TheBlaze blog has pointed out some of the stunning work by the Liu Bolin, more popularly known as the “invisible man” who paints himself into his work. More recently though, a TED talk showed just how he does it.

According to the TED blog, more simple paintings by the Chinese artist and his team take up to four hours, while more complicated pieces could take three to four days. And just to clear the air, Photoshop or other image altering software is never used.

Watch Artist Liu Bolin Disappear in Time Lapsed TED Video

“Supermarket” is one of Bolin’s more complex pieces that would take days to complete. (Photo: Liu Bolin/Eli Klein Fine Art via TED Blog)

Given that it does take sometime to make a human body blend seamlessly into his or her surroundings, the TED video showing how a person can be made to “disappear” using paint on one’s body or clothes is a time-lapse.

Watch Artist Liu Bolin Disappear in Time Lapsed TED Video

Now you see him. (Image: Vimeo screenshot)

Watch Artist Liu Bolin Disappear in Time Lapsed TED Video

Now you don’t? (Image: Vimeo screenshot)

Watch how he’s transformed in less than 30 seconds in this time-lapse video:

In a separate blog post, TED’s Thu-Huong Ha shared a Q&A with Bolin, shedding more light on how he puts together his work:

Tell me about your process.

For the talk, I stood up on stage with my outfit pre-painted, and then one of my assistants worked with the camera and stood back to instruct the other painter on what to do, where to paint, what colors to use, until from the camera I appear invisible.

[...]

What makes an ideal shot?

Two things: position of camera and focus. Focus is the most important. For the piece I did for TED, the stage is very colorful and red, so I needed reds and pinks.

Here’s a Crane TV report from last month where Bolin explains shows more about his pieces and the purpose of his art:

In this report he said he began doing the “Hiding” series in 2005 as a form of protest when the government tore down his studio.

“It was like being hit, and hitting back,” he said.

See more of Bolin’s work here.

(H/T: Gizmodo)