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16-Year-Old Uses Body Paint to Skillfully Transform Herself into Fantastical Creatures

16-year-old Lara Wirth produces body painting with effects so believable that they startle strangers with their realism. “After finishing a creation [on myself], looking in the mirror can be a little frightening,” she told the Instagram blog. “I did once make a man scream in the supermarket when I rounded a corner right in front of him. He wasn’t prepared to be met by a zombie.”

Inspired by the special effects she had seen on television, the Melbourne-based teen started body painting when she was just 14 years old. In the two years since she’s been covering herself in colorful pigments, glitter, and sculptural materials, the more complex her makeup appears. Wirth transforms herself into fantastical characters that look out of this world, including ones with beautifully grotesque facial features and giant teeth that she bares towards the camera.

After finishing her makeup, Wirth documents the character and posts it on her Instagram account. “The really sad bit is washing it off—it’s a type of art that only exists in photos in the long haul,” she admits. But considering her already-burgeoning talent, we’re sure Wirth will have a chance to exercise her creativity for a long time.

Lara Wirth: Instagram | YouTube
via [Instagram Blog]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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