Body brushwork creates vivid animals

A giant mantis is created by painting on a person's body. [Photo/IC]

Giant mantis? Cute koala or elegant swan? No, no, these vivid images are all painted on human bodies. A series of body brushwork by German artist Gesine Marwedel will blow your mind.

At first glance, they just look like amazingly detailed animal artworks but on closer inspection you can see models limbs being cleverly camouflaged by paint. The designed animal paintings - including a turtle on the beach, koala in a tree and a sleeping red panda - each contain a cunningly concealed person, cleverly blending into the background. The intricate works of art can take anywhere from four hours to more than 12 hours to complete but after a shoot they are washed away in minutes.