Furthing my previous idea I created a collection of cogs using Maya (3D Software) and arranged them at various angles across the page. I found that this gave me an aesthetically appealing outcome, I had managed to create an image which gave the viewer a sense of an optical illusion and I was able to give depth to the image.

After rendering I used Photoshop software to edit the piece further adding various effects and shadows to finish off the piece, overall I find that this is my most successful piece which will be submitted as my final product.

So next I needed to look at other methods used to make still images appear like opptical illusions, one popular and well known example of this is M C Esher the image above depicts various stairwells running around a room allowing the viewer to see the piece from many viewpoints. 

Seeing this image inspired me to experiment with ways that I could recreate this effect using the gears of a bike, to do this I will be required to use 3D software to allow me to edit and rearrange the various aspects of the piece.

Gear Cog Experiment

After looking at various images which created illusions with still images, I looked at which different parts of a bike could be used to recreate this effect. With this in mind I thought it would be best to focus on circular aspects, and when looking at a collection of different parts I decided that I found the gear cogs the most aesthetically pleasing piece. 

My next step was to recreate the object using Illustrator software, in doing this I was able to create many cogs. By arranging these overlapping each other and adjusting the opacity of certain cogs I was able to create a sense of motion within the piece. I was happy with this piece but I felt that I needed to look at other ways that cogs could be used to create illusions.

Research into Optical Illusions

After searching the web for optical illusions I stumbled on the image above, which uses rings and colours to make the image appear like it is moving, seeing this made me consider how I could represent this idea using parts of a bicycle.

So my next experiments will involve me trying to create optical illusions using vector graphics of the gears from a bike which I will discuss more in my next post.

3D Experiments

Looking at the different parts of the bike I decided to create an illusion using the wheel, which I felt would be best achieved by using mirrors to mimick the bike. This idea furthered by using only halve a wheel against the mirror, this made the wheel appear whole when it was viewed from the correct angle however looking at the piece from different angles created various visual effects.

This model was made using Maya 3D software, by using the various shape tools I created the wheels and the mirror, then by adding a reflective texture and by rendering using mental ray I was able to create a object with the same qualities of a mirror.

I wanted to look at various ideas for creating optical illsuions so I took a further look into 2D visual effects. For this I will look at magic eye images and also images which appear to be moving when the image is actually still, my next experiments will be my attempts to recreate this effect using parts of a bicycle.

Original Typographic Experiment

This was my first idea for the visual thinking project, I had been given the task of creating a piece of graphic art with a bicycle as the subject. The brief also stated that there must be a connection between the piece of work with the artist we had been previously given at random, Richard Wilson.

The image above diplays my proposal for my first idea, however after completing more research into the subjects of the piece I decided to look down other routes for the final outcome. I had decided that the best way to connect the piece with the artist would be to create an opptical illusion. Now I must complete further research into illusions which can be created with graphical art whether this will involve a sculptural piece or a digitally created piece I have yet to decide.