The great thing about painting, or any art form for that matter, is that there's no right or wrong way to make it. If you have an idea, you can do it, and it usually turns out pretty great — or at least it's a great learning experience.
That's what new artist Darren Reid discovered when he picked up a paintbrush — with no prior painting experience — about four years ago. And he hasn't put the brush down since. He's also found his style, and it's pretty stunning.
We've seen artists merge photography and painting before to create dreamy, half-realistic, half-imagined landscapes, but Reid is going a slightly different route, and impressing the world with his natural talent in the process.
His latest painting, at a glance, is easily mistaken for a photograph. That's because Reid spent 350 hours over the course of three months painting every single pebble, shingle, and blade of grass in the landscape, creating an image that looks as clear and detailed as a photo.
Reid now spends all of his spare time painting and developing his photorealistic style that explores urban settings and buildings. Check out some of his work below, including some in-progress shots that show you how this incredible painting came together.
[H/T: BoredPanda]
Take a look at Sunrise, I Left You Sleeping. If you passed by this, you might think it was a photo print. And that would be perfectly reasonable — after all, look at it!
But it's not a photo at all. This is a painting, made with acrylic paint on canvas. While Darren Reid used a photo for reference, this painting is completely hand-painted.
Here, you can see how Reid sketches out his paintings before actually applying his paint. As you can see, his attention to detail is no less striking in pencil!
He painted each blade of grass, flower, and pebble in a remarkable show of dedication. By Reid's estimate, there are some 14,000 pebbles, all painted with care.
That's right. Every. Single. One.
Many painters make details, especially those in the background, have less detail so they appear to fade into the distance. But not Reid! His meticulous care means that every detail gets included. In fact, some of these details probably don't even appear in the reference photo!
Like all paintings, Reid's work starts out with more basic shapes, and slowly gets more and more refined and detailed as he works. What looks at first like a pretty plain landscape suddenly becomes alive with incredible detail.
The more you look at it, the more you begin to see. And it shows that even plain-looking subjects can hide so much. Reid's paintings are actually incredibly complex, and require not only attention to detail, but also a solid grasp of perspective.
And you can appreciate that perspective thanks to the inclusion of the power lines. Power lines might seem dull and everyday, but for Reid, they're full of personality and detail.
And while the image is straightforward, he also manages to capture a certain mood, even by just recording the scene.
And as you can see from this painting, which is full of minute detail, he doesn't shy away from a challenge.
And he manages to capture it all perfectly in one incredibly satisfying and impressive photorealistic painting!
Check out more of Reid's work on his website and Facebook page, and let us know your favorite in the comments!
And be sure to SHARE with your friends and see if they mistake these for photos!
