Body painting was created generations ago by our tribal forfathers who who paint their bodies for sacred ceremonies, this is defined as a very delicate form of art. Body painting that was created by some tribes was done for aesthetic uses but their paints were definetely not like the ones that you can purchase at the store today. The tribes used different clays and pigments found in nature to do their painting.
The body painting that is most popular today is done with Mehndi which uses henna dyes, this dye is greatly used in the western countries. You can see many non-permanent henna tattoos around.
In the 1960's there were many debates about body painting and if it was a truly social acceptable form of art, at the time body painting was becoming very popular. Due to the fact that body painting is done on a nude model, the question was if it fit into society as a socially acceptable art form.
It is important not to use just any odd paint, but to make sure that the paint is non-allergenic and non-toxic, these are the guidelines for the paint. Cleaning off the paints should be able to be completed with water and regular soap.
Using the Mehndi henna is great because it uses a natural and synthetic henna that is semi-permanent, as we discussed before. The artist should use the natural henna or brown dye for safe body painting, there is also a synthetic black that should not be used, it is much better to stay with the browns. By choosing to use the black dye you can have an allergic reaction. If you feel that you must use the black dye always try it out on a small part of the body being painted to make sure that no allergic reaction will occur.
There are classes available for enrollment if you think you would enjoy learning more about the body painting art, especially that you know some to the background of the art form. Nudity as an art form is now considered natural and is much more socially acceptable than it was years before. Women models are not ashamed to be a part of the body painting process and in fact are able to earn a considerable amount of money for each sitting.
When starting body painting it is best to use someone who you feel comfortable with to practice on. Body painting in a class setting can be a lot less stressful than using a friend or partner due to the fact that you do not need to concern yourself about the women model.
Keywords: paint, body paint