Walking through France’s winding streets, you might be surprised to stumble upon a scared Sully Sullivan, a giant purple snake, or even a dragon in and around abandoned buildings. These murals are brought to life by Goerges Rousse, a 40-year-old self-taught graffiti artist who goes by SCAF.

SCAF is known for using a playful approach to make 3D murals and artworks that feel like they’re bursting out of the walls. Achieving a 3D effect is not easy, but his talent portrays his level of knowledge of perspective, lighting, shadows, and colours.

Abandoned buildings find new life through SCAF’s hyperrealistic murals. The French artist finds unconventional places to adorn with his amazing depictions. They range from massive animals to recognizable cartoon characters. While the locations for his art vary, they’re almost always situated in neglected places, such as a factory, house, and even unused pools. Once he gets to work, however, the walls quickly change into portals for lifesize characters to appear. In some of his pieces, it looks as though a dragon’s head is emerging from a darkened cavern. Or an enormous alligator is exiting from a fiery archway.

“I take the time to thoroughly analyze each project. I have lots of photos of the wall on my digital tablet and I choose either according to the image or the mood of the wall.”

It goes without saying that the amount of time and effort involved varies with each artwork. However, SCAF revealed that usually it takes him several days to complete one painting.

“I like to have hindsight on what I do. I leave one or two evenings to watch the project and improve.”

While it’s hard to grasp the effect in just one photograph, all of SCAF’s murals are rendered two-dimensional. But through the right perspective, light, and shading, he manages to create the illusion that these figures aren’t just painted on top of a flat surface but standing in front of it or on it. To prove their realism, he oftentimes poses alongside his finished works. This way viewers can make sense of what’s 3D and what’s not.

“With my paintings, I would like to remind people to always keep this youthful, childish spirit, and to always be amazed by dinosaurs or other big beasts. You have to keep dreaming. For now, graffiti art is free but one day the manufacturers will find a way to monetize it.”

You can keep up to date with his latest projects by following the artist’s Instagram.

Sources: https://mymodernmet.com/scaf-3d-street-art-murals/
https://www.boredpanda.com/optical-illusion-street-graffiti-scaf-oner-part-3