Concealed images have been a part of artwork for centuries.
It is not unusual for a person viewing a work of art to wonder about the artist's intention or to consider possible meanings behind the artist's choice of subject matter or style of presentation. Sometimes, an artist deliberately hides images within a work of art. An artist may use one of several techniques to produce a painting with hidden images.
Aboriginal Dot Paintings
Aboriginal Australian artists used dot painting to create hidden picture paintings.
Using a technique similar to pointillism, Australian aboriginal artists hid images and characters within works of art by painting with numerous small dots. To duplicate this technique, a contemporary artist begins with simple line drawings on watercolor paper or canvas. She then uses a small-tipped brush to complete the painting in such a way that some of the images are only apparent to a viewer who knows to look for them. A classroom teacher can have his students use tempera paint and cotton swabs to experience this hidden-image art technique.
Layering
Artists such as Bev Doolittle use a layering technique to camouflage images within a drawing or painting. Doolittle's subject is wildlife, but the technique can be used with any subject matter. The artist creates layers of images, camouflaging the the first images within the more visible "outer" images.
Scratchboard Painting
The scratchboard technique lends itself well to the creation of hidden images within a painting. A scratchboard consists of three layers: the base, which can be heavy paper or board, the white chalk or clay undercoating and a thin top layer of India ink. The artist uses engraving tools to scratch away the black top layer to reveal the white chalk or clay underneath.
Anamorphosis
To create some anamorphic paintings, an artist must use a mirror.
Anamorphosis is a technique that has been used by artists for centuries. Hans Holbein's "The Ambassadors," painted in 1533, could well be the most famous example of metamorphic art. What appears to be a gray stripe in the foreground of this painting is, when viewed from the correct angle, a human skull. Istvan Orosz's cover art for a 1983 edition of Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island" is a more recent example of anamorphic art. A cylindrical mirror placed at the top of this painting reveals a hidden portrait of the author. Artists who create metamorphic paintings achieve the desired effect by painting the hidden images from the extreme angles which will later reveal them, or by using mirrors when those will be necessary to disclose the hidden images.
Invisible Paint
Invisible fluorescent or black light paint can create hidden images.
Invisible fluorescent or black light paint can be used to paint hidden images on top of a painting or mural. These paints are clear or white when seen in daylight or under typical indoor lighting, but when seen under a black light, their colors emerge and create a whole different painting.
