Artist hand-draws classics 

Artist hand-draws classics From a distance, they look like painstaking recreations of classic paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But a closer look reveals these amazingly intricate artworks are created from thousands and thousands of childlike sketches.
Incredibly, Keita Sagaki's works, which can take almost a year to create, are completely improvised and drawn directly onto paper without being drafted first.
He uses a tapestry of thousands of cartoon characters - woven together to resemble the famous works they mimic.
Blending abstract cartoon animals and iconic characters such as Ronald McDonald in his hand-drawn creations, the artist combines his training in the arts with a childhood love of comics and graffiti to create the clver pictures.
However, his decision to incorporate fully naked body doodles, particularly in religious works (see close-up of Jesus, right), may not be to everyone's taste.
As well as recreating famous paintings, Mr Sagaki has also drawn doodle montages depicting classic sculptures, and some more personal landscape pieces.
And the 27-year-old, originally from Ishikawa, northern Japan, does not draft the pictures, which can take months to create.
He said: 'I don't draft my work, I just draw it in pen, directly onto paper.
'I usually use a 0.38mm pen, and sometimes ink thinned with water to achieve a grey tone, but that's all.'
Despite his direct approach, Mr Sagaki, who lives in Tokyo, said that some of the pictures have taken him months to complete.
He said: 'It varies according to the size of the work. The Last Supper took the longest time. I drew it for approximately ten months.
'But a series of drawings I completed this year took around two to three weeks for each piece.'
The artist draws on an unusual set of influences to create the stunning drawings, inspired by his university art degree and his love of popular culture.
He said: 'It was only when I was around 20 years old that I became interested in art.
'However, I have liked comics since I was a child - I've probably been drawing comic book pictures since I was seven.
'I loved to draw cartoons and graffiti from a young age, and I get inspiration from rock music or sometimes even novels.'
As well as the obvious love of comic book-style art, Mr Sagaki, a graduate of Fukushima University, also has some more highbrow influences.
He said: 'I am inspired by Hieronymus Bosch, [Japanese artist] Katsushika Hokusai and Vincent van Gogh.
'I'm also inspired by the Mandala, which is a religious painting illustrating esoteric Buddhism and Buddhism sutras.  It was a feature of my childhood.'
The Mandala, or circle, is a feature of Buddhism and Hinduism and is said to represent the 'unconscious self'.
Mr Sagaki has displayed his work in a number of chic art galleries around Tokyo, although he has yet to be given a solo exhibition for his incredible talents.
'I have a contract with a contemporary art gallery here in Japan.
'Approximately one-third of my pictures have sold now.'
But success comes at a price for the young artist, as selling a picture means he has to let go of one of his painstakingly crafted works.
He said: 'I am glad when a picture sells, but on the other hand, I feel a little sad when they do.
'It's difficult to choose a favourite. The Last Supper took the most time, so I had a strong attachment to that.'