![](http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=b23a028f4610b912bfc1f6f6f3fdfcb5/2447d5b44aed2e73f4ffc3188601a18b87d6faa9.jpg)
A Clipper lighter standing upright to be used as an example.
3d drawings using a camera.
Most street artists when creating these anamorphic 3d drawings use a camera
to aid the process and describe their technique as drawing by eye. This means
they are drawing by looking and using the camera as a guide for doing so.
Don’t be a pumpkin head get GIMPed.
In the image below a grid for reference has been drawn over the top of the
lighter image and it has been cropped using the free GIMP photo editing
software. Many artists use reference grids for getting their construction
drawing accurately draw. This can be easily done using a pencil and straight
edged ruler. If you don’t have access to photo editing software you can do it by
using a print out of the image.
![](http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=0f32ba668435e5dd902ca5d746c7a7f5/8078d988d43f8794e432121ad31b0ef41ad53af5.jpg)
Clipper lighter with reference grid placed over the top for aiding our 3d
drawings.
Using a camera viewing window to do 3d drawings.
The grid was drawn onto a piece of A1 cartridge paper to replicate the grid
in the image above but as can be seen in the actual drawing, the grid drawing is
far different from what can be seen through the camera lens. Notice that the
grid drawing gets wider and wider, the further away it is from the camera. This
is because of distance, indicting that the further away the object is, the
bigger it needs to be in order to compensate for that distance.
The secret to these 3d drawings is realizing that this is what makes the
technique work, being able to compensate for distance.
![](http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=ae77602043a7d933bfa8e47b9d4ad194/83b2afec08fa513d875336ea3c6d55fbb3fbd9c2.jpg)
View revealing the position in relation to the camera of the drawing area
and 3d drawing grid
Below is an image of the camera showing both the drawing of the grid and the
image, as seen through the camera lens, showing the difference between both. In
the camera viewing window the grid looks like it is made up of squares. Where as
the actual drawing isn’t made up of squares at all. This enables us to see how
the camera lens at this viewing plane is distorting the drawing. Thus making it
seem like it is made up of squares, when it is not. It is actually the same as
any other perspective grid used to draw 3d drawings, that would be drawn to
depict an object as if being looked at from the top. With the bottom tapering
off into the distance as will be shown the the next image below this.
![](http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=4f4f8bf6b3119313c743ffb855380c10/7ebc8f0a19d8bc3ead3943fe838ba61ea8d34589.jpg)
This image shows a view of the reference grid drawing and what it looks like