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Chalk artist demonstrates optical trickery in Schaumburg

Innovative sidewalk chalk artist David Zinn demonstrated and explained his faux 3-D creations to students Tuesday at Hoover Math and Science Academy in Schaumburg.

Students rotated throughout the day to listen to Zinn talk about anamorphic drawing. Students also caught a glimpse of Zinn's artwork, featuring his chalk drawing of turning three yellow posts into giant pencils.

"I've already used five different colors of chalk to make one pencil," Zinn said.

Zinn told the students he probably had about a 100-year supply of chalk at his house.

"This art is all about tricking your brain into thinking that two-dimensional art is really three-dimensional," he said.

Zinn has been based in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan, for 30 years. During the past 20 years, he's freelanced for a variety of commercial clients while also sneaking his art into the wider world - from Manhattan to such far-flung locales as Sweden and Taiwan.

He refers to his process of creation as "pareidolic anamorphosis" or "anamorphic pareidolia."

  Sidewalk chalk artist David Zinn works to complete his character "Sluggo" while displaying his art Tuesday to students at Hoover Math and Science Academy in Schaumburg. "It usually takes about two hours to complete an average chalk drawing," Zinn said. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
  Sidewalk chalk artist David Zinn teaches students about three dimensional placement and scale of objects while he teaches anamorphic drawing Tuesday to students at Hoover Math and Science Academy in Schaumburg. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
  Sidewalk chalk artist David Zinn uses a long chalk stick to outline an area where his anamorphic drawing will be seen three dimensionally. Zinn will blend together five colors to mimic a chalk pencil tip with the three yellow posts. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
  Sidewalk chalk artist David Zinn shows his anamorphic drawings to students Tuesday at Hoover Math and Science Academy in Schaumburg. "This art is all about tricking your brain into thinking that two-dimensional art is really three dimensional," Zinn said. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com
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