Careers: Arts/Anamorphism

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Expert: - 5/21/2008


Question
I am an artist who has recently become interested in murals and pavement art. I was looking at the street paintings of Julian Beever and discovered anamorphism, but I can't find a good explanation, on the web or anywhere else, of how to pull it off. I found a partial explanation, but it was very complex. Can you explain, in simple terms, how to create this effect? Thank you.

Answer
Hello Mike,

I know just the street artist you're talking about. Anamorphism deals with shifting the perspective of a drawing so that it looks perspectively correct when viewed from a different angle, not from the normal head-on angle. Have you ever seen the famous Holbein painting with the anamorphic skull painted oddly in the middle. If you see the painting, and walk all the way to the right side and put your head almost level with the painting, you can view the skull in normal perspective, but viewed head on it looks like a mess.

Drawing using anamorphism first requires a deep understanding of perspective. I suggest you brush up on your two-point perspective skills and do a lot of practice using real world objects. To actually create a piece using anamorphism, you, as the artist, have to put yourself where you want the viewer to be standing. A really simple way to understand what I mean would be to take a sketchbook and place it on a table. Now lay your head next to the sketchbook on the table and look towards the paper. Draw in that position an object and make it look as correct as you can with your head in that angle. When you're done, sit up and look at your drawing. You'll see when viewed straight forward, it doesn't look quite right, but from your special perspective on the table, it does.

I hope this helps get you started!
Good luck!
-Gianina

Careers: Arts

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Gianina L.

Expertise

I can answer questions concerning most traditional mediums such as acrylics, watercolor, colored pencils, collage/cut paper, graphite, charcoal, and pen and ink. I also have strong, advanced knowledge of Photoshop, Powerpoint and Publisher; and beginner to immediate level knowledge in Illustrator, Freehand, After Effects, and Flash. In addition, I can cover miscellaneous subjects such as portfolio preparation, applying to art schools, art school study skills, color theory, basic design and drawing principles, basic animation techniques, working on personal art styles and exploring new artistic techniques. Topics such as the detailed legal aspects of art, web programming and Flash action scripting do not fall under my area of expertise.

Experience

Experience in the Area
I graduated summa cum laude with a double BFA in Illustration and Computer Art (specializing in 2-dimensional animation) from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where as a student, I happily tutored fellow peers in all aspects of art and created numerous illustrations for the school newspaper. For the past several years, I have been illustrating seminar books, designing numerous graphics, and creating short animation sequences for use in video. In addition, I work as a private tutor and am co-director / co-owner of a company that focuses on and promotes the local music industry. I assist with all the day-to-day operations of this company as well as manage all art direction and design.

Education/Credentials
Savannah College of Art and Design
BFA Computer Art, Illustration
Summa Cum Laude
Dean's List, GPA 4.0

Awards and Honors
Induction into Alpha Pi Beta honor society for art and design, 2002
Outstanding Achievement in Computer Art, 2002
Outstanding Student for the academic year 2001-2002
Awarded "Most Dependable" for District, the student newspaper, 2002
Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, May 2001
Better Business Bureau Honesty in Advertising Essay Competition, Merit Award, November 1998
Mary Renee Whelan Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design

Exhibitions and Festivals:
Embodiement; Myths in Animal Form, www.postpicasso.com, December 10 - January 10, 2005
SCAD Alumni Show, Stardust Café, Orlando, FL; December 2004
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May 2004 - April 2005
Finalist, International Juried Online Symbolist Art Show, www.dracoblu.com, May 2003 - April 2004
Senior Showcase, SCAD Pei Ling Chan Gallery, Savannah, GA; May 2002
2D or not 2D, SCAD Trustees Theatre, Savannah, GA; April 2002
Small Works, SCAD Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah, GA; November 7 - December 31, 2001; art was purchased
Magnanimata Animation Festival, May 1999

Publications
Quoted briefly in Animation World Magazine, "Predicting the Future of Futurama" (April 1999) and "Ed, Edd, n Eddy: A Unique Approach" (June 1999)

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