Review: Pavement Chalk Artist

Posted April 2, 2014 by shooting in Uncategorized / 20 Comments

Pavement Chalk Artist: The Three-Dimensional Drawings of Julian Beever

Review by Lauren

copy from library; all opinions are my own

Official Summary: The pavement chalk artist is a master of art, perspective, creativity and performance. Julian Beever is one such extraordinary master. More than just traditional flat drawings, the works Beever creates are uniquely three-dimensional anamorphic drawings. They are drawn in perspective and distorted so the subject can be viewed properly only from one particular viewpoint. For those who are standing in the right place, his chalk drawings invite them to step right into the scene or, in the case of the artist’s well-known Swimming Pool in the High Street, dive right into the water.

Review: I was putting books away at the library one day and I came across this title. Instead of putting it back on the shelf, I kept it to check out. I think people that can draw are amazing, and I wish I had that skill. It’s so fascinating to see an image come alive, and in the case of Julian Beever, he makes his drawings even more realistic. No, the images do not look entirely life-like, but by standing in a certain spot, you can see his chalk drawings pop out of the ground.

This book includes many of Julian’s chalk drawings, photographed in the right spot so you can see the full effect. Each drawing is shown in a large-scale, with many also show in small-scale either before or after with an explanation from Julian. I skimmed a lot of the explanations to read what I found most interesting, which is why he made certain pieces. What I didn’t pay as much attention to is the information on how to draw the work since I’m not an artist. It’s interesting information for those that might want to try this out for themselves though!

And now, I wanted to share some of the images included in the book. All were found online, and I do not own any of the information/photos:

20 responses to “Review: Pavement Chalk Artist

  1. I have seen so many pictures about 3D are and honestly I think those people have such talent. I have zero talent for drawing so I admire them a lot. Great book and great review 🙂

  2. These are so COOL!! One of my friends is really into this type of art. He hasn't done any large scale pieces but I'd like to believe he is gonna be one of these famous people someday 😛 They look so real. Ahhh I think I'm just overly fascinated by them!

    Angel @ Spare Reads

  3. I'm with you, I think I'm most envious of people who can draw. And people who can sing. I can do neither, sadly. This guy is super talented!

  4. I've seen a few pictures of these before, and they are seriously like the coolest things ever. These artists are so amazingly talented. I didn't realize there was a book featuring these pictures, but I definitely plan to pick it up now 🙂

  5. Wow, these are amazing! I've seen similar things around pinterest but these look so lifelike it's scary! I can't believe how talented these artists are. Thanks for sharing!

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