Objects exist in three-dimensional space.  A building has a shape, a sculpture is surrounded by space. Therefore, artists who work in two dimensional media such as drawing and painting have to create the illusion of depth in their works. 

                          by Sanchia Lin                          

We all know that objects become smaller as they recede into the distance.  Therefore, artists can place nearby objects toward the bottom of their compositions.

In addition to this linear perspective, our perceptual experiences allow an artist to create the illusion of depth by overlapping objects, or apparently placing one in front of another.  The above piece of silk painting is a good example.

The illusion of depth in your art works can also be created by techniques such as texture gradients, brightness gradients, color saturation and the manipulation of warm and cool colors.

A gradient is a progressive change.  The effect of a texture gradient relies on the fact that closer objects are perceived as having rougher or more detailed surfaces.  The effect of brightness gradient is due to the lesser intensity of distance objects.