Artists Painting Women Without Clothes – Their Objects and Desires

Figurative painting reflects deep understanding of the artists, as it is depiction of the anatomy of human body. While painting a figure, an artist tries showing the emotions through such paintings. It is an endeavor to recreate the psyche of the person painted or portrayed. A painter does so using his or her artistic skill. The master artists do so in the gentlest manner possible, as figurative painting would also require recreations of some of the gestures of the model. By doing so, a painter forges his or her reputation as an artist.

However the figurative painting in general and painting of men and women without clothes in particular have remained a bone of contention since ancient time. Whether they are rulers, politicians, scholars or religious leaders, all have opposed depicting cloth-less human bodies from time to time. But the clan of artists desiring to recreate the beauty of human form on their canvases have never bowed down to any social, political or religious pressure. They have applied their artistic prowess adoring the beauty of the male and female figures on papers, on canvases and on the altars of temples and churches.

The paintings done by artists like Botticelli, Rembrandt, William Bouguereau, Paul Gauguin or John Godward are considered as major links to the history of art of painting. It is because the artists love doing figurative painting. Moreover many of them have worked when the whole society stood on a crossroad. When artists function in a time that would decide the future of coming generations, such artists would play a consolidating role in many aspects. They help changing the age-old traditions and outdated philosophies.

If we look at the paintings done by artists like Rembrandt or Rossetti, we feel that the figures painted seem desiring to create a connecting bridge between the viewers on one hand and the painting on another. It is deep wishes of all the artists to appeal heads and hearts of those who see their artworks. Figurative painters have better options to do it nicely, as they are to deal with recreating the real human beings on their canvases.

Sometimes the so-called social police ask the artists about the purpose of their selecting cloth-less women as subject for depiction of their art. Artists have ready answers for that. The main motive of these artists to paint women without clothes is to spread a message of love and peace, as the women figure represents both of the passions.

Henna Tattoo Design – How to Make Henna Tattoos

Mehndi is a shrub like plant from the Middle Eastern countries is used for henna tattoo and in various henna tattoo design. It is more known as “Henna” and the art of henna tattooing has been an ancient tradition to the Middle Eastern culture. In places like India, Pakistan, Sudan and Egypt it has been a tradition and now a fashion throughout.

The henna or mehndi leaves are used in body painting or what we call as henna tattoo or temporary tattoo. People nowadays prefer to use it because it is cheaper, simpler and you can even make one and apply them your own. The henna leaves are ground and powdered and turned into paste then, applied in different body parts such as; hands, legs, feet, arms, ankles, neck, back, belly and even in toe and fingernails and in other parts of the body where you would prefer to have them.

Because henna tattoo has become a fashion, many suppliers now made henna in variety of colors but, studies showed that it is not safe. When other colors, chemicals or substances are added to henna to alter its color, there is some sort of chemical reactions that causes skin irritations which can be mild to severe in cases. Therefore, it is advisable to use henna in its pure and uncolored form.

Everyone can use henna and create and experiment any designs or you can choose one since, there are many henna tattoo design books or catalogs available in the market. Some people use the pre-made henna in tubes in the market but many still prefer to mix it their own way.

Surprisingly, doing so gives rather better results. There are actually henna recipes, designs and guides in the market that can help you in doing the henna paste and applying them your own. If you want to experience making one for yourself here is a simple and effective recipe and procedure that will guide you thru the process as well as, how to apply it.

First you will need:

1 and 1/4 cups of dry and sifted henna powder
2 packets instant coffee singles
1 and 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh)
5 drops eucalyptus oil
5 drops clove oil

Procedures in mixing the henna paste.

1. Boil the instant coffee and water down to 3/4 cup of dark liquid.

2. Mix enough coffee (dark liquid) into the henna powder to create a thick paste. Keep on mixing until it is well blended.

3. Add the lemon juice, the eucalyptus and clove oil. Mix till well blended. Just a bit of a reminder though, the paste must not be too watery or you need to add more henna powder. It should not also be so thick or you will need to add a little more of the dark liquid or a plain water will do. Lastly, let the mixture cool for about 2 hours before using. The measurement does only for a small portion of henna paste. If you plan to use more then you can do so by doubling the measurements. Unused henna paste can also be kept for later use provided that it is sealed. It may last for two weeks if kept in a chiller and may last for two months if kept frozen.

How to apply the henna paste?

In applying the henna paste, you can choose from using a toothpick, squeeze bottle or a cone. You can buy or make your own using available material that can be made such. Then you will have to decide for the design. There are various henna tattoo design kits available in the market. It comes with a sample design and a stencil.

However, you can do it your way. Create your own design and not need for some fancy stencils and stuff and do it freehand! After applying, you must live it until the paste dries. This may take longer than the application. It may take hours and when it is finally dry; you will see the fine results you just did. Cool! The tattoo may last for 4 to 6 weeks depending on how you would care for it.

So the hard work, handwork and time spent are worth it!

Body Painting: Henna Tattoo

Henna tattoos are an ancient custom in India: girls and women are body painted before ceremonies, like marriage. They painted complicated patterns on their hands and feet to symbolize their fertility. Henna (or ‘Mehndi’, the Indian name) is made from the henna plant (Lawsonia Inermis). The leaves of the plant are dried and ground. The powder gets mixed with water and you get a sort of green-brownish mud. If you put that mud on your skin, let it harden, and then peel it off, you will notice it has left an orange color.

You can get your henna at an eastern shop or a ‘souk’ in many different colors. There’s orange, mahogany, brown and black. The orange one is the traditional henna. The black henna is synthetic. It contains PDD (P-phenylenediamene) and can cause allergic reactions. Even if it doesn’t cause irritations, it’s still unhealthy. Moreover, in the past, black henna at your wedding was considered a disgrace.

Henna Recipe

With one pack of henna, you’ll have enough to body paint the entire football team. Put the henna in a bowl and gently pour some lemon juice and boiling water in the bowl. Don’t use too much water, the mud has to resemble the thickness of sate sauce. The purpose of the lemon juice is to help the color hold better on your skin.

Your skin should be clean, dry and not fat. If you want to color your nails too, they shouldn’t have nail polish on them. Make sure you really want this, because your nails will be orange for about 2 months. It doesn’t come off! When the henna is cold, you can get to painting.

If you want to paint your foot soles, which is a traditional custom in Marokko, make sure you have a pillow of some kind to keep your feet off the floor, before you know it, the henna mud is everywhere! You can apply the henna with all sorts of instruments, what works best is a syringe (without the needle of course).

Symmetric and geometric shapes work best. Don’t make the lines too thin, the color won’t come on to your skin very well. The bigger the surface, the brighter the color will be.

Now: the annoying part: Waiting…

Let the henna dry in the sun, the warmth of the sun will get your color deeper into your skin. You can also use a hairdryer.

If you make a mistake in the picture your painting: ACT QUICKLY! If you wipe it off too late, the henna will leave a red spot.

After a while, the henna will start to burst. Don’t peel it off yet! The henna has to stay on for at least two hours. Then you can start removing the crusts of mud.

DON’T remove the henna with water! Just scrape the crusts of your skin, you can do this with a bold knife. Don’t let your body painting get in touch with water for the first couple of hours. Right after you scraped off all the crusts, rub your skin in with olive oil. It will make the color brighter and help keep the color on as long as possible. Your henna painting will survive for about a month or so.

Also nice to know: Swimming, body peeling, scrubbing your back, and body scrub products will make the henna tattoo deteriorate faster.

Body Art Around the World

Body adornment has always included body painting, tattooing, and other kinds of body art, this has been the case over the ages; but in recent times, body art has become more varied and endlessly creative. It now includes variations such as, Face Painting & Body Art, Gestational Painting (or Pregnant Belly Art), and Temporary Tattoos: Glitter, Henna & Body Illustration. It is now so popular that it is common practice for a body artist or a face painter to be invited to a social gathering like a party or a wedding, corporate events and promotions, so that the guests can take home a unique memento to remember the party by.

Body art is that art which is made on, with, or consisting of, the human body. It also includes scarification, branding, scalpelling, shaping (for example tight-lacing of corsets), full body tattoo and body painting.

Primitive and tribal societies have some marvellous (if painful looking) examples of body art, such as earlobe stretching among many African tribes, and many other kinds of piercings.

Tattooing was a method of identification for old timers in India, when illiterate people would typically have their own name tattooed on a visible part of the body such at the back of the hand or the forearm.

The significance of henna at wedding ceremonies in India is now well known, with one entire pre-wedding event dedicated to what is known as the 'mehndi ceremony'. All the females in the bride's entourage would typically gather to have henna artist make intricate, elaborate and beautiful henna patterns in the hands, arms and feet as part of the wedding celebraions.

The World Body Painting Festival is held in Austria in the third week of July, which is the biggest festival of its kind. There are different categories of competitions, brush and sponge, airbrush, and special effects. A UV effects contest is also part of this festival. All models must be wearing underpants while painted, but female models can go topless if they want. It is a singular experience to be used as an artists' canvas, so many participants of the festival offer themselves as models without any charge.

The Australian Body Art Carnivale is an event that celebrates the creative genius involved in body art and body painting and will be held this year over the coming weekend in September in Edmundi. "This "Festival of Colour" drawing together cutting-edge artists from around the globe, who will create masterpieces before your eyes using the human body as their inspiration - and canvas!Aside from the spectacular full body art and some serious face painting, the Carnivale will also include traditional Aboriginal body painting, pavement art, a wearable art competition and parade, photographic competitions and a visual art exhibition called "Art of the Body" as well as life drawing and sculpting workshops."

Body art as a method of beatification has been around literally for millennia and will doubtless be around for centuries more; what form it will take; well that is your guess being as good as mine.

Body Painting - 7 Tips For Cleaning Up Safely and Easily

If you are just getting started in body painting or face painting, one thing you may not have considered is how you are going to get all that paint off again!

While your client may like being a zombie or a tiger at a party, they may not want to go to work looking like one. In any case, they will want to get cleaned up before going to bed or doing pretty much anything else, and you will be expected to know how to remove the paint you put on them safely and painlessly.

Here are 7 quick tips for removing body paint from the skin, and also for staying clean and neat while you are working.

1. Check your paints and packaging.

Always use safe paints that have been made specifically for face painting and body painting. They should explicitly say that is what they are for. Read what they say, either on the label, or on the website, about how to clean them up. Some body paints are made to be cleaned with water; others may use a special kind of remover that you will have to buy. Be sure you are cleaning them off skin using the methods the packaging says to use.

2. Use warm water, sponges, and cloths.

If your body painting or face painting supplies say to use only water, or mild soap and water, then follow those instructions. Use warm water if possible to make cleanup nicer for your clients, and easier paint removal. Sponges (the same kind you use to apply body paints) and soft cloths are the best tools; you can use paper towels, but why not save the environment a bit and use something re-useable? And using the same types of sponges you use to put paint on will give you the best kinds of shapes for removing it as well.

3. Use non-allergenic, natural, safe skin soaps.

If you've chosen your face and body paints correctly, you have made sure they are meant for face painting and body painted and are almost guaranteed not to cause an allergic reaction. Be sure your clean up soaps follow the same standards. Natural bases like glycerin and castille are good; try to avoid perfumes, artificial colors, and chemicals. If it says 'natural' or 'hypo-allergenic' on the label, you may still want to check the ingredients, they may still include scents or high amounts of alcohol-stearates, which can cause sensitive skin to react.

4. Be careful around the eyes.

Watch cleaning around the eyes especially - of course ask your client to close their eyes, and go slowly. Some makeup suppliers (Mehron, for example) carry special cleaners especially made for cleaning around eyes; you may want to try one of those. You could also look at makeup suppliers for smaller tools meant for cleaning around eyes. The skin around the eyes (and of course the eye itself) is more sensitive than the rest of the skin, so what works on the rest of the skin may not equally well around the eyes.

One good trick is to clean the other areas entirely first, and leave the eyes for very last - that way you will not be getting more paint near the eyes once they are clean, and will only have to clean them once. That way you can avoid repetitive cleaning (and irritation) of the eye area - as well as extra work on your part.

5. Baby Wipes are great, but use the right ones.

Baby wipes are great to have on hand, but remember they were formulated for wiping a very different area of the body than the face. This means they have probably not been tested for facial safety and irritation. I would recommend getting baby wipes that are 'natural,' but again, check the ingredients on the back. You want no fragrances if possible, and no dyes. Sometimes you can get them especially for 'sensitive skin,' again, read the labels. Then try them on your face to see how they work before using them on others.

6. Protect clothing while painting - and washing up.

Paints made for face painting and body painting should never stain the face, but the same can't be said for clothing. Even water based body paints can still stain clothing. Keep clothing away from the paint as it is being applied, of course - but you will want to watch it when you are cleaning up as well. Soaking paints with water and washing them off can be a drippy process, and colors are even more likely to get on clothes then than when painting. Consider using covering cloths while you are cleaning, even if you didn't when painting.

7. And Last But Not Least: Don't Scrub!

Don't scrub the skin, even if the paints are not coming off properly. Scrubbing can cause bad reactions even if everything else is safe for skin. If your paint is not coming off quickly, be patient, let it soak a bit and try again, gently. Try using something else to clean such as baby wipes or a cloth with a little soap squirted directly on it. You may also want to take a look at the paint's instructions on cleaning up again - maybe you missed something on cleaning up. In any case, don't get frustrated and scrub! Your client will appreciate it.

So that's it - 7 best tips for cleaning up safely and easily after face painting or body painting. You may want to print these out as a reminder sheet to include in your painting supplies, that way if you have a cleaning problem, you can consult them quickly!