Different Types of Body Art

Different Types of Body Art

These are the different types of body art:

Jewelry is the most common type. This is a temporary type which almost everybody wears (sometimes) like a ring or necklace.

Tattoos are a type of body art which is permanent. Tattoos are created by colored materials inserted beneath the skins surface. The most common reasons to get tattooed are:

* Wanting to show your individuality and uniqueness
* Belonging to a group that has tattoos
* Pleasing your partner
* Identifying with a (known for tattoos) subculture

Piercings are a temporary type (which may leave a scar when removed). Body piercing is the creation of an opening in the human body in which jewelry can be worn and the word piercing refers to this opening. The most common piercing is an earring, but you can get a piercing in almost everybody part of your body.

Nail art is another temporary type which is applied on your nails. It is really nice and affordable. It exists of (colourful) decorations on your (natural or fake) nails. It can be anything from stones and sparkles to tiny feathers.

Body paint is also a temporary type. It is painted on to the skin, and only lasts for several hours.

Nowadays body painting is becoming very popular in the use of TV an film projects, advertising, media, sporting, modeling events, runway, and much more.

Airbrush is a temporary type as well. Ink is sprayed on to the skin by an artist (sometimes through a stencil). The resulting design usually mirrors the look of a real tattoo, without any pain. If you use the best inks, the tattoo can last up to at least two weeks.

Henna is another temporary type. Henna the paste of a flowering plant which is used for body (and fingernails) paint and hair dye, especially in various festivals and celebrations. The paste is left on the skin for a few hours to overnight and the stain lasts a few days to a month. How long it will last depends on how long it is allowed to stay on the skin, the quality and the individual skin type.

Tooth Art is also a type of body art. The are different types of tooth art, some are permanent, some are temporary:

* you can replace your tooth (or teeth) with (a) gold one(s)
* you can get a (removable) cap for one tooth
* you can get a (removable) grill for all of you (upper)teeth
* you can get a diamond into one tooth (or in more teeth)

Scalpelling is a type of body art, which procedure is similar to piercing and it is also for the creation of decorative perforations through the skin and other body tissue. It is most commonly used as a replacement for or enhancement of ear piercings.

Implants are a temporary type (which may leave a scar when removed). Implants are devices placed under the skin for decorative purposes. You can get them in different shapes through an incision.

Branding is a permanent type of body art in which a mark (usually a symbol or pattern), is burned into the skin,

with the intention of creating a scar. This is performed using a hot or very cold branding iron.

Another permanent type is Scarification. This involves etching, scratching, or some sort of superficial incision or cutting as a permanent body modification, etching pictures, words or designs into the skin. During this process, scars are formed by cutting the skin.

Definition of Painting

Definition of Painting

A basic definition of painting is to use colors in order to portray a picture on a support base structure. However, many different forms of painting and styles of painting have evolved over the years. The first portrait in the world was created over thirty thousand years ago. Since then, the history of this form of art has gone through a number of major changes. In the world of today, there are many diverse meanings to the word "painting". Needless to say, there are also loads of coloring compounds that someone can utilize; depending upon the particular art form that they are creating. Water colors, oil paints, acrylic, fabric paints and tattoo inks are a few of them.

It would not be inappropriate to say that a painter lives in his own world of thoughts where he connects with his inner soul. Without a doubt, it would be very difficult for an ordinary person to surmise just what motivates a good artist. Anything and everything can become an inspiration. Over the years, the environment has been an important stimulation for them. There is an incredible beauty to almost everything that is in nature. A small dandelion flower can suddenly come into view as a beautiful blossom; if the artist sees it that way. It is all in the way the painter interprets the subject.

Body painting is one of the most famous forms of sketching that has become popular in the past few years. This includes everything from whole body tattoos to simple face paintings. People just seem to be entertained with it. As a matter of fact, face and body adorning are used in a variety of dance forms also. The use of a multiple colored palette forms a very important part in the whole process.

Body Painting

Body Painting

With the World Body Painting Festival (and of course the Body Painting Award) coming up on the 17th of July, it's about time to get you all fired up in your body painting know-how.

More about this festival coming soon, but first a short introduction in the art of body painting.

Body painting is a form of body art, and has probably been around since the beginning of civilization. In almost every tribalist culture, body painting was performed during ceremonies or merely just for the beauty of it. Back then they used clay and other natural pigments.
Body painting still survives in parts of the world, and especially 'Mehndi', the form of body painting that uses henna dyes, is now very popular in the western world. The henna tattoo is semi-permanent.

Since the 1960's, body painting emerged as an actual art form. However, there is the never-ending discussion about it's social acceptability because body painting practically always involves nudity.

But no art without paint of course, and you'll be happy to know that the paint is restricted to guidelines: the body paint has to be non-toxic and non-allergenic. The paint easily washes of with water and soap.

As for the henna dyes, which Mehndi uses, there's a difference between the synthetic black henna, and the natural brown henna. The natural henna dye is completely safe when body painting, but the synthetic black henna dye could cause allergic reactions. You should have yourself patch tested before using these at body painting.

This should get you started, next time, more about the festival!

The Body As A Canvas: Body Art

The Body As A Canvas: Body Art

The human body is the tool through which somebody experiences life and his surroundings as well as interacts and communicates with others. To some people, however, the body is another piece of canvas through which they could express themselves, their beliefs and their traditions.

Drawing a Picture, Telling a Message

Just as paintings hanging on walls make a room more beautiful, body art can enhance a person's good physical attributes. Some ladies have a sunflower tattooed on their backs so that they can wear backless dresses that will reveal their flawless skin adorned by the tattooed flower. In this sense, body art is worn the way diamond necklaces are - it is meant to adorn and enhance the wearer's beauty. However, there are other much more complex reasons for the proliferation and practice of body art. These reasons can be cultural, political, or spiritual.

Body art is extremely common in jails. Tattooing and branding are some of the most common rites of passage for inmates who wish to be part of certain groups. Body art can also be used to declare personal beliefs and political stand. In this case, body art can be compared to graffiti on the wall; it declares what the person wearing the art believes. People in ethnic groups also used tattooing extensively as a form of ornamentation. In some cases, tattoos were used to mark how many people a warrior has killed in battle.

Body Art Types

Widely known types of body art are body painting, tattoos, shaping, scarification, branding and body piercing. Body painting is usually done by painting on the body, usually covering the whole body completely with water-soluble makeup or paints. Body painting is very similar to painting on canvas, however, it can be more difficult to accomplish as the body has contours that makes painting pictures and scenes on the body more complicated.

Tattoos, probably known by all, are permanent decorations on the body applied through the use of an electrically ran needle. Body tattoos usually cover a relatively small portion of the body. Favorite places for body tattoos are the chest, the upper arms, and the back of the shoulders. Body tattoos are relatively permanent, too, as the picture or the letters are etched onto the skin.

Body piercing is accomplished through the use of materials such as beads and precious stones and metals. Ear piercing is probably the most practiced by women and some men for accessorizing. Today, piercing is performed on almost all parts of the body such as the nose, the lips, the tongue, the eyebrows, the bellybutton, the nipples, and others. Shaping, on the other hand, is done to permanently shape the body according to a person's preference. Methods of this type of body art are foot binding - common among Chinese women.

Scarifications are more unconventional methods of body art. There are religious groups that deliberately scar their body (usually with pointed objects like knives) using a prescribed pattern. Somewhat similar to scarification, branding is another type of body art that involves a whole lot of pain. This was originally done to farm animals (cows and horses) and originally used for identification purposes. This is accomplished through placing an extremely hot piece of metal with a certain design on the body until it burns the skin and leaves a mark that may last forever.

Whatever form of body art is practiced, it is certain to elicit varying reactions. Body art can be beautiful, captivating, or disturbing depending on the beholder's point of view and set of values.

Western Painting - Tribal Art - Native Art From the West

Western Painting - Tribal Art - Native Art From the West

Tribal Art - The Concept
Tribal Art refers to the artifacts and objects, the tribes of rural areas create. Produced mostly for religious reasons, rather than as a model of artistry, its myriad uses differ from tribe to tribe. Right from the decoration of the objects of daily use to spiritual ceremonial functions, Tribal Art can be witnessed in several life events. Tribes are often isolated from civilizations, with no tradition of literacy. Therefore, art is a potential means to represent and preserve tribal traditions, mythology, and history. In the Western Art scene, the most well known Tribal Art genres are from the tribes in the remote areas of Central and South America.

The Details
While the geography and the climate of a region primarily influence Tribal Art, the social and religious needs of a tribe and the availability of resources are also other important factors determining its evolution & proliferation. Due to the lack of technology access, artisans mostly employ hand-tools made of natural materials, such as stone, wood, tusks, bones, skin of animals, dyes made from minerals, baskets woven with natural grasses, pottery made of clay, and sand for painting, to mention some. The designs and symbols used relate to favorable weather, good crops, successful hunting, illness cures, and other natural happenings common to the tribe. The most creative works of Tribal Art are the images of dream and supernatural visions. Tribal Art is unchanging in style, owing to the limited influence from the outside world. They usually sustain on the internal trade exchanges among the tribes.

Genres
o Inuit - It refers to the culturally similar group, residing in the Arctic region of Canada, Greenland, Russia, and the United States. The art forms here include from ivory & bone sculptures and figurative works on soft stones, such as soapstone & argillite. Hunting, whaling, and other everyday activities are the commonest subjects.
o Navajo Folk Art - It refers to the Tribal Art from Bluff town in Utah, US. With significant exposure to the civilized world, this art form has diverse whimsical creations, such as vibrantly painted wooden chicken, cowboy riding buffaloes, dog in business suit, etc. Horsehair, wool, and leather are primarily used. Their pictorial rugs, pottery, and sand paintings are famous across the world.
o Hopi Tribe - It resides in the high desert plateaus of North Arizona. Art is inherent in this deeply religious tribe, varying across hand woven kilts & sashes, baskets & pottery, jewelery, Katsina carvings, and Kachina dolls, & toys for children.
o Iroquois Confederacy Homelands - They are in the upstate New York and across the border into Canada. With a culture rich in tradition & history, their motifs span across animals, sun, moon, and other natural elements. The myriad art forms of this tribe include basket weaving, beadwork, pottery, cornhusk artifacts, stonework, woodwork, and metal carving to mention some.

Conclusion
The uniqueness of each form of Tribal Art comes from the history and culture of the respective tribe. The recognition of tribes by the Federal Government and the rights granted to the civilized world to interact with tribes had significant influence on Tribal Art and culture, giving way to Contemporary Tribal Art. With the given exposure, the artifacts are commonplace in museums and souvenir outlets, across the globe.