Texas Big Face - 3D Face Projection How To

Step 5 Step 4: Finding The Target

Get creative.  You can use anything for a target.  Projecting a moving face onto the face of a 3-D statue creates a living statue with the blended characteristics of both the target and the living person being projected.  The more human-like the target, the more surreal and lifelike the effect. 

The best target is white with a matte finish.  Your projected image will appear dim on reflective or dark surfaces.  Some painted surfaces can be very glossy.  Colored surfaces will tint the color of the projected image - which may look good or may ruin the projection.  If projecting onto a colored surface, it may be best to project your image in black and white.  

Typical statues are either made of white marble, concrete, or bronze.  White marble is ideal, but not as common as bronze.  Normally, bronze statues are too dark and too reflective to accept a projected image.  For bronze statues, one can clip, tie, or tape a white T-shirt over the head of the statue to create a surface ideal for projection.  Other ideas are taping a white plastic bag or wrapping the head in white shrink-wrap.  Light graffiti is intended to be non-destructive, so please don't vandalize any bronze statues with painting or any other perminant or damaging alterations.

Graffiti Research Lab Houston performs interactive facial projections on giant, 20' tall statues of the heads of U.S. Presidents.  These statues are created by the local artist David Adickes. These sculptures are located in several locations around Houston, TX. Some of the work for Texas Big Face was accomplished outside the studio of David Adickes using his sculpted presidential busts.