By Sarah Loat
www.bbc.co.uk

It was while working with a Punch & Judy show in York that Julian Beever saw other pavement artists and first became inspired to give pavement art a go.

The 3D aspect to his work came much later while he was working in Brussels, "I decided to get into 3D after seeing the effect of tiles being removed from the street, and later trying to recreate the sense of depth in a drawing.

"Once I realised you could make things go down, I realised you could make them appear to go up and I began experimenting."

Exposed to the elements

Julian works in chalk, so his art, which takes up to 3 days to complete, is there only as long as the elements allow, "If it rains it means I've done a lot of hard work for nothing, but I usually manage to avoid that.

"The important thing for me is to get a photo of it at the end. For me, I'm working towards building a photograph as my end result, and if I get that I'm happy."

In fact it's not just the weather that can be cruel. During Julian's last visit to Birmingham his drawing was swilled away from the pavement due to a mix up with permissions.

Pool; copyright Julian Beever

Pool seen from the "wrong" direction

Julian admits that some people do see his work as graffiti, and don't feel it has a place on public streets. Happily, he says, he mostly receives a positive reaction and people like and enjoy his art.

Art for the people

"My art is for anybody, it's for people who wouldn't go into an art gallery. It's art for the people.

"Art shouldn't be locked away in galleries and libraries and books. Art should be for everybody and not just art boffins, historians and so-called experts."

How does he do it?

Julian's 'trompe l'oeil' (or 'trick of the eye') pavement art is amazing to see. The effect is so convincing people will swerve to avoid potholes he has drawn in the pavement. But just how does he get this incredible effect?

Spiderman copyright Julian Beever

"The secret is to set up a camera on a tripod and keep it in one spot and check every mark you make. It's really just playing with perspective to make it appear different to what it really is.

See for yourself




Globe seen from "wrong" direction

The full effect of Julian's art is only truly appreciated when viewed through the wide angle lens on his camera. Julian invites people to have a look for themselves - visit him outside the Hippodrome Theatre and take a look!

Julian took three days to complete the drawing in Birmingham, an admirable feat considering he spent three days outside in biting winds and temperatures barely reaching 5ºC.

"It's very hard work but running about between the camera and the drawing keeps me warm, and I just keep aiming at my final result. I work all the daylight hours available which is about eight hours a day in winter.

"It's very physically demanding to do it. I don't actually kneel at all as it puts a huge strain on your body, I have a stool which I lie on which removes some of the physical stress."

In the last 15 years Justin has produced hundreds of pieces of 'pavement art' at venues all over Europe, but this will be the first time he's completed one on the streets of Birmingham.

Click here to go to his website for more pictures