Ivan Djuric, a talented pyrographer from Serbia, creates incredibly detailed portraits of celebrities by burning them onto pieces of wood using a special tool.

Pyrography, as an art form, can be traced back thousands of years, with evidence of its early existence discovered in countries like China, Egypt and the ancient Roman Empire, but modern artists have really elevated pyrography to an unprecedented level. take Serbian artist Ivan Djuric, whose incredibly detailed portraits rival black-and-white photographs in terms of realism. Using a pyrography tool, he applies varying and precise amounts of pressure to change the intensity of the burn, thus achieving various tones and contrasts.

“The process is very slow and does not allow for mistakes,” Djuric told Telegraf. “There is also a lot of sanding, preparation of the wood itself, sketches and the coating of the wood to protect the artwork… It takes about 15 days per image to be ready.”

Djuric has perfected his technique over the years and is now regarded as one of the world’s leading pyrography artists. Looking at some of his work, it’s easy to see why.

“I have always expressed myself through art; I have done a lot of pencil drawings, wood carvings and rustic furniture building so I took two of my passions and combined them into one.

Djuric’s works have been featured by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, as well, which attracted a lot of attention to his unique art form.

“Portraits of celebrities like Myke Tyson, Snoop Dogg or Emil Kusturica have found a home with the people who inspired them which, for Djuric, means more than the money that collectors would have spent for them,” Djuric told Caters News.

For more pyrography goodness, check out Ivan Djuric’s Instagram.