Most of us never advanced past drawing a square with a triangle on top and calling it a "house," so it can be seriously impressive to realize there are artists who can effortlessly capture the real world in paint. These 15 artists make photo-realistic works of art that will make you say "there's no way someone drew that!"  

1. Nathan Walsh

This looks really real, doesn't it? Walsh is a master at capturing street views from famous cities in oil paintings. The shadows and wet pavement make you feel like you're actually standing there.

2. Yigal Ozeri

Another oil painter, Ozeri's pieces look like candid photographs, but they actually take hours of painstaking work.

3. Scott Waddell

Waddell starts with a rough sketch, which he turns into a portrait so perfect you'd swear the real person was standing in front of you.

4. Oda and Kit King

This couple specialize in eyes that seem to look out at you from the canvas.

5. Reisha Perlmutter

As well as her incredible skill at painting people, oil painter Reisha Perlmutter can also make water that looks like it will spill off the canvas.

6. Emanuele Dascanio

Dascanio uses graphite pencils and charcoal to draw portraits that look like a carbon copy of his models.

7. Ruben Belloso Adorna

This Italian pastel painter has become world famous for his lifelike portraits.

Keep reading, because the best is yet to come...

8. Ivan Hoo

This self-taught artist from Singapore paints realistic objects on wood, so they seem like they're resting on a table when he photographs them.

The cup at the top of the photo is real, while the bottom one is fake.

9. Patrick Kramer

Kramer admits he's "a little OCD" about his paintings, spending up to 300 hours on each one to make them absolutely perfect. We think the results speak for themselves.

10. Kyle Lambert

Believe it or not, Lambert makes his incredibly lifelike works by finger painting on a digital screen. He shows his process in this portrait of pop star Rihanna:

11. Diego Fazio

Another pencil artist with a sharp eye, Fazio's black and white masterpieces look like they could be stills from an old movie.

12. Pitoh

This painter mostly specializes in abstract and surreal works, but his oil painting skills are nothing to sneeze at.

13. Dennis Wojtkiewicz

This painter's muse is fruit, and while that's a little strange there's no denying he has a talent for painting these slices.

14. Young-sung Kim

As if painting scaly creatures that look 100% real wasn't enough of a challenge, Kim pairs them with watery scenes and shiny, reflective objects to show off his impressive skill with the paintbrush.

15. Zaria Forman

Another finger painter who puts kindergarten children around the world to shame, Forman is drawn to icy and watery landscapes that belong in National Geographic.

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