Creating a Mandela Effect with Pencil 2D in Blender

Published on January 05, 2026 | Translated from Spanish
Screenshot of Blender showing the 2D Animation workspace with the modified Ford logo, featuring a 'e' letter with a distinctive curl, on a transparent canvas.

Create a Mandela Effect with Pencil 2D in Blender

The Mandela Effect describes a situation in which a large group of people shares the memory of a detail or event that, in reality, never happened. This tutorial explains how to visualize that concept in Blender, using its 2D animation workflow in the style of Pencil 2D. The goal is to alter a recognizable symbol, like the Ford logo, to produce a variant that seems to come from a parallel universe. 🌀

Set up the workspace in Blender

Start Blender and select the workspace called 2D Animation. This mode offers the ideal tools for drawing. In the Shading Viewport window, generate a new paint layer. Use the Brush tool to trace or, more practically, import an image of the original logo to serve as a guide. Enabling the Transparent Canvas property in the material makes it easier to work on a neutral background, simplifying integration of the element later.

Key initial steps:
  • Switch to the 2D Animation workspace to access drawing tools.
  • Add a new paint layer in the main view to start working.
  • Import or draw the reference image of the iconic logo to be modified.
The real challenge is not drawing the curly 'e', but remembering what the original looked like before starting. Do you perceive it?

Design the fake version and give it motion

Now, generate a second paint layer placed over the reference one. With the brush active, draw the fake variant of the logo. Focus on transforming a specific element, like making the letter 'e' appear to have a curl or a different shape from the authentic one. To animate this idea of fluctuating memory, you can make the logo flicker or transform subtly. Use the timeline to set key frames that control the opacity of each layer, creating the illusion that one memory is trying to overlay the other.

Creation and animation process:
  • Create an upper layer to draw the fake modification of the iconic element.
  • Focus on altering a specific detail, like the typography, to suggest faulty memory.
  • Use key frames on the timeline to animate opacity changes between the real and fake layers, simulating a mental transition.

Integrate the concept into a visual piece

This exercise goes beyond manipulating an image; it's about materializing a psychological phenomenon. By adjusting the visibility of the layers between the original design and the modified one, a visual narrative is built about the fragility of memory. Blender's power for 2D animation allows exploring these ideas intuitively, transforming an abstract concept into a graphical and reflective sequence. The final result is a visual artifact that questions our perception of reality. 🤔