Here in Santa’s workshop, the lead elf (yours truly) has been hard at work developing an exciting new activity that will introduce a special bit of holiday “magic” into your classrooms (or craft rooms) this year…my Polar Express-themed Reverse Perspective Project.

I’ve had this idea up my (pajama!?) sleeve for a while now—in fact, ever since I first saw the mind-blowing “moving” work by artist Patrick Hughes at an art show back in 2007.

Patrick Hughes invented an entirely new form of optical illusion that he termed “reverspective” (or reverse perspective). In reverse perspective, three-dimensional elements that actually protrude from the surface appear to recede into the distance. This effect confuses your brain and produces a strong illusion of motion in the artwork. It is magical!

And the holiday season is a perfect time to work a bit of magic into your classroom!

So, I’ve created a project that combines the magic of reverse perspective with the magic of The Polar Express and sprinkled it with some Art with Jenny K. pixie dust to save you time and make it as easy as possible to do this with your kids!