How Do Artists Create Illusions on Flat Surfaces?

Artists use tricks to make flat paper look like real life. Imagine drawing a room on a piece of paper, how do you know where the walls end and the floor begin? Artists draw lines that seem to go away, just like when you walk down a hallway and it looks smaller as you go further in. They call this linear perspective, and it’s one of the biggest secrets behind making flat surfaces look like 3D spaces.

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Examples

  1. A drawing of a hallway that seems to go deeper into the paper because lines get closer as they move away.
  2. A picture of a city where distant buildings look faded and less detailed than those up close.
  3. A flat piece of paper that looks like it has hills and valleys, just like real landscapes.

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