Finger painting goes hi-tech: Japanese office worker's stunning iPhone sketches

  • Seikou Yamaokas studied at Osaka University of Arts
  • He has a long commute to work and uses iPad to paint
  • Uses ArtStudio app to create mesmerising images
  • Held first exhibition this year in famous Kyoto district Gion

By Deni Kirkova
PUBLISHED: 12:45 GMT, 23 September 2013 | UPDATED: 12:45 GMT, 23 September 
While most people kill time on a commute by catching up on a book, listening to music or indulging in some Sudoku, one Japanese office worker is up to something quite different.
Seikou Yamaoka, who studied at Osaka University of Arts, uses his iPhone to create incredible finger painting portraits with the app ArtStudio.
His stunning works look like they've been painted with oil or acrylic, not with just his fingers and his Apple device.
Serene and graceful, Yamaoka's finger paintings are full of depth and atmosphere
Serene and graceful, Yamaoka's finger paintings are full of depth and atmosphere

Yamaoka, who lives in Sakai in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, has become an internet sensation for his videos.
One of his most famous clips features him creating his own version of the famous masterpiece Girl With a Pearl Earring by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.

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The married Japanese artist creates some of his art on an iPad mini or iPod Touch while on his long  journeys to work.
Yamaoka constantly zooms in and out, capturing an incredible amount of detail in his complex and beautiful digital paintings which take around three to four hours to complete.
But he doesn't shy away from the canvas. His Facebook page and YouTube channel reveals he paints actual water color portraits, too.

VIDEO: Watch Seikou Yamaoka paint on his iPhone

 
It's hard to believe these masterpieces have been created with fingertips on a computer screen
It's hard to believe these masterpieces have been created with fingertips on a computer screen

His work captures an incredible amount of light and controlled sharpness
His work captures an incredible amount of light and controlled sharpness

He doesn't just focus on females or even people, as animals also feature in his work
Yamaoka doesn't just focus on females or even people, as animals also feature in his work




When Yamaoka started creating iPhone art, the software was more basic and he used it just to practice his drawing.
He fell in love with the technology, which was free from the constraints of traditional painting tools and needing to wait for paint to dry. He was fascinated how an iPhone allows one to be free to create art at any time and says that he is excited about the prospects for the future.
Yamaoka held his first solo watercolor iPhone art exhibition this year in Gion, Kyoto's most famous geiko (geisha) district, which saw hundreds of visitors come to marvel at his work.

VIDEO: Yamaoka's makes his famous Girl With A Pearl Earring copy

 
Ice Doll is a digital finger painting on iPhone, 1200 x 1600 pixel
Ice Doll is a digital finger painting on iPhone, 1200 x 1600 pixels

Yamaoka doesn't shy away from sharing his technique and step-by-step process with avid fans
Yamaoka doesn't shy away from sharing his technique and step-by-step process with avid fans

He fell in love with the technology, which was free from the constraints of traditional painting tools
He fell in love with the technology, which was free from the constraints of traditional painting tools