Nude models become artists' canvases on NYC Bodypainting Day

Dozens of artists used the naked bodies as canvases on the third annual NYC Bodypainting Day, which celebrates freedom of artistic expression and body acceptance.

The volunteer models, including Charles Darius, doffed their duds in Manhattan's Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, outside the United Nations headquarters, for a few hours of painting before boarding double-decker buses and taking their art show throughout the city.

Onlookers, many snapping photos and shooting videos on their cellphones, shared words of encouragement with the models, who endured two- or three-hour painting sessions on an overcast day with temperatures in the low 70s.