Here's a collection of art for the DIGIT-AL age as these fascinating illusions of landmarks, places and even a banana are made using just a pair of hands. The quirky collection of images were created using hand models and body paint to create visions of a castle, church, and two footballers flying into a tackle. London based photographer Ray Massey KNUCKLED down to capture the images with each of the designs each taking a day to paint and shoot with the help of hand artist Annie Ralli. Together they made a FIST of also bringing to life a pen and pencil pot, a ribbon, mosque and cute wildlife adaptations of a daisy and a ladybird. Each image sees the hands and fingers carefully crossed, bent, or partially hidden to the millimetre to cleverly angle the palms and digits into the lifelike images. The intricate detail was then painted on the shapes and blended in to create the illusions, including one creation that sees a hand arch down to appear to become a banana skin. In others a sporting trophy is created by two joined hands bending at the knuckles and two hands are cleverly pushed together to form what appears to be a cosy bed. Ray said professional hand models had to be used for the shoot because fingers are often so unattractive to look at. He said: "Hands are always particularly difficult to shoot, they are not pretty items, they're basically very ugly. "The benefit of a good hand model is not just having good hands, it is also important to be able to pose your hands. "So we had to employ professional hand models. Our biggest concern was to use proper body painting materials, in order not to damage their skin. "Most of the images took four to six hours to paint, the rest of the day is spent capturing images and the hand painting artist adjusting elements accordingly.
DINING under the stars, this restaurant takes you back in time - inside an ancient cave .
With the full moon looming behind him, this polar bear nestles down for the night .
This starling and prairie dog will not back down an inch as they have a fearsome stand-off over who gets to eat a nut .
FROM THE world famous Girl with a Pearl Earring painting to a jaguar in the grass, these incredible drawings are created from coloured ballpoint pens .
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
AT first glance these images could easily be mistaken for photographs, but they are in-fact real life drawings created using nothing but coloured pencils .
Families in an Indian slum put their lives on the line by living on top of an ACTIVE railway track .
MOUTH OPEN wide, this little stoat appears to be in mid-song as he belts out a tune for his onlookers .
Fishermen in Myanmar have perfected an unusual fishing technique by carefully balancing on one leg .
Like a scene from a fairytale, THOUSANDS of fireflies create an enchanting glow as they dance in a forest .
FINALLY catching a meal, a pair of great white egrets fight over their dinner .
SITTING quietly at the edge of the lake, these two baby bears watch and learn as the adults hunt for fish .