There is a familiar visual illusion where the eye sees a shape that does not actually exist. These Illusory Contours are manifested by our vision, and can be a way to imply an object, symbol or shape without actually representing it.
Gaetano Kanizsa's examples of Illusory Contours have been a popular reference, which uses the familiar pac-man figure to imply a triangle within an empty stage.
I wanted to use this form to imply other shapes, perhaps a droplet or even more intricate patterns or shapes. Since the droplet form is very similar to a triangle, only difference with the droplet being two corners are rounded, the two shapes seem interchangeable . I was thinking as to how I could use the background to my advantage, perhaps by bringing the circular shapes (the pac-man) forward, but these circular shapes could also could be used as the gaps in the background.
fig. 3 sketch -
By cutting out the shaded area, a droplet would be revealed in the background space.
I realized that each circle was the same shape only repeated, once all the edges are removed.
fig. 4 sketch -
I put to use the inner space of the circles in the next symbol.
I tried out a few more ways to present the spaces, but liked the repeated circular pattern that could easily stretched in any direction. In figure 3 I noticed that the shades each create a visual layer. By adding illusory contours to a two-dimensional pattern or graphic, not only does it suggest space, but implies multiple layers without needing to cut any physical layers into it.
Digital Graphics:
I wanted this pattern to be precise, not stylistic and hand-drawn like much of my work. I want it clean, and easily alterable. I scanned in my sketches as reference material and created a single symbol, then spaced it out to fill a 11x14" file.
Circular Droplet Pattern 1, 2015. Digital graphic.
Up close the shape is less distiguishable, and the circle form is easy to spot out. As you look at it from a distance the shapes become a pattern, and the darkest shades reveal an illusory contour of a droplet.
The design is very simple, but when repeated creates a top layer, resembling chicken wire or a drain, covering a bottom layer or droplets over a darker space.
I think that the spacing could be changed to either reveal or hid more of the droplet shape, but I'm very exited that the pattern works. There never was a use of a droplet shape in the editing, only cut-outs of the grey circle that imply the shape.
In my last drawing of the Infinite Tree vandyke prints, I wanted to present the sky as a form composed of droplets, but that acts like a pattern. If only I had tested these patterns out beforehand, they would have pushed my drawing even furthur. I know that these illusory contours will be used in my next though.
Circular Droplet Pattern 2, 2015. Digital graphic.
In my second pattern I wanted to follow figure 4 by adding more features in the center. These two crescent circles and the Kanizsa figure (pac-man) in light grey references the original triangles revealed in Kanizsa's diagram, but as a subtle note in the center of the circle.
I took better care in this pattern to make spacing more exact between the circles, since I noticed some deviations in the previous distract from the illusion. The dark grey shapes, when viewed from further back reveal the droplet shape, like before.
I don't know what these patterns can lead to, but they excited me so I wanted to share!