In the style of Julian Beever and Eduardo Relero, I tried to create a 3D anamorphic image (an image that from one vantage-point appears 3D).

This was my first but definitely not my last- it's just too much fun once it starts working;). So, thanks for stopping by, be kind and stay humble- mistakes are how we learn! I hope this information helps you make some bad-ass quality inspiration out on the street where it belongs.

ps- anamorphic art is used all around, for example try looking at words written for traffic on the road from the side whilst standing still- yay anamorphic way-finding devices:)

Step 1: Scope Out the Location.

Depending on your patience, you'll want to find a place without too much car traffic. I happen to live on a nice quiet street where the elder brooklynites find hipster art projects amusing:)

Step 2: Pick Your Vantage Point. Take a Picture, It Lasts Longer.

Find a view you can easily access throughout your drawing process (i.e. not a place that might be parked in or taken up by other large heavy immovable things).

Now take a picture from this SPECIFIC spot. Mark it with a big 'X' (I used painter's tape).
What you SHOULD do that I didn't (but will try in the future) is take this shot using a tripod and a camera w/ a nice viewfinder (Julian Beever does this) and have that tripod at the same height and location the entire time you draw. This way you have a concrete reference point, as our fun human eyes and necks tend to waver.

Step 3: Mask Out Your Basic Shape.

I decided to use a good ole' basic circle object as my first to be 3D-anamorphicised. Yay basketball.

So the principle behind this whole optical illusion and the reason it only works from one perspective is because the elongation of the image from a distance compresses or collapses that image (like a scene might collapse when viewed with a telephoto lens). So this "circle" shape I masked out is actually a long oblong shape that viewed from my big beautiful blue X, appears circular.

->Test it out! It takes a minute- go mask out a circle and then stand a good 2-3 car lengths away and keep circling your circle (har-har) like prey (and try going closer or move farther away) until you SEE a perfect circle.

Step 4: Get to Colorin'!

If you're using a street like I did, up-close you'll see those valleys between the little bumpies become enormous. It takes a LOT of chalk and chalk dust to fill that in- the good thing is that this image is meant to be seen from standing distance so already your eye will do some filling in as well (most 3D anamorphic street artists seem to use sidewalks or large plaza settings with smoother stone surfaces).

I suggest using a color not so bold at first, something that might be close to street color but still distinguishable. That way you can take the extra step of stepping back and checking the accuracy of your shape before adding in all your painful detailing.

ps- I used whatever I had on me (some old color oil pastels) and had the boy pick up a few chalk and charcoal pastels just so we could play with some options. I strongly encourage experimentation;)

pps- Though I used the palm of my hand to spread the color, it'll quickly dilute the color. So for base colors-cool, for detail you want to pop- not cool.

Step 5: Share the Good Times:)

I know you want the solo street-cred and all but there's nothin' wrong with letting others help if they'd be so kind to offer - plus friends got skills, maybe skills you don't know they had, ha maybe some THEY didn't know they did (like my bf with his crazy good highlighting::smile::).

This altruism helps especially if you start this project say around 3:30pm on the first rain-free day in a week with a thunderstorm forecast for later... you'll need help finishing before either the sun goes down or it starts down-pouring. Ha, good times.

Step 6: Bring on the Detail.

SO, here's what I learned during this step. Yay, discovery learning! When doing a spherical 3D shape, ONE- remember to refer back to either your print-out or your tripod-based viewfinder, and TWO- REMEMBER PROPORTION. I happened to use the wrong proportion with this particular project, but it came out nonetheless (what art is wrong or right anyway?).

In my future of sphere drawing this is what I will keep in mind and what I will now pass on to you:

After you've figured out your long oblong shape (think of a vertical french baguette) divide it into 4 parts from top to bottom. If you'd like something like text to appear readable to the viewer it tends to be in the bottom-most quarter of the baguette (the part closes to the viewer, the furthest part being the quarter that recedes most into space).

To use my basketball as an example, I wrote 'SPALDING' in the exact middle- proportionate to where it 'should' be according to my print out. But I DISREGARDED the ANAMORPHOSES! Next time, I'll write it closer to the bottom. Again, yay discovery learning.

Step 7: Stand Back and Check It Out.

So here it is, finished. If you're going hand-held with the camera make sure you move around a LOT to make sure you have the best perspective to be taking the shot with (it turned out my blue X spot was a little off, and by moving 5 ft. closer it looked more like a sphere).

Step 8: Proceed to Take Obnoxious Amounts of Posed Pics.

Get creative. Ask people on the street. (charge $? lol.)

Step 9: Don't Let the Other Perspectives Feel Left Out.

Just to show the power of this vantage-point business:

SHOT 1: My man showing you this baby's actual dimensionality- so shoulders to about three-quarters down his leg.

SHOT 2: Straight-overhead shot.

SHOT 3: Where we put our big blue 'X'.

VID: How subtle movements change the object/ 360-view.

Step 10: Enjoy It While It Lasts.

The thunderstorm hit about an hour after this shot was taken.

Again, thanks for checkin' this out.

Post yours:)

Stayin' classy,
-ink.

::EDIT:: So after re-reading my first instructable I realized I was very specific to the sphere shape. SO, if you're looking to try this anamorphic stuff out here's a more general observation I made:

Whatever part of the image you want to really POP, i.e. be 3D, THAT part of the image will be the most distorted or stretched out. The thing I said about the 4 parts of the baguette applies to most shapes/images. The lowest quarter will have little distortion while the top three extreme distortion. And again, whatever parts of your image you'd like to pop (even if it is in the lower most quarter of your image) those will have mucho distortion.

Thanks for all the love!
Yours,
-ink.