Don't make a snap judgement! The artist whose paintings are so lifelike they look like photographs Claire Duguid uses oil paints to create ultra-realistic portraits The Edinburgh-based artist can spend up to three months on a canvas Her pieces are found worldwide and can fetch up to £6,000 An artist has created paintings so incredibly realistic that onlookers are amazed to discover they aren't photographs. Oil painter Claire Duguid, 32, from Edinburgh, spends anything up to three months at a time on each portrait - painstakingly capturing every tiny detail of the subject's face and appearance. At a quick glance it's hard to spot a single brush stroke but Miss Duguid says she stops just short of hyper-realism to ensure that her work is visually stunning but continues to look like a painting. Astonishing: What looks like a photograph is actually an ultra-realistic oil painting by Scottish artist Claire Duguid Look closer: Some portraits are so intricate they can take three months to complete Depending on the demands of her clients and the intricacy of the painting, each piece can command up to £6,000 and can be found on walls worldwide from the UK to Hong Kong and New York. Miss Duguid said: 'In some respects I am painting every individual hair but I don't call myself a photo-realist painter. 'I associate hyper-realists in figurative painting with minute detail down to each individual pore on a face, like the work of Chuck Close - maybe I'm a bit of both.' Sun and shadow: The artist says she uses light to 'distort and erode' the people she is painting Global: Miss Duguid's work can be found as far afield as Hong Kong and New York Windows to the soul: The Edinburgh-based artist says the eyes are the most important part of her portraits Playful: The works can sell for up to £6,000 per canvas, depending on the subject matter She added: 'But I use light to distort and erode the figure, giving the light a sense of form and the figure less definition, creating an equality between the elements. 'The first artist that captured my heart was Renoir - there's something in the way he paints the eyes, a life he captures. Eyes I feel are the most important feature in a portrait painting. In my work they are the point at which I start and finish a painting. A close inspection reveals that individual strands of hair have been painstakingly painted Showcase: Ms Duguid's work has appeared at numerous prestigious festivals and exhibitions Since graduating Miss Duguid has been selected by the Royal Society of Arts to exhibit her work at an exclusive show at the Atrium Gallery of Whiteley in London. She was also part of a small selection of Scottish artists to promote BraveArt - a promotional event showcasing the best of the nation's art. Last year her work was exhibited at the Union Gallery during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world's largest arts festival. Lauded: Miss Duguid has been selected by the Royal Society of Arts to exhibit her work at the Atrium Gallery of Whiteley in London The artist with her work. She says she is influenced by Renoir and the photo-realist Chuck Close