An artist with a penchant for snapping urban architecture has come up with an innovative new way of making the most of his photography . French photographer and illustrator , Thomas Lamadieu , takes snaps of the sky in courtyards and built-up areas to create a frame of buildings . The space in between then acts as a canvas for his playful illustrations which he has dubbed 'sky art ' . On his website Thomas says that his artistic aim is to 'show a different perception of urban architecture and the everyday environment around us , what we can construct with a boundless imagination ' . Before and after : Lamadieu 's original shot ( left ) and after it is transformed into 'sky art ' ( right ) Lamadieu , who is also known as Roots Art , is based in France but travels the world to photograph the space between buildings in various cities . In the past year alone he has visited Belgium , Germany , Canada , the United States and South Korea in his quest to find the perfect sky canvases for his illustrations . Since he began creating sky art in 2011 , Lamadieu has made a name for himself among critics , art lovers and journalists all around the world . Speaking to the Independent , Lamadieu said : 'The sky drawings series really started with as a way of playing with my imagination to show how these seemingly empty spaces in the urban environment could be reinterpreted in different and creative ways . ' 'The bearded man in my images stands for the sky itself , the big man in the sky , but it ’ s not meant to be religious in any way ' . Surreal : Three characters draw their own illustrations in an inverted sky shot . Upside down : A bearded figure rides a cat in between the buildings . Peace out : An illustration of a man playing an electric guitar fills the sky space in this photograph . Cheshire cat : A drawing of a couple embracing behind a grinning cat fills the gap where the sky would have originally been . Using a fish-eye lens camera to capture the perfect vertical shot , Thomas Lamadieu then illustrates the graphic shape created between buildings using Microsoft Paint . These abstract canvases depict a collection of humorous characters and surreal scenes . One inverted upshot depicts three bearded men drawing a picture of the night sky ; meanwhile another shows a woman with hair not dissimilar to that of Marge Simpson reclining between two buildings . Self portrait ? A man spray painting clouds on a canvas fills the skyscape in this photograph taken in a courtyard . Twit twoo : A black and white illustration of an owl looks down upon this oval shaped void . Thumbs up : An image of a man holding a Polaroid of a smiling cloud is superimposed onto a shot of town houses . A signature Lamadieu figure appears to be a bearded man in a Breton striped top who features in various guises throughout the 'sky art ' images . In one picture he appears as a giant rock star wielding an electric guitar , and in another he has a camera around his neck whilst presenting a Polaroid of a cloud . As well as surrealism , optical illusion is also a key theme in Lamadieu 's work - these confusing images combining photography with clever illustration are certainly hard to get your head around . Jack in the box : An illustration of a masked man holding a Jack in the box toy overlooks this snap between two brick buildings and a washing line . Optical illusion : This sky shot has been transformed into a clever optical illusion thanks to Lamadieu 's illustration . One image that plays a trick on the eye is a vertical sky photograph combined with a horizontal illustration of a game of cat and mouse to mind-boggling affect . Similarly , an image of a bearded man in a striped top holding some cloud shaped balloons creates a trompe l'oeil that the facade of the building is a pavement with illustrated figures superimposed on it . Meanwhile , the sky becomes the sea in another illustrated image of a man on a boat surrounded by circling sharks . Trompe l'oeil : It 's difficult to tell which way is up thanks to this clever and confusing illustration . Sea-ing double : The distorted angle of this photo combined with sea illustration make it a mind-bending photo to look at . For more information visit the artist 's website .
French artist guy Lamadieu combines photography and photography to create clever imagery . He takes pictures of the sky in urban locations around the world . The buildings in the photographs act as a backdrop for him to draw on abstract imagery .