While watching the Michigan State vs. Purdue football game this past weekend (Michigan State won 45-31), a commercial for the insurance company Pacific Life came on during one of the breaks.  It took me about half way through the commercial before I realized that the subject matter of the advertisement was a three dimensional anamorphic pavement chalk art drawing.  The drawing makes it appear that a hole has been cut into the pavement revealing a view of two whales swimming in the ocean.  You can watch the full commercial below.

After a little research, I was able to determine that the pavement art featured in this commercial was created by We Talk Chalk (a group run by Melanie Stimmell and Remco Van Latum).

Sometimes all you need is a camera, a little imagination, and the right camera angle to capture something that is both deceptive and interesting.  The person who took this photograph was able to make it appears as if a very large crane was lifting the moon into the night sky.  In doing so, it almost looks like a construction site operated by Mother Nature herself.

Do you ever wonder why the moon sometimes looks like it is bigger than normal when you look up at night.  This phenomenon is referred to as the Moon Illusion and can be fully explained by following the link and watching the short video.

Today is the official release date for a new 224-page hardcover volume of optical illusion art titled The Art of Deception:  Illusions to Challenge the Eye and the Mind.  This book, from Brad Honeycutt, features a foreword by John Langdon and an epilogue by Scott Kim.  It is a companion volume to The Art of the Illusion published by Imagine Publishing in 2012.  Artists whose work is appears in this volume include Rob Gonsalves, Guido Moretti, Bev Doolittle, Istvan Orosz, Oscar Reutersvard, and Kurt Wenner, among others.  The cover features a beautifully deceptive painting from Vladimir Kush aptly titled Butterfly Apple.

You can pick up a copy of this book at Amazon or your favorite retailer.  A French-language version of the book is also available and can be purchased at Amazon France.

The sphere that is placed closest to you looks to be about half the size as the sphere in the background.  Surprisingly, both spheres are exactly the same size.  If you don’t believe it, grab a ruler and measure them both to confirm.

For a similar effect, be sure to revisit the SUV Illusion where three sports utility vehicles parked on the same street appear to be different sizes despite being identical.

Can you find the hidden star cruiser in this colorful pattern?  Stare at this stereogram, created by Gary W. Priester, and the spaceship will slowly reveal itself.  If you are having trouble seeing the hidden image, please read through the stereogram viewing tips.

(via eyeTricks 3D Stereograms)

Measuring 900 square meters (approximately 9,700 square feet), this anamorphic chalk art on a field in Utrecht, Holland has the appearance of being three-dimensional.  The artist, Leon Keer, used environmental friendly (and harmless) chalk for this ephemeral piece of land art.  Most of the time, you see this type of art on pavement, so seeing it on grass or in the sand is a welcome sight.

(via Leon Keer)

We featured several of Liu Bolin’s camouflaged body photographs on An Optical Illusion a couple of years ago.  If you are new to the site or happened to have missed those, then feel free to check them out here.  The photograph below features Liu Bolin doing what he does best – hiding in plain sight with the help of a clever paint job that matches his background.  This time, he stands painted in front of a very organized display of shotguns, rifles, and automatic weapons.  It is probably pretty safe to assume that this is a political statement regarding guns.  It was taken in 2013 as part of his Hiding in New York series.

For more information about Liu, or to see more of his work, please visit Klein Sun Gallery.