Is it a photograph or a painting? It's normal to ask that question after you see some of Keng Lye's work, the level of realism on his paintings is incredible. This series is called "Alive without Breath" and it's all created by layering epoxy resin and acrylic paint.For more from Keng Lye visit his DeviantART Gallery and his Facebook.Keng uses a technique based on Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori who would paint 3D gold fish using a complex process of poured resin. The fish are painted The fish are painted meticulously, layer by layer, the sandwiched slices revealing slightly more about each creature, similar to the function of a 3D printer. I really enjoy the rich depth of the pieces and the optical illusion aspect, it's such an odd process that results in something that's both a painting and sculptural.I started my first series in 2012 where all the illustrations were “flat” and depth was created using the layering of resin and acrylic over the different parts of the illustration. This year, I started on the octopus and it was purely an experiment; I just wanted to see whether I could push this technique to a higher level. After applying acrylic paint straight onto the resin, I incorporated a 3-D element in this instance, it was a small pebble for the ranchu and octopus. For the turtle, I used an egg shell for the turtle shell and acrylic paint for the rest of the finishing. The whole idea here was to give the art work an even more 3D effect therefore you can have a better view from any angle. I think there are still many other techniques to explore.For more from Keng Lye visit his DeviantART Gallery and his Facebook. hyper-realistic painting 3d inspiration
