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The Kid Should See This

How to draw a Penrose Rectangle & other impossible objects

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The Penrose Rectangle is what’s known as an impossible object, an optical illusion that is drawn to look like a three-dimensional thing that could never actually exist. If it’s hard to see at first, cover one half, then the other, and then look at it again: it’s a geometrically impossible shape.

Jonathan Harris draws objects in YouTube videos (including possible ones), but he has a series of impossible objects that are fascinating to watch and learn, including the Penrose Triangle, an Impossible Oval, and the Penrose Staircase:


We love these impossible forms, as proven by our logo. And if you draw any impossible objects, tweet us a photo of it. We’d love to see!

There are more optical illusion videos in the archives, including the not-to-be-missed work of Kokichi Sugihara, who builds impossible drawings in three dimensions.

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