ABSTRACT
There are three overall aspects to making a successful trompe l'oeil illusion: create a complete and accurate cartoon; paint convincing representations of real surfaces and materials; and Model the form with carefully applied light and shadow to create the illusion of three dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. By manipulating the color in trompe l'oeil technique, the modeled surfaces in the image can be finessed to improve the illusion of depth. A standard rule in the application of color for trompe l'oeil is warm highlight, cool shadows, or cool highlight, warm shadows. Cut lines have two main functions; the first is as dark accentuation lines that delineate the change of planes, where two surfaces are joined on the shadow side of the edge of a form. The second function of the cut line is to be used minimally to describe the contour of the forms.
