THREE up-close portraits of Scotland's leading female political leaders have been created to mark Scotland's referendum "moment".

Glasgow-based artist Iain Campbell persuaded Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson and Johann Lamont to pose for hundreds of photos and captured their images in paint.

The portraits will be shown at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh's Royal Mile on September 5 in an exhibition called A Closer Look, which will run for a month around the independence referendum.

Campbell, who uses the pseudonym I.D. Campbell, said he didn't have a particular political agenda in mind when he started painting the portraits and it was about "capturing the moment".

He added: "Regardless of the outcome of the referendum, I think we have seen it engage more people in Scotland's politics than at any other time I can remember."

l Interviews with Nicola Sturgeon, Johann Lamont and Ruth Davidson in our magazine today