How to Draw Incredible Optical Illusions

A mind-blowing guide for the logical mind! Create your own optical illusions and amaze your friends once you’ve learned these techniques.

Gianni Sarcone dissects the most mystifying and magical illusions, revealing the logic behind their patterns and tiling, and explaining how they work. He delves into the importance of blank spaces, negative space, interferences, repetitive geometric textures, and more—all part of the palette an "op artist" uses to produce powerful illusions and visual surprises. Draw curves that diverge and converge, diamonds that vibrate and flicker, hypnotic spirals, "ghosts" and ambiguous figures, and other astonishing illusions. You'll even learn how to produce the "impossible": perplexing images of things that could and should not exist in the real world—but can come straight out of your imagination to live on the page. And illustrating all the instructions are Sarcone's own magnificent pieces. They include recent and revisited optical effects, plus demonstrations and tips for inspiration.

Standard and Primary covers are widely available through general retailers. They often have higher print runs and can be cheaper, especially during sales.

In contrast, Direct Market (DM) and variant covers are primarily sold in comic shops. DM editions tend to have more limited availability and may be more valuable to collectors.

The main differences lie in artwork style, availability, price, and collector appeal. Ultimately, the choice between standard and variant covers depends on personal preference, budget, and individual collecting goals.

Comic book enthusiasts have various formats to choose from when collecting their favorite stories.
Here's a brief overview of the main types:

Omnibus

• Large, hardcover collections
• Usually contain complete runs or extensive story arcs
• Typically 800-1000+ pages
• Higher price point, often €100-€150

Oversized Hardcover (OHC)

• Similar dimensions to omnibus, but thinner
• Collect shorter runs or story arcs
• Usually 300-600 pages
• Priced between €30-€50

Hardcover (HC)

• Standard-sized hardcover books
• Collect 6-12 issues typically
• Similar dimensions to single issues, but with a hard cover
• Priced around €25-€35

Trade Paperback (TP)

• Softcover collections
• Standard comic book size
• Usually collect 4-6 issues
• Most affordable option, typically €15-€25

Other Formats

• Absolute Editions: Oversized, deluxe hardcovers (mainly DC Comics)
• Compendiums: Massive paperback collections
• Graphic Novels (OGN/GN): Original stories not previously released as single issues

The choice between these formats often depends on personal preference, budget, and collecting goals. Omnibus and OHC editions offer larger artwork and more content but at a higher price, while TPs provide a more affordable way to collect complete story arcs