There’s a lot of talk these days about the photorealism of AI image generators like Midjourney and Flux, but sometimes we spot a artist whose work reminds us that humans can create even more realistic images through relatively traditional techniques.

The Japanese artist Nana creates incredibly lifelike 2D drawings using a fairly simple mobile app (see our pick of the best drawing apps for iPad Pro and the best digital art software for more options). The results have been stunning thousands of people online.