How to Draw an Impossible Triangle

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Last Updated: January 25, 2024 Approved

The "rule of three", where arrangements of triplets have a pleasing effect on the eye, makes this triangle an intriguing shape to ponder and to create. It appears frequently in the art of MC Escher. It is also known as a Penrose triangle or Penrose tribar.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Starting with an Inverted Triangle

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Sketch an inverted equilateral triangle. This will be the center of your triangle.
The lines should be equally spaced. Take caution that your lines are drawn straight.

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Your sketch should look like three triangles nested together.
Extend one end of that straight line until it reaches the "middle" triangle.
Extend one end of that straight line, in the same direction as before, until it reaches the "outside" triangle.
Each edge of this "3-D" shape should look like a reverse "L".
These short segments will finish off the outside points.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Extending a Triangle

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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Starting from an Irregular Hexagon

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Three sides should be long and three short, alternating short and long sides. This can easily be done by constructing an equilateral triangle and "chopping" off the corners.
Shade or colour if desired.

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Who made the triangle?

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The Penrose triangle, also known as the Penrose tribar, or the impossible triangle, was first created by the Swedish artist Oscar Reutersvärd in 1934.

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What other things is Oscar Reutersvard famous for?

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Oscar Reutersvard is famous for inventing 'impossible figures', which are 3D objects that cannot be feasibly constructed.

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Is this type of optical illusion found in other shapes as well?

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Yes, optical illusions like this have been done with all kinds of shapes.

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Tips

After you learn this basic optical illusion, you can experiment with more complex arrangements.

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Try to outline it with a sharpie to make it look sharp.

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Practice shading techniques. Shading is a technique to provide depth in two-dimensional images.

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