Tannis Ewing's

Anatomy of a 3D Sidewalk Chalk Drawing

"How to" Suggestions:
A Technical Approach

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Table of Contents

Instructions:

• Building the Model
  (pdf)
• Out On the Sidewalk
  (pdf)
• Viewpoint: Spreadsheet Calculations
  (xls)

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On the Right: A completed sidewalk chalk drawing as seen from the actual viewpoint. This is the drawing that is used as an illustration in the instruction set above.

The completed sidewalk chalk drawing seen from a side view.


The 3D drawing expert, Julian Beever indicates that the most effective way to view a 3D Sidewalk Drawing is through the lens of a camera, mounted at the viewpoint.

The instructions in the Table of Contents above include directions for setting up a master grid for your model.

You need to get your vanishing points organized. Instructions are included.

Instructions include a spreadsheet and the definition of the variables involved. If you want to just wing-it, without doing calculations, you can do that too!

The model in progress: What it looks like before you do the Perspective Stretch.

The model in progress: What the model looks like AFTER you do the Perspective Stretch.
Caveat: there should be a red grid on top of the green grid! Don't be fooled by my drawing!

This distorted drawing (left) represents what you should put on the sidewalk to make the image look like it's standing up.

And then you have the fun of drawing it on the sidewalk! See the information file above, labelled "Out on the Sidewalk".

• Last reviewed 2015 December
• Revision List

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