An Artist Brings Animals To Life Using Body Paint And Contorted Models

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

Using body paint and a woodland like location, Gesine appears to have created a model to look just like a red panda. At first glance, these images could be mistaken for portraits of wildlife in their natural habitat were created with paper and paint. However, they are actually the incredible works of illusion by talented body painter Gesine Marwedel, who paints models to creates realistic animals. Marwedel, from Dortmund, Germany has always been fascinated by the concept of transferring her designs to human bodies and her latest project features models posing in contorted positions. One image appears to show an elegant swan in a park pond, whilst another picture shows a mother penguin and its chick in a snowy landscape.

Artist Gesine Marwedel transforms a model into a mother penguin with a baby chick:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

Two models practise getting into the shape of the conch shell before they are painted by Gesine:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

Amazingly this large sea turtle is actually a model covered in body paint and placed into position on the beach:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

A model places it’s arm out of the water to look like a swan in the water:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

Amazingly this conch shell is actually a model covered in body paint and placed into position on the beach to look like a shell:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

Artist Gesine finalises the model before the picture is shot:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

Gesine has to spend much time searching for the locations to shoot in, for this image she had to find a tree with a hole large enough to fit the model inside:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

A model moulds herself into position to look exactly like a fox curled up in the leafy forest:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

Gesine also takes her models and body art to the water as a model holds her breath to dive under water and look like a seal popping it’s head out of water:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images

A model moulds herself into position to look exactly like a deer curled up in the grass:

Gesine Marwedel/Barcroft Images