At first glance you might be
forgiven for thinking this image shows an arachnophobe's worst nightmare - a
super-sized tarantula.
Other projects have seen Miss Sykes painted as a lizard, an alien character from the film 'Avatar', a tiger and other wild animals.
She recently performed at a celebrity-packed party in the Maldives featuring the Beckhams, Gordon Ramsay, Jimmy Carr and other big names.
She said: 'My flexibility isn't all natural, it comes from being trained and years of practice.
'I used to train six days a week, before school and after school. I absolutely love it.'
But look closer and
you'll see it is simply a woman covered with elaborate body art.
A contortionist has
been transformed into a tarantula by body
painter Emma Fay, who used water-based paints to turn the ultra-flexible model
into the giant arachnid.
Optical illusion: Model Lowri Thomas is
transformed into a human tarantula by body painter Emma Fay, who used
water-based paints to turn the ultra-flexible model into the giant arachnid
It took the
27-year-old five hours of intricate work to create the incredibly detailed
creature - and she created a seahorse and a leggy giraffe too.
Contortionists Lowri
Thomas and Beth Sykes were completely disguised by a layer of paint that
transformed their bodies into the animal artwork.
Emma, from
Leicester, has been body painting for three years and created the series of
images to celebrate the marvels of nature, she says.
The artwork was
captured by photographer Jonathan Macauley, who recorded the progress of the
animalistic designs as they developed.
See it now? It took Emma five hours of
intricate work to create the incredibly detailed creature, which can be seen on
set
Hard at work: Emma says she keeps painting
and repositioning the models until they look like the real animal and has to
work quickly because they can only hold the pose for a few seconds
In action: Model Lowri Thomas seen part way
ready in her tarantula transformation
Talent: The Leicester-based artist, who
has been body painting for three years, spends around five hours on each piece
of work
Emma said: 'This
series of transformations is based on the marvels of the natural world.
'The animals
featured are both closely linked to evolution and have developed and changed
over a long period of time.
'First I ask the
contortionist to get into the initial pose and mark out where they will be.
'The contortionists
can only hold the pose for a maximum of five-seconds so I have to work quickly
to get it right.
You're having a giraffe! Beth Sykes poses
as a giraffe - when this was posted online it went viral
Sea it to believe it: Beth Sykes poses as a
seahorse, which Emma Fay says celebrates the marvels of the natural world
In action: Miss Sykes, who is also a circus
performer, acrobat, fire-eater and stilt-walker, can be seen perfecting her sea
horse pose on set
Artist at work: Emma Fay paints the body
of model Beth Sykes as a seahorse, which can take hours
'I then keep
painting and repositioning the models until they look like the real animal.'
One of the models, Beth Sykes, is
also a circus performer, acrobat, fire-eater and stilt-walker.Other projects have seen Miss Sykes painted as a lizard, an alien character from the film 'Avatar', a tiger and other wild animals.
She recently performed at a celebrity-packed party in the Maldives featuring the Beckhams, Gordon Ramsay, Jimmy Carr and other big names.
She said: 'My flexibility isn't all natural, it comes from being trained and years of practice.
'I used to train six days a week, before school and after school. I absolutely love it.'
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