Double Heart Optical Illusion Art Lesson

I have seen several of these Op Art examples online, but I didn't know how to make them.  I chose this one because I want to do it with 2nd grade students and some of them seem too complex for that age group.  This one is impressive, looking like it has depth, without as much difficulty.

I'm going to introduce Jim Dine:

An American artist born in 1935 whose Heart paintings are part of the Pop Art Movement.

Although this project isn't in his style it's still a pertinent link and an opportunity to introduce students to another artist's work.

I'm also going to ask the students to limit their color palette to warm or cool colors.  My example uses cool colors.

Materials needed:

4X4" white paper

Heart stencils

Colored pencils

Ruler

Fine point Sharpie or marker

I'm going to give the students a 4X4" Square of white paper, marker, stencils and ruler.

They are going to follow along with me step by step.

Trace a heart in the center of the square.

Add another heart inside that first heart.

Place a dot somewhere inside the small heart - anywhere will work.

Draw 12 lines with a ruler from the dot to the outside of the paper.

Pick one of the outside sections and color it.

Now finish coloring the outside sections with every other one being colored in.

Use another color (green) to do the opposite sections in the bigger heart.  Making sure to alternate sections so there is never a solid area of color.

Finally choose another color for the inside of the heart and do the opposite sections from the green ones in the layer before.  It is like the outside ones continue with a layer of white in between.

This creates a tunnel effect and makes the drawing look like it has depth - an optical illusion - 

or Op Art.