Steam steals the scene in 'Olympics' of body art

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MECHANICS OF BEAUTY: Yolanda Bartram's model sports a steam engine, a veil and patterns from the Indian subcontinent.

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A steamy design has won Kiwi artist Yolanda Bartram top honours at the world bodypainting championships.

Her artwork was inspired by the "steampunk" movement, a science fiction genre that harks back to the age of steam power.

Dutch-born Bartram, 31, and her husband Julian decided to merge that look with a rail trip through India – decorating the model with a steam engine on her head, a veil over her mouth and patterns from the subcontinent.

"We loved the elaborate designs of India ... The mechanical heart represents how India got opened up through steam trains," Mr Bartram said.

The world championships were held in Austria, and his wife was was still there yesterday.

With the help of her New Zealand company Body FX, she won first place for special effects makeup. "It's a really fantastic feeling not to only have won first place in the world, but also to have made it with my amazing Body FX team," she said.

"She was pretty speechless. She was ecstatic," said Mr Bartram, who has previously been his wife's model at the championships.

Her design made of foam latex and resin, along with another one focusing on religion and war, was paraded before seven judges in the city of Seeboden.

More than 30,000 spectators and about 1000 photographers attended the championships, Mr Bartram said.

The championships were easily the biggest thing in world body art. "They're the Olympics for us."

- © Fairfax NZ News