By Alex Ward, Chiseled features: The posed photo of Maria Gruner from California has been manipulated to create this beautiful illusion, right, while Ranie Egusquiza from California had her muscles 'enhanced', left, by the digital artist whose work is created entirely on a computer using his digital skills and traditional art knowledge
Photoshop can be a great tool to airbrush away a blemish or dark circles in photos, but in these images it has been used to add tree branches for arms and steel panels for a body. Digital artist Michael Oswald describes his art as ‘photo manipulation on steroids’ and quite rightly as he transforms posed photographs into beautiful illusions. The amazing before and after images include a bikini-clad woman posing with a chisel and hammer a and the result - a figure, chiselling herself out of stone.
'Just tools': Mr Oswald said 'paintbrushes and computers are just tools' in his artworks including an image featuring model Anastasia King
Mr Oswald, 30, who also calls himself Michael O, said on his website: ‘With the exception of the original digital photograph, my work is created entirely on a computer utilising my knowledge of digital techniques and the traditional art skills I learned in my younger days. ‘I consider the 'concept' to be the best part of my work so I put a lot of thought into it and I try not to hold back from expressing myself. When it comes to using the computer rather than paint and brushes, Mr Oswald said in aninterview with Empty Kingdom: ‘I don’t really see a difference in the requirements for a traditional or digital artist.
Robotic: Natasha Lazareva from New York City is transformed into a robotic woman complete with a plug for an electric cord
'I believe that 50 per cent of skill in art is a natural born gift. Another 50 per cent is developed with practice.
‘Paintbrushes and computers are just tools. The standard rules of art, like composition, alwaysapply and the medium is just a personal choice so, everything I learned in basic art classes still applies today.
’
’
Skill and practice: Mr Oswald does not see a difference in requirements between a traditional or digital artist because both come down to natural born skill and practice he said
Set in stone: Using the reference photo, bottom left, Mr Oswald created this digital artwork from a photo of model Sara Duncan from California, Source: Travelfwd+
