Each year during Fantasy Fest this event is held on the waterfront overlooking scenic Key West harbor. Beautiful, sexy, almost naked women, along with many creative and talented air brush design artists come to the city during the week long adult themed costume party that culminates with a huge parade on the Festival ending Saturday night. Everyday during the week, Body Painting Artists can be seen setting up their small studio booths on the streets and in different shops, sidewalk cafes, bars, and painting the sexy, beautiful bodies of women with exotic art designs. Some women get a different air brushed design done everyday and walk the streets showing off their body art as they wait for the big event competition that begins on the Friday evening and is called "The Living Arts Airbrush Body Painting Contest".Airbrushed Art design is an artistic talent that transforms your everyday skin into a beautifully designed pattern, it can be a living animal, a flower, a vampire, or almost any life form you so desire. The artists use airbrushing to create a design or idea that you bring to them. Any part of your body can be painted and covered with a creative design. Body painting artists are very skilled artists and will cover any parts of your body that you wish, from the top of your head to the tip of your toe. And if you can't make up your mind which part to paint, you can have your entire body air brushed so it completely disguises the real you underneath the art. By using this method of airbrushing, and drawing a design pattern, your body can be entirely transformed into your wildest fantasy design form.
Body Painting - The IntricaciesThe origin of body painting is unknown, but its use has been widespread - sometimes as an art form, sometimes as a part of tradition, and the other times, as a necessity. The evidence of body painting is found in ancient practices across various cultures and remains a popular fashion statement in the present times. There is no set style or technique for body painting. It can be a localized design or a fuller one, covering the entire body in some cases. The color pigments used can be natural or synthetic. Similarly, it can be a work of an expert or an amateurish hand of a novice. However, unlike permanent tattoos, body paints are temporary or semi-permanent in nature.
The Geographical Spread
Painting the body was prevalent in ancient Egyptian civilization, where Pharaohs and high-class individuals painted their faces in red ochre & white pigments, and eyes in kohl. The Himba group of Namibia also generously uses red ochre. These people paint their entire bodies in the uniform pigment, as a traditional practice. In India, body painting is an elaborate work of expertise, which requires training and a lot of experience. One of the best examples of this art is the make-up of Kathakali dancers that involves the use of white, red, black, and yellow colors against a base of bottle green color, on face.
