Los orígenes de Cuerpos Pintados se remontan al menos una década antes de su primera presentación pública en 1991. Al recorrer los inicios de este proyecto, puedo establecer algunos hitos relevantes que me motivaron a llevarlo adelante, empezando por el descubrimiento de obras claves de dos personas durante la segunda mitad de los '70.
La primera fue el dramático ensayo de la fotógrafa alemana Leni Riefenstahl sobre la vida de los Nuba, en los confines del Sudán. En azarosos viajes a territorios aún aislados de la intervención occidental, Riefenstahl pudo registrar una cultura que tenía el cuerpo como protagonista, pintándolo y adornándolo con una creatividad y originalidad únicas. Más aún, la tradición de aplicar colores y diseños sobre sus cuerpos no se circunscribía a los rituales, como es habitual en la mayoría de las tribus; Riefenstahl descubrió que los Nuba se pintaban diariamente según su estado de ánimo. El conocimiento de este hecho fue una revelación de gran trascendencia para mí.
El segundo trabajo que me impactó en esa misma época fue el desarrollado por la artista Vera Lehndorff, también alemana, junto al fotógrafo Holger Trülzsch. Lehndorff, por entonces famosa en el mundo de la moda como la modelo Veruschka, se fotografió contra una gran variedad de escenarios como muros y puertas, o paisajes abiertos, y también se disfrazó con diversos trajes que pintaba directamente sobre su piel, en un juego creativo que hacía reflexionar sobre la realidad, la ficción, y nuestra percepción de ambas.
La motivación de los Nuba para pintarse el cuerpo y los trabajos de Lehndorff y Trülzsch confluyeron finalmente en mi concepción del proyecto Cuerpos Pintados, mostrándome el potencial expresivo que podían ofrecer estos lenguajes al arte contemporáneo.

Body Painting Slide

Body paintig process

Techniques

Technical body paint with a sponge: It is highly recommended to implement use fluorescent colors. First apply the base paint over it with a sponge. These are a great balance between low cost and utility. I learned about them from a model, who had used them before. I was nervous about using something that wasn't specifically formulated for application on skin. Yet she said she had used them with no ill effects and they are marked as non-toxic. They are actually designed for airbrushing on Fabrics. They dry quickly and don't rub off easy. Because they are made for textiles their flexibility is superior to other paints. Yet they still wash off easily in soap and water. They also work well when applied by regular bristle brush.

Technical airbrush body paint: Airbrush paint to achieve uniform application and can achieve texture and effects. This is probably the best, for safety, flexibility, and speed. Although more expensive than the airbrush acrylics mentioned below, this is a better way to go as airbrush textile acrylics, tend to crack and peel at high flexion points. If you are working for a commercial client, doing a photo shoot, then these are what you want to use.
A long time manufacturer is Kryolan. High quality makeup from germany.
Dinair is another popular brand of Airbrush Makeup. They specialize in it, and also make standard skin colors Their focus seems to be more traditional glamour makeup, using airbrush technique.

Mehron has announced a of airbrush color. I've not had great success with Mehron in the past. The price is good, but I find it flakes and powders off easily when dry.
You may also want to experiment with Kryolan's Brandel color sprays in small cans. Unlike other hair colors, these lay down a solid opaque layer, just like real spray paint. It dries quickly to the touch and is fairly difficult to rub off. But in soap and water it dissolves quickly. It appears to be traditional hair spray loaded up with pigment. It has the same obnoxious fumes as old fashioned air sprays. I really like their gold and silver sprays, because it is possible to lay down a solid shiny layer. Black is incredibly messy though. Over spray is a real problem because of the fine aerosol mist these produce. Use a face mask! Seems to run US$6 to US$7 for a small can. It requires at least 5 cans for total body coverage. You can find them at good theatrical makeup supply stores. Here's one online source I found.

Technical body paint with a brush: It is ideal to use the brush on the realization of body painting you want done with speed. With the brush is easier to do the edges and fill the different spaces. MagicColor is from Ben Nye, a Hollywood makeup company. These are opaque, but apply thin with a brush, and dry quick. (The main ingredient is alcohol.) They work well with airbrush. 4 ozs. can do whole body coverage. Price is around US$10 for a 4 oz bottle. Most primary colors are available, along with glitter metallic. Warnings are on the label against using red, pink or orange in eye areas. These are good all around makeup grade paints, not cost prohibitive, and with fairly good staying power. The red stains a little on skin, but cleans off easy. It does stay tacky for awhile, so you may want to apply setting powder.
Mehron's line of Liquid Makeup is a little cheaper, and available in larger pint sizes for about US$13. So far I've only used the yellow, which seems to go on thin, and the red. It doesn't seem as flexible as the MagicColor. But I need to try more colors