My Trompe L'Oeil

Trompe l'oeil is a French expression meaning simply 'trick of the eye'. It describes a visual joke: a painted illusion, specifically designed to fool viewers into believing that what they are looking at is real. Only when they come closer to inspect the work in more detail do they realise that they have been duped.

This style is my favourite but it is also the toughest to execute. I'm still learning and struggling but I am happy with my effort....especially when kids and adults do get tricked ;)

As I was painting this table, my husband kept on trying to reach out for the pen everytime he was in my studio looking for a pen! When I sent it to Kak Maznah, her grandchild tried to pick the glasses and asked, "Tok mummy, why can't I pick up the glasses?" You can imagine how proud I was to have my work tricking the eyes of both the young and old.

The most tedious to draw was the wooden ruler with all the markings on it. Trompe l'oeil drawings are tedious as one is expected to draw in the details to the T!!

Below is another trompe l'oeil on a coffee table also for Kak Maznah. This time I had a sprig of rose placed by a batternburg lace doily and small gift box next to it.

The difference between a still life and a trompe l'oeil is that the latter is drawn to actual size to make it look more real. It may be tedious but it is not impossible.... but you do need to have patience and a keen eye for detail and a lilttle bit of knowledge on perspective.