To celebrate the launch of its Surface Pro 3 tablet, Microsoft commissioned renowned ballpoint pen artist James Mylne to recreate three of the famous paintings hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in London, using just the tablet and its included Pen stylus.

He chose to render The Brontë Sisters by Patrick Branwell Brontë, Dame Christabel Pankhurst by Ethel Wright, and William Shakespeare, associated with John Taylor. All three are iconic works, and Mylne opted to reproduce them in black and white on the Microsoft slate.

One of the reasons he could so accurately emulate his normal ballpoint pen work is down to the pressure sensitivity of the Microsoft Pen. "After years of creating art with a ballpoint pen on paper, it’s remarkable how quickly I was able to adapt my working style to the Surface Pro 3," Mylne explained.

"The Pen has many levels of pressure sensitivity, which enabled me to create smooth, precise lines and capture the depth and spirit of each painting."

READ: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review

As he recreated the paintings in digital form, each Pen stroke was also recorded to make some amazing time lapse videos.

The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is available for pre-order at MicrosoftStore.com and will be available in Dixons/Currys, Pc World, John Lewis and Argos stores from tomorrow, 28 August.