This 16-Year-Old Brazilian Makes 2D Drawings Appear 3D Just By Shading And Twisting Notebook Lines

Can you make a drawing on a two-dimensional page, three-dimensional without folding it? It’ll certainly get you thinking. You only have to take a look at the work of this gifted teenager to know how this is done.

This Brazilian teenager, all of 16, is João A Carvalho, aka J Desenhos. His sketches in his 2D notebook page appear to leap off it. This is because he has mastered the fine art of 3D illusions. He accentuates the 3D effect by drawing typical notebook blue lines over his 2D sketches, in such a way that they curve over the subject to make them appear to jump off the page.

To intensify this effect, Carvalho shades them too. This gives his drawings depth to make them look solid. He also uses intense shadows and creative perspectives for creating the 3D effect. The whole impact is such that the sketches appear to leap out from the page.

Not only this, but Carvalho also creates magical illustrations by employing visual distortions across flat surfaces. His creations are so realistic as to trick the viewers into thinking they are tangible objects that can be grasped by the hand. He has also mastered the art of reproducing the effects of a torn and crumpled page on 2D surfaces.

The surprising part is Carvalho was never known to be a gifted artist in his childhood. He only began drawing these 3D sketches this year, though we suspect he must have harboured immense artistic talents since the very beginning. Unbelievably, whatever he does now is all self-taught. He certainly possesses a fantastic eye for proportions to make his 3D creations work.

The teenager continues to surprise all with his fresh creations. Little wonder he is keenly followed on the internet. His Instagram followers number upwards of 10,000.