Artist goes viral for magic 'real-life Photoshop' art

An artist has gone viral on social media for her brilliant 'real-life Photoshop' oil painting. Photoshop's 'remove object' feature is one of the most useful in its toolset (and feels like magic even when performed on one of the best laptops for Photoshop). But Milly Bambini uses perfect colour and texture matching to create the same effect with oil paint – sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

My eye was caught by Milly's work via the @art_dailydose Instagram account, which shows how she paints over a person in a photo to completely erase them from the image. This in itself is startling, and the post has amassed over 200,000 likes. But Milly's Instagram feed is also packed full of art magic in which she uses colour and texture to paint on objects (like fruit!) and make them blend into the background – usually her own face or clothing.

The video I've shared below is of Milly painting a banana, but there are tons of astonishing yet hilarious objects at play on her page – including one of a cheese grater you absolutely have to see.

Some of the clothing patterns Milly replicates onto the objects are really impressively complex and detailed, both in texture and colour (see below).

And the comments are as amazed as I am. "You’re a creative genius!" one reads. "Your eye is something else. Exceptional skills!" says another.

Milly also has examples of more traditional oil portraiture on her page, and as her Instagram page indicates that commissions are open – I suggest you head straight there. If you feel inspired, grab some of the best oil paints and try it yourself.

Georgia Coggan
Editor

Georgia has worked on Creative Bloq since 2018, and has been the site's Editor since 2023. With a specialism in branding and design, Georgia is also Programme Director of CB's award scheme – the Brand Impact Awards. As well as immersing herself with the industry through attending events like Adobe Max and the D&AD Awards and steering the site's content streams, Georgia has an eye on new commercial opportunities and ensuring they reflect the needs and interests of creatives.

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