Artist Liu Xiaodong shows off some creative skin art. Liu and two friends provide free body painting in the Expo Garden.

A few artists at the Expo have found theircreative niche.

When visitors at the Expo 2010 Shanghai are in need of a little break from the typical pavilion perusing, one of the most popular non-pavilion attractions has been skin art.

Since the Expo trial days in April, Liu Xiaodong and two other artists have painted renditions of Le Zi, a mascot they created, on the arms, legs, hands and faces of more than 5,000 visitors.

While working in the Expo Garden, Liu has won high praise from the public. Long gone are the days that he would sit in his small room and create oil paintings.

Liu, 26, and born in Dali, Yunnan province, learned to paint on his own before enrolling at the Yunnan Arts University. He was rejected the first time he applied because he didn't fulfill all entry requirements, but that didn't stop him from earning a spot at the school.

"I am very thankful to the admission officers who accepted me on a special condition," he said.

Liu said his parents were open-minded about him pursuing his interest in art instead of taking care of his father's business, a family-owned supermarket. His parents even encouraged him to leave their hometown and move to Shanghai two years ago, just after the graduation.

In Shanghai he met two friends with similar interests, Jin Chen and Zhang Junyi, two graduates also from art-related studies . The trio established an art studio in Pudong, which was sponsored by the local property developer wanting to build a creative zone to attract further investments.

Liu said that he has few gallery dealers who sell his paintings. The money he received is normally enough to live comfortably. "Money is never an essential," he said, adding that he refuses to make custom paintings, an increasingly popular art business in China.

"I would never do that, that is not the art creation," he said. "To me, it is a sort of insult."

Liu Xiaodong and his team members start their body painting work at the Expo Garden every day from 10 am to 2:30 pm at the City Square in Zone A. Visitors can have small paintings on their bodies, providing a little fun diversion to long pavilion lines.

Since it was first launched in the Expo Garden, skin art has become the most popular attraction, according to the operations team that organizes performances inside the Expo Garden.

"We love doing it," Liu said. "And visitors enjoy it as well."