Imagine

Digital artist Erik Johansson starts with a simple hand-drawn sketch, but what you see in the end is anything but simple: dazzlingly realistic scenes made of hundreds of photographs—all meticulously staged and propped and then stitched together in software—offer a glimpse into wholly invented, incredibly detailed worlds. While shooting takes only a few days, Johansson’s planning and retouching process each take months, resulting in out-of-this-world images that have won him fans worldwide.

Here’s what people are saying about the Erik Johannson’s work:

“Erik Johansson has created a portfolio of stunning images combining photography, raw materials, and digital editing.” — Daily Mail UK

“Erik Johansson … has [taken] the blogosphere by storm by producing heavily manipulated photographs [that] invert aesthetics as we understand them, inspired by MC Escher and other surrealist artists.” — Independent UK