Body painting art by Craig Tracy

Can you spot the woman's body in this picture of a leopard? The creature's eyes, cheeks and chin have been painted onto the floor while the back of a female volunteer forms the rest of its face - her bottom is used as the big cat's nose and top lip Picture: CRAIG TRACEY / BARCROFT USA

American artist Craig Tracy from New Orleans has created a collection that could be regarded as some of the best body painting in the world, including a sunflower... Picture: CRAIG TRACEY / BARCROFT USA

...Egyptian-themed art... Picture: CRAIG TRACEY / BARCROFT USA

...and lightning bolts flashing over an ocean Picture: CRAIG TRACEY / BARCROFT USA

He spends up to nine hours painstakingly applying water-based paint to his volunteers' bodies before photographing them in unique poses Picture: CRAIG TRACEY / BARCROFT USA

Some of his paintings use only human volunteers while on others he merges them with backdrops to give the display depth. Some of his creations are so complex it's difficult to work out where the bodies start and the background begins Picture: CRAIG TRACEY / BARCROFT USA

Craig decides what to paint when he sees the model's body, using their shape as an inspiration for ideas. He can spend two days planning before applying the first splash of paint Picture: CRAIG TRACEY / BARCROFT USA