I need help 'seeing' an optical illusion!

October 16, 2006 2:46 AM

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?

posted by bchaplin to Grab Bag (19 answers total)

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?).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:49 AM on October 16, 2006

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.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 2:56 AM on October 16, 2006

Here's a better version, the old woman/young girl.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:02 AM on October 16, 2006

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.
posted by Happy Dave at 3:10 AM on October 16, 2006

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)
posted by Goofyy at 3:22 AM on October 16, 2006

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.
posted by twistedonion at 3:25 AM on October 16, 2006

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.
posted by Sevenupcan at 4:19 AM on October 16, 2006

It doesn't help that the son's "ear" is completely cockeyed.
posted by tastybrains at 4:33 AM on October 16, 2006

posted by grumblebee at 6:07 AM on October 16, 2006

posted by iconomy at 6:19 AM on October 16, 2006

Honestly, it's not a particularly good optical illusion: the proportions on the old man are all wrong. He has no neck.
posted by Dr. Wu at 6:32 AM on October 16, 2006

True - it's terribly drawn. No wonder bchaplin couldn't see it.
posted by iconomy at 6:50 AM on October 16, 2006

I had the opposite problem for a while - I could see the son, but not the old man!
posted by spark at 7:12 AM on October 16, 2006

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


posted by Neiltupper at 8:01 AM on October 16, 2006

Interesting. I had the exact opposite problem and was unable to see the old man without help. Young man leapt right out at me.
posted by dead_ at 8:39 AM on October 16, 2006

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


posted by O9scar at 9:57 AM on October 16, 2006

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?
posted by schmoo at 10:29 AM on October 16, 2006

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.
posted by witchstone at 10:33 AM on October 16, 2006

Response by poster: I want to thank everyone who answered; especially the nice person who colored the pictures in for me!
posted by bchaplin at 3:09 PM on October 16, 2006