Comments on: I need help 'seeing' an optical illusion!

Question: I need help 'seeing' an optical illusion!

bchaplin — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:46:31 -0800

I need help 'seeing' an optical illusion. Picture is inside.

I've been staring at this (off and on) for days now, and it's driving me crazy: .
I can see the father, but not the son. Can anyone who does see it point out where his facial features are?

By: EndsOfInvention

EndsOfInvention — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:49:04 -0800

The 'son' (I always heard of this as an old and young woman) has his head turned away from the viewer. The old man's nose is the righthand side of the son's jaw. The old man's right eye is the son's right ear. The old man's mouth is a line around the son's neck (necklace? collar?).

By: kingjoeshmoe

kingjoeshmoe — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 02:56:38 -0800

What endsofinvention said. Cover the picture with your hand from the line of the mouth down. Look at the rest, and try to see a guy turned around to see who is behind him. The eye and eyebrow are ear and hair.

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:02:21 -0800

Here's a better version, the old woman/young girl.

By: Happy Dave

Happy Dave — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:10:49 -0800

Quickest way to see it is to realise the father's smile makes the young man look like he's had his throat cut. But that's pretty grim.

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:22:42 -0800

It is hard to see on that, I couldn't find it w/o the help myself, and I'm usually good at these things. The eye/ear part doesn't work well for me. (and I've recognized it as the old/young woman, but different)

By: twistedonion

twistedonion — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:25:13 -0800

Funny that, I couldn't see the old man at first. To me. the young man looks like he is wearing a cowboy hat with a scarf where the old mans mouth is. His ear and bit of hair are where the old mans right eye is.

By: Sevenupcan

Sevenupcan — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 04:19:52 -0800

Ah I see it now. Neither of them are very young. When I saw the son I though he was the father, but then I realized the father has a beard.

By: tastybrains

tastybrains — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 04:33:34 -0800

It doesn't help that the son's "ear" is completely cockeyed.

By: grumblebee

grumblebee — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 06:07:09 -0800

By: iconomy

iconomy — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 06:19:59 -0800

By: Dr. Wu

Dr. Wu — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 06:32:55 -0800

Honestly, it's not a particularly good optical illusion: the proportions on the old man are all wrong. He has no neck.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 06:50:55 -0800

True - it's terribly drawn. No wonder bchaplin couldn't see it.

By: spark

spark — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:12:29 -0800

I had the opposite problem for a while - I could see the son, but not the old man!

By: Neiltupper

Neiltupper — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 08:01:19 -0800

I've always had that problem with the Batman logo. My first impression is always of a mouth filled with snaggle teeth.

By: dead_

dead_ — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 08:39:19 -0800

Interesting. I had the exact opposite problem and was unable to see the old man without help. Young man leapt right out at me.

By: O9scar

O9scar — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 09:57:14 -0800

I've always seen it as this (female) variant. I think the trick is easier to see here:

By: schmoo

schmoo — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 10:29:01 -0800

Oh no someone help please! All I can see in the above female variant on the illusion is the girl with her head turned away! Is the older woman facing towards us?

By: witchstone

witchstone — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 10:33:31 -0800

Similar to the male version, the Old Woman is in profile. OW's mouth is YW's necklace. OW's nose is YW's jawline. OW's eye is YW's ear.

By: bchaplin

bchaplin — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 15:09:44 -0800

I want to thank everyone who answered; especially the nice person who colored the pictures in for me!