Wear Art on your Eyelids with Eye Shadow Paintings

Eye shadow is a cosmetic that is applied to the lids of the eyes to create shadows or highlights to define the shape of the eye. Generally, eye shadow is applied in smooth gradients, with two or more colors subtly blended into one another to create a natural effect. But what if a girl wants her eyes to tell a tale? Enter the art of eyelid painting...

I See the City and the City Sees Me
The colorful gradient of a city-lit sky makes a stunning background for the subject of this body art; a city skyline. The tiny lit windows in the buildings give the cosmetic artist an opportunity to bring out her metallic body paints.

The full art work is only visible when the wearer has her eyes closed. The artist has smudged and blended different colors of eye shadow powder to create the gradient of colors in the background of this skyline eye shadow painting. [source]

The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow
Based on a prism design, this body painting piece uses the eye as the focus of the art work. The make-up artist has applied paint to not just the upper eyelid, but the areas surrounding the eye.

False eyelashes and tiny rhinestones add to the beauty of this eye make-up design. The theme of this art work is light, so the artist has created prisms of color which reflect in the sparkly diamantes between the model's eyelashes. [source]

Playing Super Mario with Your Eyes Closed
Super Mario is a Nintendo game that was first released in the 1980s. The game became so popular that the characters are often used in video game fan art works. In the picture below, make-up artist Katie Alves has used body paint in place of eye shadow powder. This allows her to create tiny details of the game, such as bricks and coins.

This Super Mario face painting uses just the eyelid as the canvas for the art work. The artist, Katie Alves, has used tiny brushes to paint on the details of this fan art piece, even including elements from the game in between the model's eyes. [source]

Eyes on Fire

Using metallic and glitter body paints and eye shadows powders, this cosmetic artist has created fiery eyes, including a decorative flower design at the edge of the eyes.

The contrast between the shimmering golds and the darker charcoal areas give interest to this eye shadow painting. The colors are perfect for a party or festival during fall. [source]

Be a Jungle Queen with the Lion King
The Lion King is one of Disney's most popular animated films, with many memorable scenes. In the body art work below, one of these famous scenes is painted onto the girl's eyelids. The tiny silhouettes of the animals are painted onto the background with the tip of a fine paint brush.

It's fairly common for make-up artists to use two different colors; one along the edge of the eyelid, and another for the area below the eyebrow. In this eye shadow painting, green and blue have been used not just for an interesting contrast, but to create the impression of grasslands and sky. On the left we see Rafiki holding up a baby Simba for the animals to see. [source]

Eat With Your Eyes
The shape of the eye is similar to the shape of the mouth. This cosmetic artist has used the similarity in shape to create lips around the eyelids, so the wearer can "eat" with her eyes.

The finished result is bit strange, but these lippy eyes are still pretty funny. [source]

The View from the Little Mermaid's Bedroom
The make-up artist has used a base of blue body paint for this under-the-sea scene. Gold paint has been used to highlight the fronds of seaweed. To complete the painting, the artist has extended the gold paint onto the eyelashes of the model, giving her lashes black and gold stripes.

Another eyelid painting by Katie Alves. These fun designs aer great ideas for dress up parties and music festivals. [source]

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The Best Photorealistic Drawings

Photorealism is an art form in which artists create drawings or paintings that look like photos. However photorealistic a drawing may be; the artist's personality will leak into the art work, giving the finished result a unique essence of its own.

Fantastic Photorealistic Drawings

Truly fantastic photo realistic drawings use a combination of perspective, proportion and lighting to create a realistic effect. If any of these design elements are not adhered to, the finished work will not withstand close scrutiny. Shading and highlights are especially important, as they define the 3D realism of the drawing. If the shading is not smooth, the drawing looks less like a photo and more like an art work.

Above: Jono Dry is a young artist from South Africa who draws photo realistic drawings based on his own photos. With no artistic training, Jono is an example of true raw talent and artistic passion. [source]

Above: Another example of Jono Dry's photorealistic pencil drawings. Both of the above art works are from a series of nudes celebrating the beauty of the female form. Dry's realistic figures stand in stark contrast to their black backgrounds, a style that emphasizes the effect of light on skin. [source]

Photorealistic Drawings as Home Decor

Photo realistic art works are quickly becoming popular media online, and as a result, many prints of photorealistic drawings are finding their way onto online shopping sites like Etsy.com. These interesting pictures of photographs are fast replacing actual photographs as home decor, as a photorealistic drawing of a portrait or favorite photograph is visually more interesting than the actual photograph.

Above: Linda Huber's photorealistic pencil drawing of Michelangelo's famous sculpture, David. The art work includes the imperfections in the weathered sculpture, such as nicks and scratches. [source]

Above: Another photorealistic pencil drawing from Linda Huber, this time of a lightbulb. Glass is difficult to draw realistically, because it is both translucent and reflective. Huber is an expert at manipulating the eye into believing that what it is actually seeing is a photograph. [source]

Above: A beautiful photorealistic animal portrait of a cat, drawn in pencil and graphite. Fur is extremely difficult to draw photo realistically, yet artist Paul Lung seems to have discovered the secret of drawing convincing hair. [source]

Above: Another photorealistic animal portrait by Paul Lung. The use of highlights and shadows creates an image that seems almost 3D, with a clarity usually only found in high quality photos. [source]

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Antique Absinthe Poster Designs

Absinthe is an alcoholic beverage made from herbs such as anise, fennel and wormwood. The drink is high in alcohol and can cause mild hallucinations, making it a popular recreational drug of the late 19th century.

The Tipsy History of Absinthe
Wormwood was used by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians for use in medicinal tinctures. Over time, other herbs were added to the drink and the distillation process refined until in the 18th century, absinthe was produced. For the next century, absinthe was recommended by doctors as a healing elixir. In the 1840s, French troops were even given absinthe as a malaria preventative. The soldiers returned home with a taste for the aniseed-flavored wine, and the popularity of absinthe spread rapidly throughout France and Europe.

Above: An antique illustration of the green fairy, the personified symbol of absinthe. [source]

Above: A different take on the green fairy symbol that was introduced in the top illustration. In this postcard painting, four cherubs with green wings are showing the euphoric effects of the drink. 

Above: A poster advert for pink absinthe, a drink that was popular with women. [source]

Preparing Absinthe

There are two main preparation methods for absinthe, the French Method and the Bohemian Method. In the French Method, absinthe is poured into a glass, and covered with a strainer. A cube of sugar is placed on top of the strainer, and water poured over the sugar into the glass. The absinthe turns cloudy with the addition of water, resulting in a milky-looking drink.

The Bohemian Method is similar in set up to the French Method, except that fire is used in place of water. Absinthe is poured into a glass, covered with a strainer and a sugar cube placed on top of the strainer. The sugar cube had been pre-soaked in alcohol, often more absinthe. The cube is then set alight and dropped into the absinthe, lighting the alcohol. A shot glass of water is added to douse the flames. Sometimes the flames are allowed to self-extinguish, burning away all of the alcohol, but it is more popular to douse the flames before the alcohol is burned off.

Above: A bourgeois man pours water over a cube of sugar on a decorative strainer. The sugared water mixes with the absinthe in the glass, diluting it and sweetening it. [source]

The Demise of Absinthe

In the early 1900s, absinthe was banned in many countries. It was said that "Absinthe makes you crazy and criminal, [and] provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis". The drink, which had previously been enjoyed by people of all classes, suddenly became unpopular, and it was believed that absinthe drinkers were uncouth louts and layabouts. 

In Switzerland, absinthe bans simply forced the absinthe producers to sell their wares on the black market. Underground Swiss distillers created a form of clear absinthe which was easier to hide from the authorities.

Above: An anti-prohibition poster, condemning the authorities for banning the popular drink. The illustration parodies the burning of witches during the Christian Inquisition. [source]

Above: A propaganda poster depicts a skeleton bartender pouring absinthe for a customer. The poster portrays the absinthe drinker as sickly and hopeless. He is such a loser, in fact, that a mongrel dog has deemed his satchel worthy of becoming a urinal. [source]

Above: A late 19th century depiction of a woman drinking absinthe. This poster was illustrated during the heyday of absinthe consumption and will remain an eternal reminder of the Victorian-era popularity of this drink. [source]

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Beautiful Tattoo Designs for Girls

Feminine tattoo designs are made up of images that represent women, such as lace, ribbons, butterflies, flowers and birds. Tattoo designs for women often include intricate detail and delicate colors, design aspects that add to the feminine appeal of the design.

Birds in Feminine Tattoo Designs
Birds represent beauty, freedom and flight. Some birds have cultural significance, whereas others are simply prized for their beauty. Most bird tattoo designs are chosen because the bird in the design has a personal meaning to the person being tattooed.

Above: This colorful tattoo of a peacock is completed with flowers. The artist has based the design on curves, so that the tattoo compliments the shape of the girl's body.

Rose Tattoos for Women

Roses are associated with love, romance and femininity. As Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet". The flower petals of roses naturally occur in a variety of female shades; pinks, reds, and oranges. 

Above: The tattoo designer has used symmetry to give a sense of order to this woman's back tattoo. The darker colors and art style give the finished tattoo a gothic feel, which compliments the bows on her thighs.

Lace is for Ladies' Tattoo Designs

For hundreds of years, women have worn lace to accentuate their feminine nature. This delicate clothing decoration is tricky to create in tattoos, because the ink tends to spread under the skin over time, blurring the fine lines of the lace. 

Above: This lace garter tattoo design is a perfect way for women to show off their feminine side. It is both classical and sexy, a combination of the old and the new.

Butterfly Tattoos for Girls

Butterflies boast a mosaic of colors and patterns, and the only limitation a butterfly tattoo design has is the designer's imagination. Butterfly tattoos are often chosen to represent beauty, freedom and lightheartedness. 

Above: This girl has chosen to keep the natural colors and patterns of these butterflies in the tattoo design.

Blossoming Branches Tattoo

The image of the blossoming branch is a symbol of spring, renewal and new beginnings. Tattoo designs of this kind are often based on the cherry blossom tree, honoring the tree's interesting branches and beautiful flowers.

Above: Tattoo designs of blossoming branches have an interesting aesthetic make-up. The colorful flowers on the linear background of branches creates a detailed, feminine silhouette that is hard to mistake, even from afar.

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Flower Tattoo Design Ideas

Flower tattoo designs can be symbolic or purely decorative in nature. Floral tattoos are often a symbol of femininity and are placed on the body in specific areas that compliment and flatter the female form.

As Pretty as a Flower

Flower tattoo designs can be small, simple images, or large, detailed art works. Most flowers are easily recognizable, yet there are a few that are more popular than others, such as roses, lilies and daisies.

Above: This flower tattoo design incorporates birds and butterflies to create a feminine garden on this woman's back.

Above: Abstract flower tattoo designs, such as the one above, mimic the elegant curves of flower petals to create a floral effect. Each petal is placed to draw the eye to the focal point of the design; the center of the flower. In nature, the structure of flowers draws nectar and pollen seeking insects and birds to the center of the flower by having the petals "point" to the center of the blossom.

Above: Cherry blossoms are a popular subject in Japanese art and design. The juxtaposition between the dark, angular branches and the delicate, soft flowers create an attractive image off the balance between opposing elements.

Above: This flower tattoo design uses soft shading for the lotus flowers and crisp, curling lines as a background. 

The Feminine Arts

For centuries, women have sought ways in which to highlight the sensuality of their bodies, turning to cosmetics, clothing and hairstyles to accentuate their femininity. It is only in the last few decades that it has become acceptable for women to have tattoos inked into their skin, and many women have taken advantage of this trend to use their skins as a canvas.

Above: Daisy flowers became a popular symbol for peace during the hippy revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Daisy tattoo designs are fun and elegant, symbolizing peace and innocence.

Above: Roses are one of the most popular flowers used in floral tattoo designs. The rose flower represents passion, sensuality and love and is found in both male and female tattoo designs.

Above: The tattoo artist has used water in this design to compliment the lotus flowers. The contrast between the blue of the waves and the warm colors of the flowers balances the design and makes the flowers stand out.

Above: This Japanese tattoo design boasts a butterfly in a garden of flowers, both of which are symbols of femininity. The blue colors of the butterfly design stand out against the orange shades of the flowers, turning the butterfly into a powerful design element.

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Human Chameleon Body Art

Chameleon body painting camouflages the model, creating a near invisible effect. These beautiful body art works make it seem as though the artist's model is merging with the background.

Body painting is the practice of using the human body as a canvas. The models are most often nude, or wearing just the bare minimum. Too much clothing and the body art, severed by the hems, can lose its seamlessness.

The following body paintings have been painted in such a way that the models seem to fade into the background, as if wearing an invisible cloak.
Painstaking attention to details, colors and lighting makes these works possible, with the models staying motionless for hours while the artist is busy.

Wallpaper Camouflage Painting by Emma Hack

In these body painting pieces, body painting artist Emma Hack uses decorative wallpaper as a background. She continues the wallpaper’s patterns on the model’s body, carefully lining up the edges of the designs and keeping the colors consistent.
On average, these body paintings take nine hours, but it can take up to 19 hours to complete a piece, depending on the level of detail required and how much of the body she will be painting.
Although the model’s skin is visible in many of these pieces, the effect is such that the nude woman seems to be a part of the wallpaper.

Environmental Camouflage Body Painting

These models have been painted in rural and industrial surroundings that would otherwise be quite plain. The artist studies the textures of the model’s background, meticulously painting rotting wood, rusting metal or flaking old paint onto the models’ bare skin.

Painting straight lines onto a body that has curves and hollows can be quite difficult. The artist must be sure to compensate for the shape of the body in order to recreate the straight edges found in architecture.
In these works of art, lighting and camera position are very important. If the model casts a shadow against the background, or moves even slightly, the human chameleon optical illusion can be lost.

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