Julian Beever (born c. 1959) is a British sidewalk chalk artist who has been creating trompe-l'œil chalk drawings on pavement surfaces since the mid-1990s. He uses a projection technique called anamorphosis to create the illusion of three dimensions when viewed from the correct angle. He preserves his work in photographs, often positioning a person within the image as if they were interacting with the scene.
Biography
Beever grew up in Melton, Leicestershire, near the geographical centre of England. His talent in drawing had emerged by the time he was 5 years old; he liked school, especially his art classes(optical illusion).
He carefully selects suitable surfaces to hold his art. He has written: "Good quality pastels used on a good cement or stone surface can give an effect second to none – better than on paper".
Besides his pavement art, Beever also paints murals with acrylic paints and replicas of the works of masters and oil paintings, and creates collages. Among his other work are drawings, usually themed around music.
In 2010, Beever released Pavement Chalk Artist, a book which includes photographs of many of his works from around the world.