Craig Tracy- Body painting artist research

Craig Tracy is hands-down one of the best body painters in the world. At first glance, this piece looks like a simple painting of a tiger. Look a little closer, and you’ll notice that the tiger’s face is actually painted on the back of three separate women.

Entitled “The Last South China Tiger” this particular project is part of Save China’s Tigers’ efforts to protect the remaining striped felines in China. Check out the video below to get a better idea of how he put it all together.

Born and Raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Craig Tracy decides what to paint when he sees the model’s body, using their shape as an inspiration for ideas. Sometimes he takes two days to plan before applying the first splash of paint. Once he figures that out, he spends up to nine hours painstakingly applying water-based paint to his volunteers’ bodies before photographing them in unique poses.

“I personally didn’t take Bodypainting seriously for five or six years. The day that I finally asked myself ‘why’, why I liked painting on people so much, that led me to… Well,,, What if I take this passionate interest seriously? That one question and a quick Google search changed the course of my life.” -Craig Tracy