body painting, cartoons, painted, sponge bob

body painting, cartoons, painted, sponge bob

Artists have always been intrigued by the human form and produced figurative based artwork. The natural curves and features of the human body are a constant source of inspiration for many artists from Beryl Cook to Banksy. This is something that has spread from the art world to every magazine cover in the country so there must be a natural intrigue for humans to examine our own and other people's bodies. Three of the top artists in this genre are Texan artist Todd White and British artists Darren Baker and Jack Vettriano although there are major differences between their painting styles. One thing that is the same is their love for painting the human figure.

Artist Todd White comes from Texas and has had an interesting career path. He started life working in Hollywood for Warner Brothers and was part of the artistic creative team behind Sponge Bob Square Pants. This could explain the cartoon looks of the people he paints in his contemporary designs. Todd White's artwork often shows people in black clothing socialising and drinking wine and this could be down to where he is based. It would seem that Todd White is surrounded by Hollywood schmoozers and social climbers and from his artwork I'd say he is not a fan.

Darren Baker is a young and very promising British artist who has already commanded a great deal of respect from his peers. Darren Baker has received numerous awards from the art world and has private and public collections in the House of Lords and Downing Street. He has also been approached by many sports personalities to paint portraits, this is probably because he was appointed official artist of The Professional Footballer's Association when he was 23 years old. Darren has a contemporary style that combines realism and classics and is fond of painting figures. Darren Baker frequently paints female figures often in relaxed, seductive positions and he often uses a mix of reds and blacks.

Jack Vettriano comes from Fife in Scotland and has won countless awards for his figurative and nude pieces. Jack Vettriano pieces have a film noir feel to them painting many of his subjects in a 50's style. He often features women in his paintings often in relaxed poses or in the middle of doing something like leaving a room through a door. Jack Vettriano often paints characters that appear distracted, many of his pieces feature people staring off into the distance or focused on something else.

body art, body painting, Guido Daniele, hands, painted

body art, body painting, Guido Daniele, hands, painted

There are several forms of body art. Body art can be temporary, for example, body painting, or permanent, such as shaping, dyeing, and scarification, tattooing, and piercing. This article will provide some insight into body art.

Body art painting and shaping

Body painting transforms a person into a spirit or work of art; this can include another gender or a sacred place. Emphasizing on the visual appeal of the subject, the protective body paint is what gives it the appeal.

Body shaping is a technique in which to sculpt the body. Culturally defined ideals of beauty have caused people to bind the soft bones of children's skulls and feet, stretched necks with rings, and removed ribs to make their waist smaller. The most common method today of body sculpting is plastic surgery. Plastic surgery can sculpt and define almost any part of the body.

Skin Dyeing

Henna, is used as a temporary skin dye, in which different patterns and designs are applied to the body. The crushed leaves of the henna plant, when mixed with other natural ingredients, provides a thick, aromatic paste used for painting hands and feet. The olive green, dried out henna powder, mixed with such ingredients as black tea and coffee turns dark. When applied to the skin and left on overnight, it will harden and when pealed leaves a red tone to the skin.

Body art piercing, tattooing, and scarification

Piercing is ornamental as it allows the body to hold certain kinds of ornaments, which are inserted through the skin. The most common parts of the body that are pierced is the face although you will often find ear, nose and lip ornaments. Piercing is often part of a ceremony marking the coming of age. Ornaments might be limited to certain people or worn only on certain occasions

Tattoos are intended to be permanent and the patterns and techniques have varied over the years. The effects of tattooing depend on the country you live in. As an example, in the United States, tattooing is typically looked upon as being rebellious. Tattooing, in the last decade, has become a very popular form of body art throughout the world.

Scarification is much like tattooing, instead of placing a color into the skin with a tattoo needle, the color, or substance is placed into the wound or cut. Once the wound has healed, a permanent mark will remain on the skin

All of the forms of body art listed above can have adverse effects on individuals. There are health concerns with types of body art. If you are contemplating any of the above procedures, be sure to consider all the risks and facts before making any commitments.