This mainly determines the size of the painting. But the surface of the ground is also crucial. If it’s old washed-out asphalt, then it’s easy to double the paint.

For regular sidewalk slabs that don’t take much paint, I estimate always half the area indicated on the paint bucket. Roughly estimated, this is quickly 50-80 liters in total for a 300m² picture.

If I use chalk, then you don’t get very far with quantities. For the large areas I use pigments, i.e. color powders. This is much faster than using a chalk pen.

Chalk paintings are maximum 100m² and pigments you need roughly 5-10kg. What amount of chalk is then added is up to the chalk and the ground. If the chalk is very soft and crumbly, you can imagine that it runs out faster. If the ground is very rough, the same applies. But 50-100 chalk pens are neccessary or sure.

As in real life, everything is relative.
How well does the paint stick to the floor? If it is chalk, the question is quickly answered: Until the next rain. With paint, it depends on the quality and which binder is used. There are acrylic paints, emulsion paints, and own mixtures that are more environmentally friendly. The latter are also very limited in durability. A few rain showers go through, but long, heavy rain destroys a 3D picture painted with, for example, gouache-based paints.

The plastic colors are more robust and, depending on the surface, last for months to years. So the plastic issue is relative again in terms of sustainability.
Yes, it’s plastic, but it lasts much longer. Each painted house has more area. I am still looking for a suitable eco paint, but so far I am disappointed with the results. Maybe soon I will use only colored grains of sand or spices. i am thinking about it. Mandalas are made in the same way.

3D is three dimensions, that’s clear. Anamorphosis, and this is how the technique has been called since the Middle Ages, turns 2D into a three-dimensional impression.
It depends on the point of view. This is fixed and is determined first when I start an anamorphic painting.

The reason for this is a law of perspective. No matter where you stand, all perpendiculars, i.e. lanterns, edges of houses, towers, street signs, etc., run towards your feet and meet at a point directly below you. If you now take a step to the side, they don’t fall over, but are still standing straight there. They are also three-dimensional objects in the space through which you move. And as you move, your viewer point naturally moves with you – it’s always at the same point with you, regardless of where you go.

With a two-dimensional image, nothing can move. This is painted and the viewer point has been set beforehand. So you have to move and go right to that point. With a little practice, you can then see the three-dimensional effect with the naked eye. However, a photo clearly shows the effect. For comparison, two photos that show the difference.

Maybe! But who goes and paints the floor for days without permission? This is only possible with chalk, because it is washed away by the rain.
This is hardly a risk even in most so-called Western countries. You don’t damage anything with the chalk. And if there are concerns, you can quickly demonstrate with water that there is nothing left.

This is one of the most frequently asked questions in street painting. Every street performer knows them. And yes, you can make a living from it.
But – as with everything – the ingredients must be right for the bread to rise. The beginning may be difficult. There are many things to consider and you don’t want to violate any laws.
But basically street art – no matter what form – is a trial and error in many areas.

How do I present myself? How do I present my work? Is the line of communication with the local law enforcement agency or the guard service in the case of private property.
Basically, everything is a little show. But if you don’t have to dress up for the part, you’re always the best cast.
So, with good quality you can still survive as a street painter in the wild.

As you can guess, there is no internship or apprenticeship. It is not a classic apprenticeship. In terms of tax law, street painting is one of the liberal professions under artists in Germany. In Germany, artists are automatically self-employed as sole proprietors. That is, you bear the full risk of an entrepreneur.

In my eyes, however, there is a crucial difference between opening a kiosk and going out on the street and painting a picture. The difference in motivation is hopefully clear. Kiosk owners do not care what brand of cigarette or magazine is sold. They are certainly not emotionally attached to the products on offer.

Emotional doesn’t quite hit the mark. My sister is a hardcore manager and a typical shark in the free market pool. On this very subject, she argued that I could also work as an employee. Then the risk as an entrepreneur and also the associated high taxes would be history. It then took me a while to make her understand that being an artist is more of a quality, a state, and not a choice. I am an artist, not I deliver art. An almost invisible but big difference from my point of view.

My motivation is to share, not to sell. When I started street painting, it was a side job to my studies. But even then, the revenues were a reassuring sideline. If I copy Carravaggio’s play of light onto the Cologne Cathedral Plateau, it won’t be to make real money. I then became so fascinated with a picture that I couldn’t wait to show others my copy and, more importantly, how the picture was created. So I don’t think it’s okay to have to bear the same high risk of an entrepreneur.

Another crucial point is that artists are rarely talented entrepreneurs by nature. Thus, for many, professional failure is literally pre-programmed.
So street painting is a profession . As a street painter you are on your own. This basically has the advantage of artistic freedom, it doesn’t follow any dictates except yours. In practice, however, the situation is different. Many jobs are done because they secure the rent. That’s fun, too, but has nothing to do with art anymore.