And here is the optical goat panel, stitched out and stitched together. I’m reasonably happy with it. The main point of the panel is to intrigue the eye, and make it work to see both the large image of the goat, and the small intricate designs from which it’s made up, and I think it does this. I also think it works better than the optical bird, partly because the individual squares are larger and so it’s possible to make each small design more interesting in itself. And I think the painted fabric helps give the squares more impact. The colours on this photo are a lot paler than the original but it gives the general idea
The finished optical goat panel (approximately 17 x 20 inches)
But I’m not sure where this idea is going. It’s a little like the zentangle designs – there’s only so much you can do with the general concept, and after a while it all begins to look much the same. I wonder if irregular shapes would give a different effect from squares…