tutorial

Minimal Cat

Gianni Sarcone

A Zen-inspired sumi-e unicursal brushstroke that gently evokes the silhouette of a sleeping cat.

sumi-e zen cat
sleeping cat
pencil studies

A single brushstroke, almost nothing… and yet the mind completes the rest.
This Zen-inspired sumi-e line suggests the presence of a sleeping cat, as the brain instinctively searches for form, balance, memory, and meaning within this minimal stroke. A curve becomes a back, a pause becomes a head, and empty space turns into stillness—peace, quietude itself. Strangely, this allegorical curve echoes the Japanese symbol ensō (円相; “circular form”), often drawn in calligraphy as a gesture that holds completeness and imperfection in the same breath.

Minimal drawing works because perception is never passive. We do not simply “see” the world; we continuously reconstruct it from fragments. A few essential marks are enough for the imagination to awaken and project life into absence. The unfinished image invites the viewer to participate in its creation.

This is one of the quiet powers of strict minimalism: removing detail does not always diminish reality — sometimes it amplifies it. In sumi-e, what is omitted matters as much as what is painted. The void is not empty; it breathes. Perhaps that is why a simple unicursal stroke can feel strangely alive.

Art begins precisely there: at the threshold where perception, imagination, and silence meet.

PERCEPTION OF BRIGHTNESS

Gianni Sarcone

In the example below, in the left column, you can see two apples—one green, one red—appearing as a single solid color with a black cross over them. Now, if we remove the thick black lines, each apple clearly appears divided into four quarters of different shades—even though they are exactly the same in both columns, with and without the black cross.

Here’s a trickier version: with the black grid in place, the large green square appears uniform. Take the grid away, and it turns into a full-on checkerboard…

shade contrast 2

This occurs because in our visual system there is a mechanism that enhances the contrast of the outline of an object relative to its background: it is called ‘lateral inhibition’. Thus, even small differences in brightness between adjacent zones or objects are deliberately increased by the brain to better distinguish them. So, when the brightness boundaries of the color zones are concealed, the cues the brain needs to trigger the lateral inhibition mechanism no longer exist and consequently we become “blind” to variations in color brightness. The illustrations above have been taken from my book “Drawing Optical Illusions” who was translated in many languages. The book is still available from Amazon.

Drawing optical illusions

This eye-catching, colorful book is designed to inspire those artists interested in optical illusions and as an invaluable reference tool for people who to wish to create them. In clear, easy steps, this book shows people how to design a range of original and classic optical illusions and even how to create their own personalized illusions.

How To Draw Incredible Illusions, a cook-book for artists and designers

Gianni Sarcone

After the success of my book “Drawing Optical Illusions“, I was commissioned by Imagine Publishing for a new tutorial book project titled “How To Draw Incredible Optical Illusions” [You can get this book from Amazon US  and Amazon UK]

My book dissects the most fascinating and confounding black and white optical illusions, patterns and tiling, explaining in a concise fashion how they work, how to design and create them, and how to personalize and play with them to your heart’s content. With accessible yet fascinating text and workable samples, this intriguing art ‘cookbook’ is appropriate for graphic designers, teachers, artists, art lovers and the curious who enjoys contemplating how the mind works and how the eye sees. Continue Reading →