Boldest Tattoo Fails

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Bad Tattoo

When someone gets a tattoo, chances are that they’re aware that whatever they’re getting is going to stay on their body for the rest of their life. Unless they are willing to pay for expensive and unpleasant laser removal surgery. But people still make the mistake of getting an inexperienced artist to tat them up.

Some people are aware of the tackiness of their tattoos. They get them for fun and know they’re memes. Maybe the only tattoos that people regret are things like ex’s names. But when an artist takes what you envisioned and creates an unrecognizable abomination on your skin, we’d chalk that up as a bad tattoo.

Almost As Scary As The Real Thing

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When people ask for portraits, tattoo artists are normally hesitant since they’re one of the hardest things to do. What you should do if you want a portrait is to find someone professional who specializes in portraiture.

Ask to see their previous work so you can see if you’d like their style on your skin. If you don’t do your research and jump into things, you may find yourself with a tattoo similar to this Michael Jackson piece.

Adults Shouldn’t Be Reading Children’s Books

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Harry Potter has risen in popularity ever since the movies came out. Avid fan tattoos have cropped up and the majority of them look great. The wizard’s influence has reached far and wide even getting under people’s skin.

We’re not saying that this tattoo couldn’t have looked good. It’s just that they took too many designs and tried to mash them together to create this monstrosity. We hope they try to get a cover-up – but it’s unlikely with how much black ink was used.

Not Even His Mother Could Love His Face

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Now you’d think as long as the tattoo artist is talented then that’s all you need right for a good tattoo, right? Well if the actual image that the customer wants is questionable, then it’s probably a bad tattoo.

Not to mention decided to get your tattoo on the unfortunate location of your face, we really hope his mother hasn’t disowned him with this black Adidas logo and the spiderweb creeping up his neck.

Tattoos Explaining Tattoos

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This tattoo and even the tattoo above it was pretty awful. This man must have gotten the first tattoo seriously and when it turned out looking awful he must have just decided to get more as a joke to draw attention away from the rest.

But what makes this tattoo so bad is the fact that he had to get another one just to explain the first. When people weren’t getting what they were and he got tired of explaining them he decided he’d let his tattoo speak for him.

You Must Think You’re Time

Reddit

Lots of “tough guys” will get tattoos of knives or guns or things that make them seem mean. We understand that a lot of people also get tattoos of objects they really like.

What makes this tattoo bad is the linework and the proportions. It looks like the customer asked the artist for a knife and gave him no reference. This forced the tattoo artist to ink on a knife from memory. That’s at least what it looks like anyway.

This One… Is Kind Cool

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The only reason this tattoo is here is because of how funny it is. The artist did a good job on it and the shading and linework are all perfect. But what makes this tattoo a fail in our book?

In a photo this looks awesome just at the right angle but imagine seeing it in person, we’d think it would look a little worse when you’re looking above or below eye level. But we bet he still shows it off every chance he gets!

The Irony Is That He Can’t See It

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Parents often tell their children that they should behave because they have eyes at the back of their heads. This guy must have taken it a little too far when his children questioned him.

Imagine standing in a line behind this guy for hours. He probably isn’t the least bit uncomfortable since he isn’t the one that has to see it. You’d be really wondering what made him decide to get this tattoo.

Any One Can Get A Tattoo…

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It takes a while just to be able to decipher this tattoo to find its hidden meaning, but not in a good way. If you read all the crossword letters it spells out: “any boy can be a father. it takes a real man to be a dad.”

The actual tattoo isn’t shaky but we feel that the person with the problem is the customer. We wonder what his wife thinks every time she shows it off to guests and excitedly waits for them to figure out his hidden message.

Why? Just Why?

Reddit

This man must have been refused service since he didn’t have any shoes. After being kicked out he got serious and thought of a way to always have shoes on, well sort of.

We don’t think he fooled the place he wanted to get into though. How often does this guy get the opportunity to show of this tattoo?

So bad it almost seems intentional

Reddit

Now This tattoo is something to behold. It’s such a simple tattoo yet so much is wrong with it. From the grammatical errors like: “It’s my life,” translated to “it’s is.” But maybe this can happen to anyone, right?

What we can’t forgive is the misspelling of Bon Jovi’s name spelled as: “Jon Bovi,” maybe Jon is their alter ego? Who knows. The important question is who’s to blame for this? The tattoo artist or the customer?

Grandpa Did Love His Pontiacs

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The problem we have with this tattoo is the linework. It looks like the customer was desperate enough to ask for a tattoo from a 4th grader with a crayon. It would explain a lot, come to think of it.

Like we’d understand if a 4th grader misspelled “grandma” right? We’ve all been there. But misspelling it, when you’re a tattoo artist, is kind of a big deal. Grandpa and “Grandam” would be disappointed to see this.

At Least Mufasa Didn’t Live to See This Terrible Tattoo.

Reddit

This tattoo is really unfortunate. The Lion King is a beloved Disney movie that many people cherish. This back piece was surely meant to be a beautiful portrait of Simba and Mufasa, but instead, it turned into this nightmare.

This is just another great argument for why adults shouldn’t get Disney tattoos. Although I suppose kids should probably avoid them too.

This Tattoo Is Horrific, but Not in the Way, They Were Hoping.

Reddit

We don’t know why you’d want a tattoo of Chucky the murderous toy popping out of your skin, but if that’s what you want we’re not here to judge.

What we are here to judge is that terrible linework and awful details. This rendition of Chucky is even uglier than the actual doll.

We’ve Got Low Prices (And Bad Tattoos).

Reddit

This is another great example of the actual subject matter of the tattoo being the fail. This is a pretty nice tattoo—the lines, lettering, and coloring are all solid—but why would you ever get a tattoo dedicated to working 10,000 hours at Walmart? That’s just tacky.

Do you think one of the Waltons is gonna get your dumb face tattooed on them? I’m skeptical, but I was also skeptical that someone would actually get a Walmart tattoo–and yet here we are.

I’m Sure This Will Age Well.

Reddit

There will always be people who get tattoos because they think it’s funny. This tattoo is a meme that someone decided to get on their body for the irony.

How funny will this tattoo be in 30 years when no one remembers the meme? Heck, it’s only be a year or two and I barely remember what this meme was about.

Maybe Ask to See a Portfolio Before You Choose a Tattoo Artist.

Reddit

Here is another example of a bad portrait. At least with this tattoo, the artist attempted to shade the face. Unfortunately, there’s nothing else positive that can be said about it. Everything is muddy, shaky, and incorrect—right down to the wonky eyes and creepy smile.

Everything is muddy, shaky, and incorrect—right down to the wonky eyes and creepy smile. Which, honestly, give the whole thing a very absurd, ventriloquist dummy vibe.

He’s Clever Enough to Think of This Tattoo but Not Clever Enough to Avoid It.

Reddit

This tattoo is actually pretty funny, but not in a “we’re laughing with you” kind of way. This fail of a tattoo is poorly done on top of being a bad idea.

It’s almost so bad that it loops back around to being good again. Almost.

An Underwhelming Tattoo for an Overrated Show—It’s Perfect.

Reddit

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Game of Thrones has finally ended after many years on HBO. The series had many dedicated fans, many of which got tattoos to commemorate their favorite show. Unfortunately for this fan, it looks like the artist was a newbie because they really messed up this tattoo.

Here’s hoping they keep it hidden under plenty of layers of clothing–and not just because it’s a terrible tattoo.

A Tattoo so Smart That It’s Incredibly Dumb

Reddit

The idea for this? Kinda cool. It’s the chemical smell for rain and morse code for “remember to dance in the rain” but have fun explaining that to everyone.

Unfortunately, no one will be having any fun but you when you explain this overwrought and pretentious tattoo.

This Tattoo Makes Me Hope the Zombies Win.

Reddit

We don’t really know what this image was supposed to be, so your guess is as good as ours. It kind of looks like a zombie, but then what’s in the background?

And why is the zombie a rainbow of colors? This is just an all-around failure of a tattoo.

Have Those Deer Been Hanging Around Chernobyl?

Reddit

This was probably supposed to be a cute tattoo of a momma deer cuddling with her baby, but it turned out looking more like Chernobyl deer after years of radiation. Just look at the forehead on that deer!

Other than just being a bad drawing, the coloring, shading, and linework all need some serious help. This is one tattoo that needs to be put out of its misery.

It’s so Ugly That It’s Almost Cute!

Reddit

It doesn’t get much funnier than this. Is this supposed to be a demon or some sort of hellcat? We’re not sure, but the finished result is hilarious. There is absolutely nothing good about this tattoo, but it sure is fun to laugh at!

Whatever it is, it’s not nearly as intimidating as it wants to be. Hopefully someone gets it to the groomer ASAP.

The Prince of Darkness Would Like to Have a Word With You…

Reddit

This tattoo is straight-up bad. The linework is fading and shaky, indicating that the artist didn’t use even pressure for the whole tattoo.

On top of the terrible quality, the image is just plain weird. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you—that really is a picture of babies breastfeeding from Satan. It’s so nice to see a mother bond with her young.

Even if This Wasn’t Misspelled, It Would Still Be a Terrible Tattoo.

Reddit

Sometimes the customer is not always right, like the person that insisted on getting this spelling error. The lettering on this tattoo is crisp and well-done, but the quote is messed up. The wrong “your” is used and the lyric is misquoted. It’s supposed to say “I don’t care if you’re contagious,” but that clearly didn’t work out.

Also, just FYI, unlike the recipient of this unfortunate tattoo, I definitely care if you’re contagious. So stay away.

Jesus Would Never Say It to Your Face, but He Hates Your Tattoo.

Reddit

Not even Jesus is safe from the wrath of bad tattoos. This must of been the day at school when all the kindergartners tried their hand at Byzantine iconography.

Luckily, Jesus is in the business of forgiveness because both the tattoo artist and recipient are going to need a lot of it.

As if Octopuses Weren’t Creepy Enough…

Reddit

While this tattoo is actually really well done, the picture the customer chose is really creepy! It kind of looks like a mix between a bubblegum-octopus and a traumatized Thomas the Tank Engine.

Maybe you would want this on your body forever, but most people would call this tattoo a fail.

In Uncle Sam’s Defense, He’s Been Dead for a While.

Reddit

There’s so much going wrong in this tattoo that it’s hard to list it all. The linework is shaky, the image is muddy, and the shading is laughable. On top of that, Skeleton Uncle Sam was meant to be a cover-up tattoo for that leopard print in the background.

Honestly, the leopard print seems less terrible than what went on top of it. Oh well, you can always cover this one up with something else, too!

It’s the Thought That Counts.

Reddit

Hopefully, this wasn’t supposed to be a memorial tattoo for a baby that passed away because the tattoo artist did the customer a serious disservice. The image has badly-drawn angel wings, baby feet that look like raisins, and a halo that looks like a turd.

What would you do if you were the customer? Besides ask for a refund, obviously–that’s a given.

He May Have Jumped the Gun…

Reddit

It doesn’t get much worse than this. This hopeful fan jumped the gun and got a tattoo dedicated to his team, which he thought was going to win the 2016 Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the Cowboys didn’t even make it to the Super Bowl, much less win. Just like his team, this guy’s tattoo is a fail.

At least in 20 years no one will know or care who won the Super Bowl 2017. If you think about it from that angle, this tattoo will depreciate in stupidity over time.