Body Painting Coolest: March 2012

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Body Painting Art by Craig Tracy

American artist Craig Tracy from New Orleans has created a collection that could be regarded as some of the best body painting in the world. Some of his paintings use only human volunteers while on others he merges them with backdrops to give the display depth. Some of his creations are so complex it’s difficult to work out where the bodies start and the background begins like the below “leopard” one.

The creature’s eyes, cheeks and chin have been painted onto the floor while the back of a female volunteer forms the rest of its face – her bottom is used as the big cat’s nose and top lip.

To create painting, he needs to spends up to nine hours painstakingly applying water-based paint to his volunteers’ bodies before photographing them in unique poses.

Festival Body Painting Art

Body Painting Ancient Art - Modern Bodies

Body painting is a form of body art, considered by some as the most ancient form of art. Unlike tattoo and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, painted onto the human skin, and lasts for only several hours, or at most (in the case of Mehndi or "henna tattoo") a couple of weeks. Body painting that is limited to the face is known as face painting. Body painting is also referred to as (a form of) temporary tattoos; large scale or full-body painting is more commonly referred to as body painting, while smaller or more detailed work is generally referred to as temporary tattoos.

Modern face and body paints are made according to stringent guidelines, meaning these are non-toxic, usually non-allergenic, and can easily be washed away. These are either applied with hands, paint brush, and natural sea sponge, or alternatively with an airbrush.