AN art student was so inspired by the work of Damien Hirst that she recreated his famous diamond-studded skull.

South East Essex College student Laura Keeble, 29, from Southend, recreated the multimillion-pound work of the controversial artist for her own project - and at a more budget cost.

Hirst's original piece is said to be one of the most expensive pieces of artwork ever made, with an estimated cost to create of £14million.

Miss Keeble dotted a model skull using 6,522 Swarovski crystals to make it look as similar to the real one as possible. The project took a month to complete and cost her around £400.

She said: "Hirst is a huge inspiration to me, and I like the idea of street work and not being confined to a gallery.

"People have told me it's amazing. For me it's all about people stopping and looking twice." Miss Keeble has already made people look twice - in May, she left 14 plaster hands around the statue of Queen Victoria, in Clifftown Parade, Southend, after the statue's stone hand was stolen.

She has just finished her BA Honours in fine art and in November is putting some of her work on show at a gallery in Chicago.

To see her work online, follow the link below.