Interesting

At first glance they could be photographs of Hollywood's most famous leading ladies.

But this collection of lifelike portraits are actually watercolours, painstakingly created by Italian artist, Davide Morettini.

The talented painter chose his favourite stars - from Natalie Portman to Scarlett Johansson - before lovingly depicting their beauty with brushstrokes.

Using shadow and light, the artist skillfully captures the contours of these beautiful faces and the resulting images have a wonderful 3D quality.

Almost all of the women appear with their hair tied up, showing off their enviable bone structure to full effect.

The stars are also pictured in profile, gazing into the distance with a contemplative look in their eyes.

Cate Blanchett, however, appears to be stifling a laugh with a cheeky half-smile playing on her lips.

Along with leading ladies, Morettini has also turned his hand to a number of other famous faces - including Pope Francis I, actor Marlon Brando and German politician Angela Merkel.

When he's not painting on commission for private clients, Morettini also creates his intriguing works for some of the world's top publishers.

To date, his portraits have appeared in The New Yorker magazine and a number of Italian publications.