Artist creates painting of a glass of water so realistic

If you're thirsty and reach out to grab this glass of water, you could be disappointed.

Because, despite looking exactly like 3D reality, it is actually a clever painting, produced by artist Stefan Pabst.

Born in Russia but now living in Germany, the artist uses oil dry-brush techniques to create his masterpieces that quite literally jump out of the page.

Speaking to MailOnline, the 35-year-old said that his painting of a glass of water – which he captured on video and uploaded to his YouTube channel – is among his most successful pieces.

And that the process of creating such a spectacular image usually takes him around three hours to complete.

Stefan began drawing at the age of five after he was inspired to recreate the elaborate images that featured alongside the passages of a 250-year-old bible.

Moving on to school, the budding artist admitted that he used to to doodle and paint in his books while in class.

"I drew the things I saw out of the window, like birds on the windowsill, but I mostly enjoyed drawing portraits of people," he said.

"My classmates were impressed by my work and I started receiving portraits requests."

As his drawings improved, Stefan found that his art classes were becoming increasingly straightforward.

And that in order to stimulate his ability, he needed to continue producing pieces of work at a high level.

He remembers drawing a pair of human lips – a painting that was again well-received by his classmates.

After school, Stefan, aged 15, moved to Germany where he joined a youth group and immersed himself in the world of art.

But it wasn't until he decided to draw a portrait for a friend on his birthday that his career really kicked off.

"There was broad encouragement for my art and a guest asked me why I have not made my hobby my profession," he said.

"At that time I could not imagine living alone from art."

Over the next week, Stefan began advertising his work online and immediately started receiving portrait orders.

Since then he created his own business and currently works as a full-time artist.

He now receives orders from companies and social institutions and has drawn a number of singers, actors, football players and politicians.

His work is also used by an art school in America, who present images of his dry-brush-created paintings as learning material.

He said: "I paint full-time and work every day in my studio."

"Many artists and art enthusiasts have contacted me with questions about my painting technique, so I now upload videos of my work to the internet."