The Tattooist

Cubism has Pablo Picasso, pop art has Andy Warhol, and tattooing has Mark Mahoney. Arguably the world’s most accomplished – and certainly one of the best known – tattoo artists, Mark has spent his career carefully inking the planet’s most famous faces, adorning their body with unique works of art.

But life hasn’t always been plain sailing. One doesn’t become a master overnight, after all. In a recent feature with GQ, Mark talks candidly about his past mistakes, spills the dirt on some of his movie star friends, and explains why there’s one tattoo he would never create under any circumstances.

To read more, check out GQ’s article https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/tattoo-artist-mark-mahoney-has-a-story-about-everyone

Lost in translation

Tattoo horror stories are ten a penny, but sometimes one comes along that leaves us with our collective jaws hanging. And when it happens to someone who is well known, it just makes us sit up and take note that little bit more.

Enter Turkish Instagram model Naz Mila, who has over 850,000 followers on Instagram. The superstar beauty wanted the phrase ‘Only God can judge my mistakes and truths’ written in English down the right side of her body, but somewhere along the way, the phrase was mistranslated, and ended up as an almighty – and incredibly embarrassing – mess.

Want to see the finished article? Pictures can be found in this Metro article https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/10/instagram-star-becomes-laughing-stock-with-badly-translated-tattoo-8022866/

Toon barmy

Have you ever seen a tattoo so bad that you just have no idea what it’s supposed to represent? Of course you have. But have you ever seen a tattoo of iconic Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer that makes him look like Mr Potato Head, star of Toy Story? If not, you’re in luck.

Fans of the Toon Army are rarely shy about taking their tops off to reveal tattoos dedicated to their team, but one fan’s fondness for his footballing hero has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. But at least Alan himself seems to have a sense of humour about the whole thing!

See The Sun’s write-up, complete with enough pictures to make you laugh yourself silly https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7456732/alan-shearer-newcastle-united-tattoo/

Enough to make an author cry

Is there any greater compliment than someone getting a tattoo to commemorate something you have done that has had a profound effect on their life? Not according to Harry Potter J.K. Rowling.

When two fans sent her a picture of their bespoke Harry Potter tattoos, designed to celebrate their wedding day, the writer admits she couldn’t help but shed a tear.

To see a picture of the tattoos that caused her to weep, check this Mashable article https://mashable.com/article/jk-rowling-fan-tattoo-reaction/?europe=true#3b1b2cOo8sqm

Inked up gran

It’s never too late to take up a new hobby, even if that hobby just happens to be getting tattooed head to foot at the age of 77.

For Glenys “The Menace” Coope, who lives alone in Derby since her partner passed away in 2014, tattooing has become a means of not only getting out of the house a little bit more often, but of creating pieces of art to remember those dearest to her.

To learn more about her story, watch this video on the BBC’s news website https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-derbyshire-45759190/never-tattoo-late-says-body-art-fan-glenys-77