Moscow-based photographer Alexander Khokhlov and makeup artist Valeriya Kutsan have created a bewitching series of portraits that play with the natural lines of their models’ faces and twist them into strange new forms creating incredible optical illusions.

Their newest series of stunning makeup looks, 2D Or Not 2D, is only the latest collaboration between the two artists. Khokhlov and Kutsan have also created body art series with powerful black-and-white designs and a series parodying the popular Angry Birds game. The illusion drawings are amazing – some of them soften or break down the face’s lines, while others reinforce them or create unnaturally perfect patterns.

The idea behind their latest series was to make the faces look like 2D images. According to Khokhlov – “Valeriya used different techniques of special effects makeup so you can see a lot of variations – from sketch and graphic arts to water-color and oil-paintings. This is a combination of interesting makeup ideas, studio photography experiments, and careful retouching.”

Source: alexanderkhokhlov.com