Clothes Free International

Here is an image of a model courtesy of Clothes Free International, an organization that does a great job of promoting positive naturist values and celebrating the grace and beauty of the nude human form. The overlay also comes from the CFI website and is an image of the cover of one of the many DVDs that they offer containing content from their "Nudes in the News" shows. Click this link for more information about Clothes Free International and the many resources that they offer.

A New Leaf

The dark skin of this model provides a rich contrast to the glossy surface of an image of fern leaves that has been applied to create this canvas. Close-up photographs of everyday objects in nature--leaves, stones, soil, branches, flowers, or insects--make excellent overlays and sometimes take on an entirely different look when wrapped around a human figure.

Fanning the Flames

One of the most interesting things about body painting, whether it is real or virtual, is observing the ways that the colors and patterns bend to conform to the contours of the body. The male figure shown here was not actually covered in yellow and orange and red paints, but instead was given a virtual paint job by applying an overlay of an image of a piece of fabric. It's like having your body painted without the mess.

Season of Peace

Several years ago, an international action committee circulated a poster featuring 50 ways to help achieve peace and understanding among people. Here is an image of that poster applied to the soft curves of a nude figure. This living canvas is so much more effective than a piece of paper and it works quite well to bring out the human element in these important causes.

Autumn Branches

With such a wide variety of colors, textures, and objects to use as overlays on the nude human form, two identical images of the same person can look quite different as Human Canvas models. In this case, the same female model who is illustrated with an picture of a Peter Max poster in an earlier post now takes on a much different look as an image of autumn branches and leaves paints her figure. The brown gradient backdrop was chosen here to blend with the colors of the overlay image.

Renaissance Man

Here's another inanimate addition to the Human Canvas gallery. Michelangelo's David is generally considered to be one of the most perfect sculptures ever created, and his remarkable representation of the male form works well for this media. In this case, another of Michelangelo's masterpieces--the magnificent images on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel--are "painted" on the marble form. With one art form superimposed over another, David truly becomes a Renaissance Man.

Psychedelic Sixties

Possibly no pop artist epitomizes the spirit of peace and love that existed in the Sixties better than Peter Max, so it seems altogether fitting to honor his work on a Human Canvas. The beauty of the human body was glorified in many posters and paintings from this era, and the vibrant colors and imagery of the Peter Max artwork sits comfortably on this nude female model.

Body of the Message

Sometimes a nude torso is all that is needed to create an effective Human Canvas, particularly when the purpose is to promote a cause or to advertise an event. One example above is a variation of the effective ad campaign by PETA in which well known celebrities pose nude to proclaim to the world that they "would rather go naked than wear fur." In this image, the message is superimposed on the skin of a nude model, taking the intent of the message to a new level. The second example suggests the power of the Human Canvas to promote a theatrical production. Since the musical HaIR continues to make a media splash because productions often feature full nudity, it seems fitting that a nude figure be used to "wear" the advertising poster.

Greek Antiquities

Ancient documents and maps printed on yellowed parchment also work well as overlays on Human Canvas projects. The color and texture of these old documents tend to contrast well with the smooth surface of the skin of the models in this Human Canvas collection. This example is a variation of the process used to create the other images on this site. An inanimate marble statue of a Greek woman becomes the canvas for another ancient piece of art--the tattered remnants of an ancient map that supposedly depicted the location of the lost city of Atlantis.

Kaleidoscope Illusions

Here is a simple Human Canvas image that was created from a black and white photograph of two women in a close and friendly embrace. A circular kaleidoscope-type image was added and positioned so that the circular patterns seem to radiate outward from a central focal point between the two models. This symmetrical composition helps to unify the two figures so they they seem to exist as one.

Rethinking a Classical Pose

Here is a variation on a classic studio pose. The original image was shot with black and white film on a studio set in which the model posed in front of a light gray backdrop while sitting on a reflective white panel. The virtual overlay is a second image--a digital color photograph of a bed of flowers. The model's face is somewhat obscured by the dense floral pattern, but her nude body becomes an elegant human canvas that glorifies the colorful patterns of the leaves and blossoms.

A Grayscale and Color Blend

Unlike the first two examples on the Human Canvas Project site that featured models against a black background, here is a variation on the concept. In this case, an image of an ancient map of the constellations was used as the virtual overlay on the male model who is pictured standing near a pier under the stars. Instead of a black background for this human canvas representation, however, a grayscale version of the original photograph has been used for the setting. It seems to highlight the effects of the photo manipulation process.

Virtual Body Paint

In this studio example, the two models are joined in a friendly embrace in a standard studio set-up against a black backdrop. Using a second image of an abstract painting with colorful drips of paint as an overlay in the software manipulation process, the women appear to be painted from head-to-toe. The same effect can be achieved with the use of projected images in a completely darkened room or studio.

Patriotic Theme

Here is a look at the style of the Human Canvas Project. In this case, the model strikes a kneeling pose in a standard studio set-up, and then a virtual "overlay" provided by an image of a fabric swatch styled in a traditional red, white, and blue motif was added in the photo manipulation after the shoot. The image gives a new meaning to the notion of being proud to be an American.

The Human Canvas Project Begins

Welcome to the Human Canvas Project blog site. This site is devoted to exploring the ways that creative photography techniques can be used to capture the grace and beauty of the nude human form. Some of the images posted here were created by projecting photographic images on nude models in a studio that was completely dark except for the projections. Others were created by transforming standard nude images using overlays created with photo editing software. The results are similar in appearance to body paint images even when the techniques used to create them are very different.