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ART FACTS
"THE ART OF ILLUSION: Trompe L'Oeil Painting Techniques"
Part III: Tips on How to "Fool the Eye" by Robert K. Roark
"Pictorial Images", o/p, 20"x21", by Robert K. RoarkTrompe l'oeil painting differs from traditional still life painting in several ways. In "tromp", the artist has the specific goal of fooling the eye of the observer; that is, convincing the onlooker that the observed objects are real, and not just painted images. To this end, the trompe l'oeil artist recognizes the fact that we, as binocular creatures, are able (up to a point) to distinguish "depth of field" or distance between objects. In a conventional still life painting, if the "distance" between the closest object and the farthest object is, say, 12 inches, we can easily see in the painting, that this "distance" does not, in fact, really exist.
To overcome this "depth of field" problem, the "trompe" painter will usually choose objects that have little thickness or depth; the more shallow the depth of field, the more difficulty we have recognizing "distance". Popular items for trompe l'oeil painting include postage stamps, bills of currency, photographs, and other similar objects that are relatively flat. These still life objects are then mounted on a flat, vertical surface, thus virtually eliminating any "distance" in the arrangement.
When setting up a still life arrangement for a trompe l'oeil painting, avoid objets that are more than 2 or 3 inches deep. In fact, if the entire arrangement is less that 2 inches deep, you will have already solved one of the major obstacles to creating a true "fool the eye" effect.
Remember: the difference between a true trompe l'oeil painting and a hyper-realistic one is just a matter of inches!
In my next article, I will discuss the actual painting procedures that are used in trompe l'oeil.
Previous ART FACTS Current ART FACTS
RELATED ARTICLES AND EVENTS
"THE ART OF ILLUSION: Trompe L'Oeil Painting - Procedures and Techniques: Part I"
by Robert K. Roark"THE ART OF ILLUSION: Trompe L'Oeil Painting Techniques" - Part III: Tips on How to "Fool the Eye" by Robert K. Roark
"THE ART OF ILLUSION: Trompe L'Oeil Painting Techniques" - Part II: Tools of the Trade by
Robert K. Roark"THE ART OF ILLUSION: Trompe L'Oeil Painting Techniques" - Part II: Tools of the Trade by
Robert K. Roark"THE ART OF ILLUSION: Trompe L'Oeil Painting Techniques", Part I: Getting Started
by Robert RoarkRead article about Mr. Roark: "Robert K. Roark: Capturing The Mood".
Visit Mr. Roark in his studio at Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts, 2759 Main Street, Brewster, MA 02631, Tel: (508) 896-1948 or (800) 828-7217, E-Mail: wrfa@masterfulart.com.
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