15 Awesome Images That Are Paintings

Have you ever had that feeling where you’re certain something is real, then you take a closer look? The incredible skill from the artists in these 15 awesome paintings left us with that exact feeling of uncertainty. What is reality and what is art?

1. Latitude

What appears to be a LEGO pirate rowing through a shark infested atlas ocean, is actually an acrylic painting. The shiny LEGO plastic makes it look deceptively photographic.

Source: JASONDEGRAAF

2. Professor Calculus

Professor Calculus of TinTin fame has stumbled into the real world through a space portal. The detail in the reflection of the metal coffee pot gives this painting a sense of realism.

Artist: JASONDEGRAAF

3. Still life with Gummy bears

The rubbery texture of the gummy bears, the travelling smoke from the candle and the reflection in the glass makes this piece look like a photograph but is actually acrylic paint!

Artist: JASONDEGRAAF

4. Nerf Gun Gone Halo

Artist u/vojelly

When most people think of Nerf guns for kids they expect the red and yellow toys that we played with as kids - not something that looks it could be on the set of HALO.

Reddit user u/vojelly decided to take apart his Nerf gun and respray it to give a hyper realist look.

5. No planet more blessed than this

This Silver Surfer comic book that appears to be turning its own pages is actually an oil painting. The shadows from the book and the accuracy of the speech bubbles mislead your eyes.

Artist: Sharon Moody

6. Shower Scene

This image looking into the shower seems almost too real. The artist has managed to capture so much emotion in their face and the droplets of water on the glass look like they’ve just landed.

Artist: Alyssa Monks

7. Milk Girl

Not worth crying over, the vivid colors and the details of the milk carton, teeth, hair and creases in their skin in “Milk Girls” gives it a photographic feel.

Artist: Diego Gravinese

8. Station Scene

Taking 11 months to complete using Adobe Illustrator and over 15,000 layers, Station Scene is a panorama of the Damen Station on the Blue Line of the Chicago Transit Authority. Zoom all the way in to see each element.

Artist: Bert Monroy

9. Lunch In Tiburon

The artist for this table scene bases his motivation on recreating reality. Looking at the light shining through the beverages and the reflection in the salt and pepper pots, they have certainly achieved this.

Artist: Bert Monroy

10. Self Portrait With Food Poisoning

David Kassans self portrait is seamlessly photo-like. The bags under his eyes, somber look and color of skin portray a man stricken by food poisoning.

Artist: David Kassan

Source: Web Archive

11. People Swimming

This delicate piece uses the light reflecting off the water to enhance the realism of people swimming. Using oil on a linen canvas, the artist captures the greens of the water perfectly.

Artist: Alyssa Monks

12. Graffiti and Wood Peeling

David Kassans painting appears to be a close up photograph. The texture of the wood peeling and the composition of the graffiti gives it the sense that this is based in reality.

Artist: David Kassan

Source: Web Archive

13. Under Water Scene

Notice how the light shining through the surface of the water makes a pattern on her body and arm. It’s these kinds of technicalities that make this piece look like an underwater picture.

Artist: Alyssa Monks

14. Female Portrait

This truly incredible piece could be mistaken as a photograph by any experts. Taking 65-75 hours to complete, the texture and skin tone are great examples of the artistry of these images.

Artist: Dru Blair

Source: Web Archive

15. Splash

Capturing the movement in splashing water and the colors of the trees and hedges, this oil-on-canvas painting has an exciting feel to it like you are actually caught in the action.

Artist: Eric Zener

15. Curse of the Pharaohs

It’s the little things that give this painting a realistic feel. The distressing of the record sleeve, the way the sun shines onto the piece and if you look closely, it even says ‘LEGO’ on the Pharaohs nemes.

Source: JASONDEGRAAF

I think you’ll agree that each of these images showcase some of the best in realistic paintings. Using different methods and tools, each artist manages to submerge you into a different world where the lines between reality and art are incredibly blurred, yet extremely clear.