Many people have seen feathers as decorative items before. Today, ostrich, peacock and bird of paradise feathers can be seen in haute couture and in the costumes of indigenous peoples. They can be colorful and spectacular in their own right, but how much more stunning might they be when used as canvases for artists, eager to demonstrate their talent for the unusual? Alaskan-born and -bred artist Julie Thompson is an astounding exponent of this incredible art form.

Kenya Wildlife Service and Save The Elephants staff push an elephant as they undertake the collaring of ten elephants ranging near the Standard Gauge Railway to fit them with advanced satellite radio tracking collars in Tsavo National Park, Kenya March 15, 2016. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

A mahout (elephant driver) walks a baby elephant across the city streets at night September 27, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Elephants feast on fruits and vegetables during the elephant buffet prior to the start of the 2016 King's Cup Elephant Polo event in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 March 2016. The annual charity event, now in its 14th edition, runs until 13 March and will involve 18 elephants brought from tourist trekking camps in Pattaya as well as some unemployed in Surin. A total of 10 teams encompassing over 40 players will take part in the event directed at raising funds to improve the lives of elephants and elephant conservation. (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA)

The watercolor artist Bjorn Bernstrom is well-known in his native Sweden for his landscape paintings. Yet his style is somewhat different from traditional watercolor methods.

Using body paint and a woodland like location, Gesine appears to have created a model to look just like a red panda, Dortmund, Germany, October, 2016. An artist brings animals to life using body paint and contorted models. At first glance, these images could be mistaken for portraits of wildlife in their natural habitat were created with paper and paint. However, they are actually the incredible works of illusion by talented body painter Gesine Marwedel, who paints models to creates realistic animals. (Photo by Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images)

Tytus Brzozowski is a Polish architect and watercolorist who is inspired by the dynamics, color, design, and history of Warsaw. He creates watercolor paintings that often combine detailed architectural images with whimsical and imaginary scenes, such as pianos suspended by hot air balloons and buildings shaped like teapots

Thierry Duval was born in Paris, France in 1968. His watercolors are characterized by a strong light and precision in drawing, being almost or hiperrealist in the results mainly in his Paris watercolors. By using glazing technique he works in several steps up to get the final, very realistic result. As was said, light is strong in almost all his artworks.