Artist Creates Realistic Shadow Portraits of Celebrities

@kuronushi_ 大人が本気で工作してみた結果がこちら #cristianoronaldo #art #creative #drawing ♬ オリジナル楽曲 – 黒主くん – :jp: Kuronushi（黒主）

We’re used to seeing realistic portraits rendered in paint or pencil, but one Japanese artist makes art that you can’t even touch—technically. Kuronushi specializes in shadow art, wherein he cuts and tears cardboard to cast a calculated shadow on the wall. Although the cardboard base doesn’t look like anything that special, it creates an amazingly accurate likeness of famous celebrities when light is directed at it from the perfect angle.

Using his detailed process, Kuronushi has captured icons like Johnny Depp in his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. While creating any of these portraits on their own would be a feat, Kuronushi has perfected a presentation that actually features two works of art in one. At the start of his reveal, the cardboard structure casts a setting related to the celebrity. Then, Kuronushi turns the box that the structure stands upon, and as it rotates, it transforms into the face of one of these famous figures.

Although these clips are only a couple of seconds in length, they demonstrate the amount of planning that goes into making these shadow art boxes. Unlike painting or drawing, where artists have to add marks to the canvas to create a picture, Kuronushi is working in a negative process. So, he has to carefully strip away pieces of cardboard so that it will make an accurate silhouette on the wall.

Scroll down to see more amazing shadow art by Kuronushi, and be sure to follow the artist on Instagram so you don’t miss an update.