Teenager paints Van Gogh art on her leg to stop her from self-harming

A teenager suffering from depression has painted a world famous piece of art on her leg to prevent herself from self-harming.

Amelia Hall, 18, from Essex, decided to turn her body into a canvas, as she painted Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace at Night’ after having a particularly bad day.

The University of Manchester student spent three hours recreating the image on her leg before posting the results on Twitter – where thousands praised her for her efforts.

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Amelia, who has suffered from depression for five years, told Buzzfeed: “I tried to turn my body – something I don’t consider to be beautiful – into a canvas…

“I’m so glad I kept working on it because I have something wonderful to show from a particularly bad day, instead of just self-harm marks.

“I didn’t exactly feel better when it was finished. It didn’t make the depression go away – it was never going to do that.”

Amelia said she was amazed by the supportive messages on Twitter, with any calling her “inspiring”.

Sharing her hopes that the painting would reduce the stigma around depression, Amelia added to The Independent: “There’s still definitely a long way to go but I think it’s becoming easier to talk about, and by posting the painting I was hoping to try and further reduce some of that stigma.”

If you are depressed or feel you are at risk of self-harm you can call the Samaritans 24 hours a day on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.

Top pic: Twitter/@ameliahxlls