By Vurdlak on March 13, 2006, with 149 Comments
This is really a wonderful Illusion, originally invented by some English guy I think. This little dragon is made out of paper – simply print it, cut it out, stick it together, and stand it on a table or shelf. When you move around, the dragon’s head seems to follow you around the room (if you stare at it’s eyes). Have a look at the video below to see what I mean. The effect is frightening! You can print the dragon yourself by following thumbnails below (be shure to fold dragon’s head to outside, and not the presumed inside fold!) This is awesome!
How does it work? If we move around when viewing a solid object, our brain knows how the object we are looking at should behave. However the dragon gives us the wrong clues, because we mis-interpret what its shape is. We assume that the nose of the dragon is pointing out towards us, but in fact the dragon’s head is concave. Below is the dragon illusion blueprint, click on the image to view it full size, save it and cut it as the instructions say!
(275 votes)
I made this one a while ago when someone blogged about it.
I absolutely love it and have it at my computer now.
Are there any others like it? That you can make – I’m still surfing your site now..
Cheers,
cc
Woah, it’s breathtaking! We’ve setted it in a way that entering in the bedroom with the left eye closed and going straight until the dragon is no more visible, you can see the head turning and following and the trick is not visible from any point of the room (unless you open the other eye of course ;)
Really amazing, thank you for this blog and all the other illusions you’ve found, this one deserves a big oh but the others cool too, and some of them are astonishing and really unexpected!
This illusion works with most (painted) sculpture or even images that shows someone staring right at the camera.
dat wuz kool, yo! good job! ima print this ****!!!
god bless you too people
How do you print it?
This illusion was actually “invented” by Jerry Andrus. He has spent a lifetime creating amazing optical effects.
that was absolutely brilliant:)
this illusion does not work!!!
you spelt sure wrong!!
you just print this???
Hey, the image links are no good. Does someone have this mirrored somewhere else?
im confused i folded it and all but it didnt work??¿¿
I think user ‘tray’ up there missed the point of this illusion. For a demo look at the video linked in the introduction above.
OMG!!! SICKEST THING IVE EVER SEEN!!!
AND I MEAN EVER!!!!
ITS ON MY COMPUTER TOP!!!
FREEEEKY DEEKIE!!!!
I saw that on grand illusions a couple weeks ago, printed it out, followed the cutting and folding instructions, and it didn’t work…:( He’s on my computer desk right now, rather smashed, but he really didn’t work. Gr.
I saw the video, printed it out, built it, and now I am fascinated.
At first, i’ve built it in a wrong way…
but after i’ve watched the video over and over, i saw my fault.
The secret: the white side of the paper must be outside.
when you look at it from downside, you have to see the dragon’s face.
When you built it right, you have to close one eye, and move your head.
THAT DRAGON IS AMAZING!!
after a few minutes, i feel griddy..
(sry, for my english, but i am from germany ;) )
How do people find this stuff out? Was the dude
smoking pot and folding origami while suddenly
he saw a really cool effect? WTF?
Spelt isn’t even a word!
funny
yes spelt is a word, it’s brittish
dats so cool
spelt,
past-tense of spell.
i believe americans have a SPELLINGbee?
i dont blame u tho,
ur excuse is that u r american. and why do we critisize spellin anyway?
ever heard of slang? critisizin is a waste of time.
srry, had 2 let b known
;P
Gee wilikers dandy the dragon is watchin me eyes and what not! brilliant spectacle yes?
just like the mona lisa
I wonder if youcould make this into a wallpaper, or screen saver. If you first took the 2D image and made a sterogram GIF file like the Shiva stereogram, then the image would follow you around from your computer screen. Or, would the 2D image be missing something?
If the illusion does not work for you, insure that you constructed it with the dragon’s head inverted. That is, while the body sides fold back and is convex, the head folds forward and is glued concave. This will help you see the illusion.
thats cool, i should try to make it.
Ok, so staying up late payed off tonight. This is the coolest illision ever. I printed it, cut it out, and (after making it right side out first INCORRECTLY) I fixed it and saw the result… to my amazement. I even videoed a clip of it with my digital camera. http://www.fsunet.com/gallery/v/videos/DRAGON.MOV.html
If you can’t see it there, you can download the clip directly from http://www.fsunet.com/videos/ (it is the one titled DRAGON.MOV)
I agree with Steven. IT IS THE COOLEST ILLUSION EVER! too bad you have to say with one eye closed. I think I know why. You get 1 perspective from each eye, so you’re looking at it at two slightly different angles; say one person is standing behind the figure, one person is standing in front. The person standing in front’s brain thinks that the dragon is staring right at him, but the person standing behind the figure can tell that it’s a hollow face. in real life, it’s the same thing, only far less space between the two perspectives. GET IT?!
Fascinating, repulsive, and unsettling all at the same time. Perhaps I say repulsive because of the unsettling factor. Either way, as soon as I get a color printer, I’ll have myself a blue dragon who watches my every move. Simply splendid.
This is the most amazing illusion that i have ever experieced!!!!!!!!!! :):):):):):):) :P:P:P ITS BLOODY AWESOME!! IT IS AMAZING S**T
cool dont swear
i am so amazed
You’ve been looking at too many illusions. You don’t know how to spell.
How do you print it? It keeps cutting off part of the tail and instructions or prints super small.
i probaly has special gift, i saw the illusion with my two eyes open.
i really like this dragon. I did print it and cut/fold/glued it…. it looks awsoooome! At first my roommates thought “wtf!” but soon they saw the illusion… :D
even made one as a present to someone :D
*thumbs up*
I have a few questions….Mine doesn’t work.
Do you have to watch it with one eye closed?
Does it have to printed with a colour printed (I mean, does colour effect the illusion)?
” RaveKev said…
At first, i’ve built it in a wrong way…
but after i’ve watched the video over and over, i saw my fault.”
What was that fault you noticed? I may have made the same mistake.
” Dragon Master said…
If the illusion does not work for you, insure that you constructed it with the dragon’s head inverted. That is, while the body sides fold back and is convex, the head folds forward and is glued concave. This will help you see the illusion.”
If i knew wat he was saying, I would have done it. please simplify that paragraph for a simple mind.
If you have the answer just refer to me as “michael” so that I know your talking to me
This is seriously a great Illusion. I would suggest trying it out to anyone who has read this far. It will amaze your co-workers
Yeah , this is the coolest!! I made one and gave it to a friend. So i made another. :-D
Looks like he gona bite ya or something.
when standing far away from it, i can see the illusion with both eyes. but up close i close one eye to see it.
I got one watchin me now on top o my screen!
People are getting excited over nothing…
Disney’s Haunted Mansion rides have had this same effect for ages. (Anyone been there and seen the busts whilst lining up in the queue?)
alright micheal(Anonymous)(or whoever else is reading this), to look at it,imagine that the head is not inward but outward.here are some tips:
*make sure you are seeing all parts of the dragon (ears, eyes, both jaws,nose, the white part with the words, and the gathering for gardener side.)YOU DON’T HAVE TO SEE THE TAIL SIDE
*you may have to close one eye to see it up close and you can usually see it with both eyes from at least 10 feet away(2.5 meters, although im not sure)
*also you might have to get rid of some overlapping shadows by tilting the dragon up, down, left or right with coins, paper, pencils, etc.
*oh and while looking at the illusion the way youre supposed to dont think of the head being inward
*if you do think of the head being inward(this one i thought was pretty cool) it will take your brain a half second to realize that and you’ll see the head in ward
Think of the head being outward not inward, this is to micheal(anonymous)
hahahahaha this was sooo awesome!
I showed it to my younger cousin she got so freaked she started crying
That is amazing – I can’t believe it’s not more recognized, no-one seems to have heard of this!
I absolutely love it! Are there any other colors I can make?
M 2 the H O: If criticizing is a waste of time, didn’t you just waste time in criticizing Americans? :P
Damn Kid: They’re right though… “spelt” is actually an old-english verb. Not slang though. It’s not the only word that has multiple spellings either:
color -or- colour
theater -or- theatre
shop -or- shoppe
etc.
You’ll see this in a lot of business or product names to avoid copyright violations of similar products with similar names. :)
Oh yeah… great illusion by the way! Very much like the concave portraits that appear to always be looking at you.
Spelt IS a real word! It’s a grain, that when ground to flour consistency, makes wonderful “wheat free” bread. Find it in health food stores.
i just made my own…this is the coolest thing i have ever seen……..ever.
I have seen a much larger dragon exactly like this at the Franklin Institute. It is a very cool illusion, and thanks for the picture so I can print it out. Right now I have one keeping watch right on top of my computer. AWESOME ILLUSION!!!
Wow! thats so strange! i feel freaked out just thinking about it! thats so cool! Dragon, Dragon, Dragon, then you move and it goes ‘Swoosh!’and next thing you know its staring at you like its alive!… thats so hmmm… i don’t know how to describe it!!!
it moves!?!?!?!?!?
omg im so pissed i made it exactly as it said and it dosnt work !!! ARRRGGGHHH
mine doesn’t work, but i’m not very good at stuff like this so its probably my fault! its a very cute model anyway :)
OMG!!
at first it didnt work but then when i stared at it for a few seconds it started workin
freaky…
my one was rubbish, it didn’t look at me
The illusion was created by Jerry Andrus for the 3rd “Gathering for Gardner”.
It helps to illuminate the dragon’s head from below.
the important thing to remember when you construct it, in the instructions, the “shaded” side is the blank side of the Paper cut out.
you just hurt my brain
this is how to make it
you’re welcome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgE96qMcNiI
you can get a print out in the description section of the video
My friend has one of those
You just screwed up my mind, no I’m able to watch it with both eyes open :S Not sure what I do to my eyes to make it work but I think I might be unfocusing them like you do on stereograms..
OMFG! that is one of the coolest things i have ever seen! keep em coming
Incrível, fantástico.
Parabens.
I got a dragon to my high school and my classmates think that it’s cool. and my teachers! everyone that have seen the little dragon think the same. and me too. and the same about all these illusions. that’s an awesome website! (i’m an spanish fan and I’m sorry about possible mistakes, my english isn’t so good)
This is awesome. It seems so real. In my opinion the illusion does work with almost anything like photos or statues as long as the eyes are looking straight. But this illusion is cooler because it seems 3D.
Ummmm…its sad when an honor student with a 4.6 GPA can't complete this task…I CAN'T DO IT! and its frustrating me…grrrr >:[
how do u do this??? I followed all the directions, its head is concave, it forms a pyramid…! *ahhhh* what did i do wrong?!
I think a better question is, how does one get a “4.6″ GPA when the scale only goes to 4.0?
Okay, honor student here to redeem herself! I was sitting there looking at my piece-o-crap dragon when i closed an eye! and it wiggled its little head! then i moved it and closed my eye other eye…but then eveything went black, so i opened one of my eyes again…lol.
Thennnn, I was smiling at it like an idiot, and moving my head side to side. Suddenly the dragons head spun in circles and it said my name in a raspy voice. I opened both my eyes and realized it was a tiny bit after midnight. Wide-eyed and staring at it, I thought I was just tired, but then one of my cups fell from the counter and broke, and I was alone in the kitchen…pretty weird: do these dragons say anyone else’s name and cause the gas from ur stoves to turn on when ur alone??? I’d appreciate an answer
P.S. These damn things are indestructible, ever try tearing it up, it’ll just give you paper cuts and if u do manage to tear it, you can find it good as new when you come back…or atleast thts what happens to me…
To answer any of my questions refer to me as: ANONYMOUS TWICE
Plz and Thank You!
This is awesome, it works so well!
when i first made mine it didnt work then i just kept staring at it in different ways and found that if you shake the head a bit it kinda helps
Mine doesn’t work :(
awesome!
our brains make so many assumptions..human perception is an illusion that makes an illusion that tricks itself into believing that it’s own illusions are real
i’m using that as my own reason to oppose the “system”
I’m a bit frustrated on the folding part of the head. Can someone please show a video on how to properly fold the head? Coz believe me, I’ve been working on this for 2 hours now and I’m going nowhere on the head part.
Please, reply ASAP!
so cool! :))))))))))))))))))))))
I’m cutting it out right now :)
Although reading some of the comments about it not working I am getting a bit discouraged.
:(
Very awesome. I had some trouble with the general construction, and it only seems to work at certain angles, but I found that if I placed it higher on my desk (corner type) the better it looked.
I love this illusion. I might use it as an example for the kids in my daycare class.
If you have trouble seeing it, step back and close one eye. Thny move to the left and right, It will jump right out at you. Relaxing your eyes is best to get the normal effect.
I have one. It’s so cool! It does work!
cool…