I See — Optical Illusion Paint By Numbers Kit
GBP 46.00
Explainer
Optical illusion paint by numbers, for adults
Optical illusion paint by numbers is a painting kit whose numbered canvas does not resolve into an ordinary picture. The regions you fill in are a deliberately distorted projection; the image only reads correctly from one viewpoint, or in the curved mirror supplied with the kit. The illusion is a property of the artwork's geometry, which means the moment it snaps into focus happens for the painter as well as the viewer.
How an anamorphic kit works
The technique is anamorphosis, used by painters since the sixteenth century: an image is mathematically projected onto a surface so that it appears stretched and unreadable head-on, and correct only when observed obliquely or reflected in a cylinder. Holbein used it to hide a skull in The Ambassadors. The studio uses the same projection maths — computed rather than drawn — to build the numbered map you paint. Because the distortion is calculated, every region you fill lands in exactly the position the illusion requires.
Kits differ from children's paint by numbers in resolution and materials. There are several hundred numbered regions rather than a few dozen, the paints are artist-grade acrylics, and the source image is an existing artwork from the Sentient Art catalogue rather than stock illustration. A typical kit takes eight to twenty hours across several sittings.
What is in a kit
- A pre-printed numbered canvas of the anamorphic projection.
- A matched set of numbered acrylic paints.
- Brushes in fine, medium and broad gauges.
- A reference sheet showing the resolved artwork.
- The reflective cylinder, where the work resolves through a mirror.
Available kits
Frequently Asked Questions
What is optical illusion paint by numbers?
Optical illusion paint by numbers is a painting kit in which the numbered areas do not add up to an ordinary picture. As you fill them in, the flat, distorted field of colour resolves into an image that only reads correctly from a particular viewpoint or through a mirror. The illusion is built into the artwork's geometry, not added afterwards.
Is paint by numbers good for adults?
Yes. Adult kits differ from children's kits in three ways: far more numbered regions (so the detail holds up at close range), artist-grade acrylics rather than poster paint, and source images taken from real artworks rather than stock illustration. Sentient's kits are made from the anamorphic paintings of Jonty Hurwitz and Dr. Yifat Davidoff, so the finished canvas is a reproduction of an exhibited work.
Do you need any painting experience?
No. Every region is numbered and every pot is matched to a number, so the skill required is patience rather than draughtsmanship. Most people work outward from the largest areas to the smallest, and a full kit takes somewhere between eight and twenty hours spread over several sittings.
What is in the kit?
A pre-printed numbered canvas, the matched set of acrylic paints, brushes in several sizes, and a reference sheet showing the finished artwork. Kits that depend on a mirror to resolve the image ship with the reflective element included.
What is anamorphosis, and why does it matter here?
[Anamorphosis](/concept/anamorphosis) is a projection technique, used since the Renaissance, that distorts an image so it only appears correct from an oblique angle or in a curved mirror. It is the mechanism behind these kits: the numbered field you paint is the distorted projection, and the illusion appears when you view the finished canvas the right way.
Where do the images come from?
Each kit is licensed from an original work in the Sentient Art studio catalogue by [Jonty Hurwitz](/concept/jonty-hurwitz) and Dr. Yifat Davidoff. The originals have been exhibited at science museums and galleries on six continents.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes — kits ship worldwide from the studio's fulfilment partner. Shipping cost and delivery estimate are calculated at checkout.