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Getting a tattoo can be a sort of leap of faith. As wonderful and clear as the drawing may be, it ultimately comes down to the tattoo artist’s ability to use their machines. Unfortunately, that means that some folks out there have ink that serves as a warning to always do your research beforehand.
This Instagram page is dedicated to some of the most questionable, bizarre and downright terrible tattoos out there. So get comfortable as you read through, prepare to be deeply confused by how someone could want that, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts below.
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#1
mooshoflove 2 weeks ago
It is well done! Makes me like it! - not in a way I'd want to replicate it on my noggin... But in the kind that it's ok to look at from a far lol
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Willem Andries Oosterhof 2 weeks ago
How is this a fail? Executed wonderful with some dose of humor.
Mason Kronol 2 weeks ago
Yeah I’m mesmerized. Would like to see in person.
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Elladine DesIsles 2 weeks ago
But... I want to see what it looks like if one is standing on his other side... Optical illusions are great, from the perfect angle, but they don't always work in three dimensions.
Janissary35680 2 weeks ago (edited)
My first thought exactly. Trompe l'oeil and anamorphis only work if the artwork is viewed from the right angle.
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Dave Morris 2 weeks ago
Not really bad is it? I mean a bit weird, but extremely well executed.
nuberiffic 2 weeks ago
I dunno. This seems fake. The tattoo would only work from one angle; just doesn't seem like something someone would do
Sara Frazer 2 weeks ago
I don't see this as a "fail" that's some artistic skill right there! Plus I love the shark 🦈
Riley Quinn 2 weeks ago
This is not a "bad" tattoo simply because it's not your aesthetic. There's a level of quality here, whereas a bad tattoo skips right over quality and artistic skill.
Steve Robert 2 weeks ago
Plot twist: not an illusion. This is the aftereffect of meeting a zombie.
#2
America, The Beautiful
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 2 weeks ago
I'd rather park it out on the street, thanks for the offer though.
Tattoos are evidence that no matter how long something has been around, ultimately it comes down to human artistic skill to make it look good. We have evidence that people had some sorts of tattoos over 5000 years ago, for example, “Ötzi” whose mummified remains were found in the Alps, had a number of simple, line tattoos on his corpse.
We have more evidence from the ancient Egyptians, who put in more work to preserve their bodies after they died. One example had multiple animals, a bull and sheep, showing that the ancients weren’t that different from us and liked modifying the way they looked.
#4
Eminem&m
#6
Done By @imbusy666
This means that humans have been developing this skill for thousands of years, yet there are still tattoos being made in 2024 that are absolutely terrible. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, importantly, the person requesting the tattoo is almost never the person making it, so there is always the question of if this was what they really wanted.
#7
Can The Barber Cut His Hair?
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 2 weeks ago (edited)
He should have tattooed a rabbit on his head so it looks like hare from a distance.
#9
Oh.. No…
This underscores just how important it is to do one’s research. Good tattoo artists tend to charge a lot of money, but it’s best to think twice before entrusting someone’s roommate who happens to have a tattoo machine. This list stands as a warning as to what can happen. Remember, getting it removed is not at all fun either.
#10
👨👩👧👦
#11
Funny Tattoo By @mrjakeintheflesh
On the flip side, doing your research might take time and cost a bit more, but you can discover actually awesome artists who you maybe never would have known existed. Unless you have a very, very particular idea of what you want, it can be beneficial to explore some other art styles and see what a creative professional can suggest.
#13
A Real Team Of Talents
#15
Eagle 🦅
#18
Wednesday Has Changed A Little
#19
Caption This Ultraphoto 🤓
#21
Look At His Tattoo
#22
Shrek By @tattoosbysav
#23
Who’s Jesus? Done By @iluvvvlife
Hippopotamuses 2 weeks ago
There really is no comment that can do justice to this abomination.
#25
Angel Wings?
#26
🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧🌧
#27
Chess Or Checkers?
#28
Breakups Can Be Very, Very Emotionally Draining
#29
Dad Jokes Never Get Old
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 2 weeks ago
Which is worst? The quality of the tattoo or the quality of the beer?
#30
#31
What Do You Think? 🤔 Done By @jonnisahlberg
Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 2 weeks ago
Drastic reaction to not being able to grow an actual mustache.
#32
I Wonder If He Has Fries?
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
Another example of really neat idea if this was done for a Halloween party or something with makeup, but as a permanent tattoo? Perhaps not the best choice
#34
Happy Family 🤗
#35
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 weeks ago
If this was done with eyeliner pencil for a party or something, cool. Permanent tattoo? Oh my god.
#36
It’s Not Me It’s You
#37
No Pain No Gain 💪
#40
Sun 🌞 Clown 🤡 Done By @was.a.star
#42
Dude Got A Louis Vuitton Beard & Eyebrow Tattoos 😳😳
#43
Spotted In The Wild
#44
Patrick Star By @austinofthewell
#45
Omero Sinson
#46
Share Your Thoughts On This Tattoo? 🤔
#47
Thoughts? 🤔
#48
Nice 😎
#49
Football Hooligan?
Svenne O'Lotta 2 weeks ago
That's an old school skinhead. Not necessarily the racist kind. The Oil! and ska gives it away.
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What is your overall impression of these tattoo fails?
Pittsburgh rare 2 weeks ago
You have THE ENTIRE BODY to ink and you tattoo your forehead? I'm sorry, but a face tat tells me that person is not that mentally stable
Apatheist Account2 2 weeks ago
Just what I was thinking. I wouldn't employ any of these people for an office or customer-facing job.
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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 2 weeks ago
Did you hear about the lady with a W tattooed onto each buttock? When she bent over the tattoo said WOW.
Comment Deleted 2 weeks ago
This should be called what happens to unwanted children born into poverty when abortion is outlawed.
Janissary35680 2 weeks ago
Consult your dermatologist if irritation occurs.
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David “Dsumz” Sumner 22 hours ago
All depends on what the tattoo meant to the person who had it after all can you really blame the customer unless it's a really bad idea of what they want but at the end of it all if it turns out like a bad child's drawing haven't you got to look at the artist the tools and even the ink and never go to a guy called Terry the tattoist who lives on the corner of 66 doughnut street who does it in his kitchen and charges £15 quid an hour and says I've done a few now and I'm getting better but has no photos of his work then RED FLAG!!!!!
Marie BellaDonna 1 week ago (edited)
Everything else aside, when will people learn that you can't just go to any artist for a face portrait tattoo?? They're not like regular tattoos. They're much harder to do. You HAVE to go to someone who does them often, and has done them recently, and you HAVE to see their portfolio of work first! I LOVE my artist, and wouldn't go anywhere else. But I would NOT go to her for a portrait. Because that's not her specialty. And any decent artist would refuse to do something out of their wheelhouse. Their art on your skin is their advertisement. A good artist wouldn't want bad representation. I wouldn't get a portrait anyway. They're really difficult to do, really hard to get right, and they can just go way too badly, way too quickly. But, just like everything else on here that isn't my cup of tea, it's their skin, and their choice...
talliloo 2 weeks ago
whenever i see tats that are something just horrible or appear to have been an intended 'joke' i think about the woman (she has now passed on) who was known as being the most tattooed woman. she had tatted up every inch of her body...and i do mean every inch as i saw a photo exhibit of her. she related that when she got to her skull she had run out of ideas so told the artist it was his choice. what did she end up with? a collage of penises with vines and flowers. she acted like that was fine with her but there was something about her that kind of showed she really didn't like it. what else could she have said at that point.
Learner Panda 2 weeks ago
A few of these look like prison tats. I can't believe a professional artist would create things so awful.
Cheryl Robinson-Atwood 2 weeks ago
Tatts too often expose a decided lack of IQ points in the wearer.
Pittsburgh rare 2 weeks ago
You have THE ENTIRE BODY to ink and you tattoo your forehead? I'm sorry, but a face tat tells me that person is not that mentally stable
Apatheist Account2 2 weeks ago
Just what I was thinking. I wouldn't employ any of these people for an office or customer-facing job.
Load More Replies... Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 2 weeks ago
Did you hear about the lady with a W tattooed onto each buttock? When she bent over the tattoo said WOW.
Comment Deleted 2 weeks ago
This should be called what happens to unwanted children born into poverty when abortion is outlawed.
Janissary35680 2 weeks ago
Consult your dermatologist if irritation occurs.
Load More Replies... David “Dsumz” Sumner 22 hours ago
All depends on what the tattoo meant to the person who had it after all can you really blame the customer unless it's a really bad idea of what they want but at the end of it all if it turns out like a bad child's drawing haven't you got to look at the artist the tools and even the ink and never go to a guy called Terry the tattoist who lives on the corner of 66 doughnut street who does it in his kitchen and charges £15 quid an hour and says I've done a few now and I'm getting better but has no photos of his work then RED FLAG!!!!!
Marie BellaDonna 1 week ago (edited)
Everything else aside, when will people learn that you can't just go to any artist for a face portrait tattoo?? They're not like regular tattoos. They're much harder to do. You HAVE to go to someone who does them often, and has done them recently, and you HAVE to see their portfolio of work first! I LOVE my artist, and wouldn't go anywhere else. But I would NOT go to her for a portrait. Because that's not her specialty. And any decent artist would refuse to do something out of their wheelhouse. Their art on your skin is their advertisement. A good artist wouldn't want bad representation. I wouldn't get a portrait anyway. They're really difficult to do, really hard to get right, and they can just go way too badly, way too quickly. But, just like everything else on here that isn't my cup of tea, it's their skin, and their choice...
talliloo 2 weeks ago
whenever i see tats that are something just horrible or appear to have been an intended 'joke' i think about the woman (she has now passed on) who was known as being the most tattooed woman. she had tatted up every inch of her body...and i do mean every inch as i saw a photo exhibit of her. she related that when she got to her skull she had run out of ideas so told the artist it was his choice. what did she end up with? a collage of penises with vines and flowers. she acted like that was fine with her but there was something about her that kind of showed she really didn't like it. what else could she have said at that point.
Learner Panda 2 weeks ago
A few of these look like prison tats. I can't believe a professional artist would create things so awful.
Cheryl Robinson-Atwood 2 weeks ago
Tatts too often expose a decided lack of IQ points in the wearer.
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