Urban Camouflage

Blending right in: 'Urban camouflage' artist paints models from head-to-toe to hide them against taxis, bus seats... and a fruit and veg stall By Chris Parsons It's difficult enough getting a bus seat at the best of times without having to check if these cunningly camouflaged commuters are on board. Bus passengers were given a well-hidden surprise on this journey thanks to the cleverly painted subjects who had been especially coloured to completely blend in with their surroundings. Only eagle-eyed travellers on the bus would have spotted the women on the back seat, whose torso, chest and thighs had been covered in paint the exact same shade of red as the bus seat she was using. Doing anything for a free bus fare: Some commuters on this bus appeared completely unaware of the well-camouflaged traveller riding with them on the back seat Healthy option: A shocked passer-by looks on as another model poses with her body painted to blend in against the fruit and veg stall Hitching a ride: This model's grey feet are the giveaway, as the rest of her body is expertly disguised against a London taxi outside the Royal Albert Hall The woman's legs were daubed in dark grey, perfectly camouflaging her against the base of the seat, while her neck and head were painted a lighter grey to blend in with the window. Whether her camouflage remained effective once the bus starting moving, however, was another matter. Other subjects painted by make-up artist Carolyn Roper in the 'urban camouflage' stunt were made to blend in with London taxis, and, rather more bizarrely, a fruit and veg stand. The ingeniously-painted market stall subject had her head painted purple as she lay with her head next to a pile of red onions. Not for sale: Shoppers appeared to react with a mixture of amusement and shock when they realised a camouflaged model was tucked in amongst the fruit and veg Work in progress: Artist Carolyn Roper gets to work on a willing participant by painting cabbages and other veg across her body Other body parts were painted orange, red and green to blend in with pumpkins, tomatoes, and cabbages respectively. Another willing participant was painted black almost head-to-toe to camouflage themselves against a London taxi outside the Royal Albert Hall. The stunts were made by TV channel Really, who enlisted the help of artist Carolyn Roper, whose previous work including painted naked celebrities with neon paint to support Cancer Research UK.