Take a look at this drawing. What do you see?

This vase is no ordinary vase. It's an optical illusion. When you look at it you will see either a vase or two fraggle monster faces facing away from each other. If you continue to look, the drawing will appear to shift back and forth from the vase to the faces.

Before You Draw
Read all the instructions for the drawing project.

Draw
Draw a profile of the fraggle monster's face on the left side of the paper. If you are left-handed, begin on the right. It is not necessary to draw the fraggle monster's profile exactly as you see it. In fact, it would be better if you would draw a crazy monster face on your own.

2) Draw horizontal lines for the top and bottom of the vase.

3) Trace over the drawing of the face that you have already drawn. Name the parts of the face as you pass over each feature.

4) Next, beginning at the top of your drawing, draw your monster face in reverse on the right side of the vase. This second profile should be a copy of the first in reverse. Be observant of what you are thinking as you draw this profile.

After Drawing
As with the "Optical Illusion Vase", the first profile was probably drawn quickly using thinking skills that allowed you to draw shapes from memory and then name the features. If your drawing of the first face seemed easy, while the second face still seemed challenging and confusing, don't give up. The goal of these lessons is not to draw a perfect picture. Instead, it is help you think differently and recognize that to draw well a whole new set of thinking skills must be discovered and developed - skills that are right for drawing.

Let's try another lesson: Lesson 3: Upside-Down Dog

For Teachers
This series of exercises was created to help the young artist discover and develop the special abilities of the right brain. The side of the brain that is "right for drawing."

This drawing project is the second in a series of projects that will help you to develop those special abilities. During this project students may experience confusion and conflict to accomplish the task of drawing the second profile and that they had to analyze and problem solve. This profile had to be drawn differently. This is right-brain drawing.

Lessons in this "Learn to Draw" series are based on ideas from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards.