24 astounding examples of photorealism

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Photorealism is an art technique in which the artwork appears incredibly realistic – almost like a photograph of the subject. The artist may use paint of any kind, their best pencils, or even inks. But the results will mimic a photo so convincingly the viewer will often need to do a double-take.

In this post, we've rounded up some incredible examples of photorealism to inspire you in your efforts. These illustrators, painters and artists have an amazing talent. Creating photorealistic portraits and landscapes using only a pen, pencil or brush, the attention to detail is awe-inspiring. Take a look at some of the best examples of photorealism around.

01. Gottfried Helnwein

Helnwein's unsettling work often tackles tough subjects

If Gottfried Helnwein's incredible photorealistic work seems a little unsettling, it's with good reason. One of the best-known and most controversial German-speaking artists since World War 2, his hyperrealistic paintings often feature children, sometimes wounded or bandaged, sometimes in Nazi uniforms. Helnwein tackles difficult and controversial subjects in his work, and his painstaking attention to detail makes them it all the more provocative.

02. David Kassan

David Hassan's portraits can take up to two years to complete

David Kassan's life-size photorealistic paintings can take him anywhere between two months and two years to complete; he says that he doesn't simply try to replicate his subjects, rather he tries to capture their essence and imbue them with their own voice. He's currently working on a project with the USC Shoah Foundation, for which he paints portraits of Holocaust survivors that will be exhibited along with their written testimonies and short films.

03. Elizabeth Patterson

Elizabeth Patterson's coloured pencil work is both photorealistic and impressionistic

Elizabeth Patterson's artistic career was put on hold in 1984 after a severe injury left her without use of her drawing hand. Returning to art 15 years later, she hit upon her defining style: urban scenes as viewed from the behind a car windscreen in the rain, drawn using coloured pencil, graphite and a touch of solvent, which manage to be both impressionistic and photorealistic in their execution.

04. Ester Curini

There's a touch of the anthropomorphic to Ester Curini's animal portraits

Born in Italy and based in New York, Ester Curini is a self-taught painter who specialises in highly detailed animal portraits set against stark white backgrounds, often in startlingly human poses. "Capturing the unique energy, essence and spirit of each creature I paint is the centre of my work," she explains. "Isolating the figures on seamless white backgrounds lets me concentrate only on the essentials that matter to me."

05. Richard Estes 

Artist Richard Estes and an entire street scene is meticulously reflected in the glass window in Double Self-Portrait (1976)

For a masterclass in photorealism, look no further than American artist Richard Estes. One of the foremost practitioners of the late 1960s international photorealist movement, Estes primarily paints stunningly convincing urban scenes.

Estes compiles his compositions from multiple source photographs before reconstructing reality in hyper-real renderings. Look closely and you'll often see a reflective surface, such as a shop window, enhancing the scene with additional details.

06. Diego Fazio 

Like most of Diego Fazio's portraits, Sensazioni was created with pencil and paper

Italian-born artist Diego Fazio, aka DiegoKoi, refined his skills when he first started out by drawing koi. Years later, the water in his incredible portraits looks as though it's been caught on camera, but his artwork is, astoundingly, drawn in pencil.

07. Raphaella Spence 

Raphaella Spence is a photorealist painter based in Todi, Italy

Raphaella Spence's photorealistic cityscapes and landscapes are included in private, public and corporate collections throughout America, Canada, England, Russia, Italy, Austria and Germany.

The London-born, Italy-based artist started out in still life before developing her technical skills, and has received worldwide recognition for her stunning hyperrealistic paintings.

08. Don Jacot 

Space Guns evokes a 1950s childhood

American photorealist artist Don Jacot works in acrylics, oils, gouache, watercolour and charcoal. Largely self-taught, Jacot's best known for his attention to light, colour and form, often focusing on objects with historical or cultural significance.

Space Guns, pictured here, is a striking six-foot oil-on-linen masterpiece that enlargens the toys to several times their actual size.

09. Pedro Campos 

At 162 x 97cm, Legs is a large oil-on-canvas piece

Pedro Campos didn't begin oil painting until the age of 30. Now in his 50s, his incredibly realistic still life shots, city and seascapes are regularly mistaken for photographs.

The Madrid-based artist lists Lucien Freud, Richard Estes, Francis Bacon, Antonio López and Anish Kapoor among his influences. He's best known for his pictorial attention to detail and a series of drinks cans and fruits wrapped in plastic sheets.

10. Rob Hefferan 

Rob Hefferan mainly focuses on portrait work

Based in Cheshire, UK, Rob Hefferan is an exceptionally talented figurative artist. Working predominantly with oil and acrylics, Hefferan focuses his photorealistic work on that of portraits. His attention to detail on the skin and folds in fabric make his work utterly wonderful.

11. Juan Francisco Casas Ruiz 

Juan Francisco Casas Ruiz creates imagery like no other

Juan Francisco Casas Ruiz is a Spanish visual artist. He has been exhibited in New York, Miami, Chicago, Seoul, Singapore, London, Paris, Mexico and Basel, and received numerous awards. His work is represented in major collections including the Museum Atrium, or the ABC Museum, and in private collections around the world.

12. Halim Ghodbane 

We love the lighting in Halim Ghodbane's work

Halim Ghodbane's attention to detail is breathtaking. His portraits are often covered in gorgeous soft lighting, highlighting his impeccable brush skills. He even dabbles in celebrity portraits. Check out his work for some photorealistic inspiration.

Next page: more incredible examples of photorealism

13. Michael Gaskell 

Michael Gaskell's work is exhibited across the world

Michael Gaskell's work has been the subject of five solo shows in London. He has won a number of prizes in national painting competitions and been on the shortlist of the BP portrait award at The National Portrait Gallery on five occasions, winning second prize in 2003, 2009 and 2010. His work is represented in private collections all over the world.

14. Jeremy Geddes 

Fall in love with Jeremy Geddes' world

Jeremy Geddes creates otherworldly and abstract photorealistic paintings. His work is entrancing and beautiful, with exquisite attention to detail. We especially love this painting and the incredible detail in the smashed glass.

15. Adolfo Fernandez Rodriguez 

Adolfo Rodriguez uses coloured pencils to create these photorealistic pieces

Focusing on hands, water and sculptures, Adolfo Rodriguez's attention to detail is astonishing. The bubbles, reflections and shadows ensure that each picture is as photorealistic as possible – making for a series unlike any other we've come across.

Other work by Rodriguez mimics oil paintings. He's created an extensive range of these illustrations, so be sure to check out his Facebook page for more.

16. Roberto Bernardi 

Roberto Bernard is incredibly well known across the world

Italian-born Roberto Bernardi is one of the most well-known photorealist artists there is. His work is displayed around the world. Using still life pieces for his subjects, Bernardi paints vivid and unbelievably life-like paintings of fruit, sweets and glass.

17. Doug Bloodworth 

Bloodworth focuses his paintings on the nostalgic aspects of childhood

American artist Doug Bloodworth enjoys evoking the viewer's nostalgic feelings of childhood. His oil paintings often focus on comic books, games and comfort foods, and are available across a number of galleries in America.

18. Alyssa Monks 

We're absolutely gob-smacked with the attention to detail in Alyssa Monks' work

American artist Alyssa Monks creates incredibly realistic paintings of the human form and exhibits her art across the world. Using thick strokes in delicate colour pallets, she creates filters including glass, vinyl, water and steam to distort her subjects, who are often women bathing. The water ripples are mind-blowing.

19. Paul Cadden 

The incredible talents of Paul Cadden

When we first saw the work of Paul Cadden, it took a while for us to realise that they were in fact illustrations. Even more unbelievable is the fact that the hyperrealist artist used just graphite and chalk to create these stunning images. Working from photographs and video stills, Cadden's work proves that if you're super-talented, all you need is the simplest of tools.

20. Dan Witz 

Dan Witz triumphs with another photorealistic crowd portrait

Dan Witz specialises in photorealistic portraits of crowds. Mixing paint and pencil with digital aspects, his drawings display an incredible attention to detail. The folds of clothes and expressions on faces are amazing.

21. David Eichenberg 

No, really. This isn't a photo. We can't believe it either!

No, we can't quite believe this one either. There's a vast array of photorealistic work out there and we're continuously dropping our jaw to the floor – but this offering from David Eichenberg is fantastic. The strokes of hair and precision of the patterned jumper is mind-blowing.

22. Ralph Goings 

Ralph Goings has been creating photorealistic paintings for decades

Ralph Goings is a realist painter who has exhibited in the UK, Europe and Japan, and is represented in museums and private collections across the globe. He is recognised as one of the original members of the hyperrealist or photorealist group of the late 1960s.

23. Jason De Graaf 

We love the subtle shadows created in this photorealistic painting

Jason De Graaf explains his photorealistic strategies: "My paintings are about staging an alternate reality, an illusion of verisimilitude on the painted surface. I try to use objects as a vehicle to express myself, tell a story or least hint at something beyond what is actually painted".

24. Keng Lye 

Keng Lye specialises in creating 3D animals painted in layers of resin

Ok, so Singapore-based artist Keng Lye's work is sculptural rather than 2D, but we couldn't do a round-up of the most incredible photorealistic artists and leave his 3D paintings out.

Lye's convincing sculptures are created through an unusual technique of filling bowls, buckets and other vessels with alternating layers of acrylic paint and resin, with parts protruding from the surface to add another level of dimension. Check out his goldfish...

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