How to Draw an Impossible Cube

For this instructable, I will be showing how to draw an impossible cube, a figure which cannot exist in real life. The impossible cube is an illusion, meaning there is no real way to view it. It's a nonsensical figure, but it's not too hard to draw. For this instructable, all changes to each step will be marked with a letter to avoid confusion.

Supplies

For this drawing, you will need a pen/pencil, a ruler to keep lines straight, and a regular 8.5 by 11 in. sheet of paper.

Step 1: The Base

Draw 3 lines as shown in the image where the letters A, B and C are shown. You should have something that looks like a lopsided base of a pentagon.

Step 2: The Outline

Finish the outline by adding additional lines as shown in the image. Make sure that line A is not too long, or the image will not turn out as well (preferably make it shorter than it is in the image.) Make sure that line C is not longer than line B as well.

Step 3: Starting the 3d Shape

Add 3 additional lines in a Y-shaped format to create the base illusion that the shape has 3 dimensions. Start each line at the left, top right and bottom intersections show in the image, and stop where they meet.

Step 4: Making the Cube

Add a square within the box that lines A and B created in the previous step. Make sure there is still space between the border of the new square and the border of the base figure.

Step 5: Finishing the Cube

Repeat step 4 for the other 2 portions of the figure.

Step 6: Starting the Illusion

Similar to step 3, except upside-down this time, make a Y-formation within the cube. Ignore the borders of the cube, and just make sure line A starts at the bottom left intersection, line B starts at the top left intersection, and line C starts at the bottom right intersection.

Step 7: Starting the Other Cube-Like Shape

Where the letters A and B are shown, add lines that follow the previous lines on the left side.

Step 8: Continuing the Shape

Where the letter A is shown, add a line that follow the right side of the square to line B from step 6.

Step 9: Continuing the Shape Part 2

Going off of the line from the previous step, add another line following the right side of line B from step 6 as shown in the picture.

Step 10: Adding More to the Shape

Where letters A and B are shown, add additional lines underneath the existing shapes. Make sure they end up connecting. (Side note; the figures that used to be lines A and C from step 6? Where they connect, change the shape as shown where the connect in the image; I didn't realize I forgot to add that.) The figure should now look like a regular cube, with some exceptions where lines overlap.

Step 11: Adding More to the Main Cube

Where letters A, B and C are shown, add the extra border shown to give the shape more of a 3d effect. Simply draw a line from the bottom intersections' lower border up to the left intersections' border above it, and do the same for all sides. It is crucial you look at the image to guide you along.

Step 12: Erasing Lines

This is a big step. Where line A is shown, erase the lines past the border made in the last step. Do the same for letters E and C. Where letter B is shown, there should be overlapping lines. Erase the vertical lines from that overlap and keep the horizontal lines. Where letter D is shown, and the lines overlap, erase the vertical lines as well, and leave the horizontal lines. You now have an impossible cube: a figure which, no matter which way you look at it, will never make sense and cannot exist in nature.