Editor’s Note: For full effect, we suggest viewing the images in this series before reading about them.

Talented Spanish artist Eloy Morales has created an eye-catching series of self-portraits with an interesting catch – they’re not photographs, they’re realistic paintings.

If you’re like me, you probably first thought that these were simply photographs of an artist who had covered his face in paint. However, that’s not the case – Morales painstakingly painted each one by hand. The last image reveals that this is indeed the case with his portrait paintings.

His work combines an astounding mastery of painting techniques with an emotional understanding and depiction of his subject – whether it’s himself, as in the beautiful paintings we’ve shown, or someone else.

If you’re impressed with these unique artworks, we strongly suggest visiting his website. The rest of his photorealism work is sure to impress and amaze you.

Source: eloymorales.es (via)