape curved.
Pick out a few different colors to make your hand pop out more and color it!
If you would like to, you can experiment with other shapes by using the drawing technique we just learned with straight and curved lines.
Lay your paper flat on a surface and look at it from a distance. What do you notice about the shape of your hand?
Think Like A Scientist:
Why does your hand appear to pop out of the paper?
How do the different colors exaggerate this effect?
How did we trick our eyes into seeing something three-dimensional?
How It Works:
In our heads, we know that this drawing is 2D (two-dimensional), or flat because we just drew it on our paper. However, the shape of the hand looks 3D, like it is popping out at you when you look at the drawing from a distance. This illusion happens because the combination of repetitive straight lines with curved lines in the middle in the shape of a hand tricks your eye into thinking that the hand is coming out of the paper! In addition, choosing opposite colors like black and white will create more of a contrast between the shape you drew and the background, which tricks your brain into seeing the shapes pop out even more!
Our understanding of everything around us and even ourselves can be affected by and sometimes misled by our perceptions. This means that the way we perceive ourselves can actually be different from reality.
Imagine rose-colored glasses that filter the way we see things, making everything appear pinkish and rosy. In another sense, when you are happy, everything will appear better and more pleasant because of your happiness changing your perception to be that way. The same is true when you are sad, and the world can seem more frustrating and dark because your sadness is affecting your perception.
If you are feeling stressed or sad, try to change your frame of mind and your perception of the world around you. Sometimes it can help to write down what happened that made you feel those emotions; instead of letting your brain create extra scenarios to explain how you’re feeling and make you feel worse, just write down what events truly occurred. Then, take a minute to reflect and think about if those moments are actually stressful or worth worrying about. Will they matter five or ten years from now? If not, then try to re-frame your negative thoughts into something more positive. Check out our video on Climate Change + Reframing Negativity for that activity!
For now, just try to be more aware that the way you perceive things is influenced in many different ways. Most importantly, remember that YOU hold the power to step back and put things into perspective!
Looking for more fun at home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
