Have you ever asked yourself “How’d they do that?” when you see a 3D chalk drawing on a wall or the ground?
Zest Artist Anton Pulvirenti explains how he created his 3D Butterfly for Blacktown City Festival…
“The hardest part of a 3D piece is marking out then the layering of the initial colours. The beginning is the most stressful part for me and at a one day festival you have to work quickly.”
The process of creating an anamorphic image begins in the studio, working the design out on paper to determine a precise angle from which to build the illusion. Artists such as Jenny McCracken work from a grid whereas Anton finds the centre line.
Anton’s first job on the Festival site was to decide on the viewpoint where people would take their photos from, and set up his homemade viewing glass (it’s similar to camera). Then he marked out his construction lines from the viewpoint using string, masking tape and chalk, gradually creating the three dimensional effect. Once he was happy with the design he used a mixture of pigment and water for the outline and then blocked out the body with orange and yellow. When the foundation was laid, he added details to the butterfly with chalk. Throughout the process Anton constantly referred to his viewing glass for accuracy.
“The best bit is the end when people can actually see what’s going on and you get the audience interest, when they can appreciate it, when it’s not a series of abstract lines”.
Rick Wiezel, Coordinator Graffiti Removal at Blacktown City Council who commissioned the work said “Anton was great and the artwork looked fantastic. We’re very happy. There was such a good response from the public.”
If you like this then check out footage of Anton Pulvirenti and Rudy Kistler creating a huge 3D street painting for State Library of NSW.
See more examples of our 3D chalk art in our portfolio and contact us to find out how to engage your audience!