140 Examples Of Tattoos That No One Should Ever Get, As Shared In This Facebook Group (New Pics)
Good tattoo artists sometimes don’t get the attention and respect that they deserve. Some people simply assume that high-quality ink is par for the course. It’s only after you’ve seen just how bad things can truly get that you start developing an even deeper appreciation for good designs and techniques.
The ‘That’s It, I’m Inkshaming’ Facebook group calls out the worst of the worst tattoos that have ever found their way on someone’s skin. They gently poke fun at the designs and share the photos as a warning for everyone to put some thought into choosing their artists. It’s all done in good spirits though, as the point is to mock the actual art, not the people who got them.
Scroll down for some jaw-droppingly bad ink, upvote the tattoos that you’d hate to get the most, and let us know in the comments if you’ve ever had any ink regrets, Pandas. Meanwhile, if you’d like to see some more God-awful tattoos, you can take a peek at Bored Panda’s previous feature about the Facebook group right over here.
#1 Anyone Else Thinks That Looks Like A Big Bruise ?
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
Talented tattoo artist David McKinlay, who runs the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Scotland, told Bored Panda about how artists improve their skills, why it's essential to constantly try to improve, and just how important your reputation is in the industry (spoiler warning: it's everything). Check out our full interview with David from Archangel 1608 below, Pandas. Especially if you're an artist yourself or have hopes to be one in the future!
David, from the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio, explained to us how artists develop the skills and confidence to ink other people.
"So an apprentice tattooist will start tattooing on themselves, then when they have good knowledge, on their friends or regular customers of the studio they work at.
From there, their mentors will decide when they are ready to actually tattoo properly on paying customers," he told Bored Panda.
#2 When Your Mate Gets A Tattoo Gun
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#3 Not Sure If Wolf Utterly Surprised, Or If Wolf Gonna Hork
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
"You need to be confident in your skills to be a good tattooist, as you can’t half-ass it. Every tattoo needs to be the best you can make it, so you need to be sure you can do that. A sign of a good tattooist though is sometimes passing on a design if you’re not feeling 100% about it," tattoo artist David pointed out that it's fair to understand and acknowledge your limits. Humility and dedication are key character traits to have here.
As in most things in life, it's important to put in consistent effort to get better and better, avoiding stagnation.
"As long as tattoo artists are constantly trying to improve and evolve, they’ll always get better—sometimes it’ll be fast, sometimes slow, but as long as you realize you can always go up a level, you will," David said.
#4 No Step On Poop Snek
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#5 It's Like Looking In A Mirror!
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#6 More Like Stupidity
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
"There are too many people that think once they’ve reached a certain level of success, that they no longer have to work hard or make any effort with their work. Nowadays, a lot of artists are quite open about their techniques and skills and are happy to share them. This is how we all get better—by sharing and learning from each other," the tattoo master told Bored Panda.
David, from the Glasgow-based Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio, said that reputation is everything in the tattoo world.
"You’re only as good as the last tattoo you’ve done, and if you’re putting out low-quality work, your business will suffer. If you have been doing poor tattoos, you need to work hard, keep your head down, and only take on tattoos you’re sure you can do well."
#7 Dwight Shrute Lookin Lion
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#8 Sure It Does
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#9 They’re So Realistic, I Can’t Tell Which Ones Are Fake
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
The ‘That’s It, I’m Inkshaming’ Facebook group is an online community that unites 283.3k members. Up from 243k members the last time Bored Panda wrote about them, the members of the group have been shaming ‘Actually Bad Tattoos’ since 2017.
Their goal is to make people laugh by showing how ‘truly awful’ some designs are, whether due to a lack of skill on the part of the artist or due to reasons beyond anyone’s understanding.
The team running the group makes it very clear what the community is and isn’t for. “If a tattoo isn't your personal style, you disagree with the placement (like if you say you like tattoos because you're super [effing] hip! But God forbid someone have a face tattoo!), if you're only posting for attention, or if you're trying to get validation for a tattoo on your body that you know is fine... This isn't the place for you,” they write.
“If you're triggered by skin, and think every post should conform to your CW's... This isn't the place for you. This is a place to post truly awful, [crappy] tattoos, and laugh at them together. Any subject matter is welcome, your content warnings are not.” But before you post anything, make sure that you understand the rules that members are asked to abide by.
#10 Really Love How The Artist Thought The Skull Was Wrinkly Like The Skin
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#11 Never Seen A One Legged, Half-Tailed Mermaid Before
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#12 The Only Thing Worse Than The Execution Is The Concept Itself
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
Tattoo artist David, from the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Scotland, previously explained to Bored Panda how people can practice their skills in order to get better at inking others.
“Tattooists can practice on any number of things initially, to help them get the mechanics and techniques to tattoo properly,” he told us during an earlier interview. “You can buy synthetic skin, pig skin from a butcher’s, or even use fruit, such as oranges or lemons, bananas.”
Whatever the case might be, the artist noted that there’s really “no substitute for moving, breathing, sweating, bleeding human skin.” Sooner or later, all tattoo artists will have to practice on real people.
“The first 4 or 5 tattoos I ever did were on myself. It was a pretty severe learning curve, but I had to prove that I wanted the apprenticeship, and it let me see how the tattoos would heal up, and what I could do better,” David, from Glasgow, opened up about his own journey in the industry.
#13 My Ex Sent Me This Yesterday. That’s On His Throat. I Can’t Even Tell What Exactly It’s Supposed To Be. I Do Know That It Looks Horrific
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#14 What Someone Who’s Never Seen A Snake Before Drew After A Blind Person Described To Them What A Snake Looks Like
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#15 Local Shop Keeps Reposting This Like They're Really Proud Of It
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
“You shouldn’t really be tattooing actual clients for a long time, but if you can persuade friends to let you once you’re ready, that’s great,” he shared his thoughts.
“Tattooing is a craft, a skill, and should be taught directly from one person to another,” David said that it isn’t enough to learn by watching “a YouTube video or [going to] a bs tattoo ‘school’ that only care about your money.”
#16 It's The Centipede Cat Arm For Me
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#17 It Says "There Are Twice As Many Stars As Usual" And The Drawing Was Supposed To Be Used As A Rough Sketch
He showed me his vision and it looked great, then never shaded it, just told me it looked good and I owed him 400
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#18 Poor Vaporeon
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
The customers have to be completely confident about the tattoo they’re getting. A good artist will make sure that they don’t have doubts, big or small, about the design. That way, there are fewer regrets down the line. There’s a constant balance to be maintained between what the customer might want and what an artist can do.
#19 I'd Hate To See The Worst
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#20 Why Does She Look Like She’s Pooping Out A Chakra
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#21 Dude Has Hemorrhoids As Eyes
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
“We’ll try to offer a compromise, but if the client is too rigid, we’ll point them in the direction of another artist. The client is only right in terms of what they like, not how the tattoo can actually be done or will end up looking,” tattoo artist David told Bored Panda.
#22 I’ve Seen Road Rash On A Butt Cheek, And This Looks Like Road Rash On A Buttcheek
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#23 Boyfriends Brother Tattooed A Friend Last Night In Our Garage
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#24 That Lasagna Looks Crisp
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
“We won’t do any hateful tattoos—racist, homophonic, sectarian, etc. Those tattoos are bad news, but unfortunately, there are those that will still do them,” he said that artists should refuse to do tattoos like this.
“Sometimes, a client will sneeze, or move to answer their phone, meaning the tattoo has an extra line or detail,” the artist said that mistakes happen to everyone, sooner or later.
#25 Its So Bad, But Its Cute
#26 When Getting A Tattoo The Absolute Last Thing I Would Care About Is How Fast The Tattooist Is
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#27 Someone Made A Serious Oopsie
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
“The important thing is not to panic (and not to panic the client). Take a few minutes and work out how to deal with the mistake—maybe add an extra detail, darken up some shading. Nine times out of ten, you can correct an issue. Stay cool and work it out!”
#28 This Is Not The Way
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#29 Maybe Don’t Actually Just Do It?
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#30 *looks At A Paper Of Bird Anatomy* *tosses Over Shoulder*
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#31 A Girl That Used To Bully Me In High Schools New Ink. Maybe She Bullied The Artist Too
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#32 This Key Wouldn't Even Fit On That Keyhole
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#33 Impeccable Form
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#34 I Have Never Seen A Back Wing Tattoo That I Liked. But This One… This I Hate Even More Than The Others
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#35 Self- Shame Sunday, But Not Really Because I Regret Nothing, Lol. Meet Sharkita
Image credits: Mandy Kinyon
#36 What She Asked For.. vs. What She Got
Image credits: Group member
#37 Part Of It Is Invisible... I Just... Wow... Nope
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#38 Its So Bad It's Good
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#39 This Is A Photo Of Someone Spreading Covid
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#40 Jerssika Ribbet
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#41 There Are No Redeeming Qualities
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#42 They Have A Negative Heart Beat?
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#43 That Wolf Has Seen Some Stuff
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#44 Eww On A F**kin Bed? Seems Sanitary
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#45 Another Hour?? To Do What?? Make More Mistakes????
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#46 It's Sad That She Recorded His Heart Attack On Her Arm Forever
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#47 This Was An Ad In My Insta Feed From A Tattoo Shop For Their Custom Design Cover Up
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#48 What Artist Doesn’t Know The Order Of The Rainbow?!
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#49 Expectations vs. Reality
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#50 This Person Has Never Seen A Snake
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#51 While Looking For Scar Coverage Tattoos, I Found This Gem
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#52 Black Coffee Bean Pigeon
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#53 Permanently Filthy. Big Win!
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#54 My Mom Didn't Like This One
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#55 What A Horrible Coverup
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#56 Is This Celtic For “Bad Choice?”
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#57 Uh, My Eyes Are Down Here
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#58 Joke's On Him
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#59 Zoinks Scoob
Image credits: Gemma Hawkins
#60 The "Bones" Look More Like Boners
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#61 This Is The Most Texan Thing I've Ever Seen
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#62 Tiger... Lilly?
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#63 Cursed Sour Gummy Worm And Big Toe Nail Clipping. I Like The Symbolism
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#64 When You Get Stoned And Eat A Whole Cherry Pie
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#65 How Is Babby Formed?
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#66 Why
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#67 I Just Can't With My Local Shop Anymore
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#68 I Asked For The Cancer Zodiac Sign, I Got 69
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#69 I'd Miss My Parents Too If I Had That Tattoo Cause They Wouldn't Speak To Me With How Bad That Is
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#70 This Is...... A Lot To Take In
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#71 The Anime Groups Never Stop
Image credits: Nik Rael
#72 Awww Heart Poopies
#73 That Palm Has As Much Cellulite As The Parts Under My Butt Cheeks
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#74 Those Tires Are Flat Lol
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#75 Crooked A** Lines And Hot Dog A** Fingers
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#76 It’s A Woman Crying Into Her Heavily Mutated Hands After Ingesting Toxic Waste After A Bad Break Up. Her Insides Are All Jumbled Up Now
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#77 Tell Me Your Name Is Kyle Without Telling Me Your Name Is Kyle
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#78 Girl Friend? Gluten Free? Giant Fart?
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#79 Sad Nicholas Cage
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#80 It’s So Irresponsible To Do A Memorial Piece Poorly
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#81 Beautiful...flower
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#82 Dollar Store Jesus
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#83 Why Are The Edges Cut Off
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#84 That Owl Has Seen Some Things
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#85 Live People Ignore ... What???
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#86 Steve Broke Her Heart
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#87 Awh Poor Person
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#88 I Was Simply Looking At Joker Tattoos For Ideas, And Then I Found This
Image credits: Mako Dragmire
#89 Whoever Tattooed This Should Not Be Tattooing On Human Skin
Image credits: Trip
#90 What’s Happening With Her Leg?! His Back?! Their Hands?
Image credits: Jessica Rae
#91 Eeeek
Image credits: Annie Bandy
#92 Seems Legit
Image credits: TJ Suchocki
#93 Every One Hates It But This Dumb Tattoo Makes Me Giggle Every Time I Look At It
Image credits: Eunice Pepper
#94 This Was Supposed To Be The Girls Mom
Image credits: Ana Laura
#95 Saw This In Another Group Lol
Image credits: Samuel Slaughter
#96 Ooof ...what They Got vs. What They Asked For
Image credits: Zenith Desade
#97 If You’re Going To Reach For The Stars, Reach For The Lowest Star You Can
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#98 Someone Needs To Put That Poor Animal Out Of Its Misery
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#99 Turtlenecks For Life!!!
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#100 I Work At A Nursing Home And It Gets Called A Wolf Or A Llama. It Is Supposed To Be Baphomet
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#101 "Hi Yes I'd Like My Ear To Look Like A Wetherspoons Plate Please"
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#102 Octobooty
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#103 I Love When People Get Fonts In Microscopic Sizes And Expect Them To Last The Rest Of Time
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#104 Um
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#105 No One Will Let This Woman Be Dead In Peace. Every Bad Portrait Wakes Her Up
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#106 The Piece, The Placement (Above Belly Button) And The Audacity… Send Help To This Man
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#107 It’s Supposed To Be Chester Bennington
Image credits: Tony Martin
#108 Dr Martens In Process Lol. Why!?! Looks Like His Skin Was Peeled Off His Foot
Image credits: Brandon Smith
#109 Done Sitting On My Bed With A Bottle Of Pink Whitney By My Late Husband. Tattooing Was Not His Calling
Image credits: Holli Would
#110 Jesus
Image credits: Dani Miller
#111 An Artist I Went To Once (And Regretted) Posted This Spider Today And All I Can See Is Hairy Nutsack Fangs
Image credits: Group member
#112 On A Local Artist Page.... I Cannot!!
Image credits: Kelsey Brown
#113 From A Hometown Tattoo Artist
Image credits: Group member
#114
Image credits: Group member
#115 Found In The Wild
Image credits: Abi Pollard
#116 A Little Batman My Daughter Drew, Because Everybody Needs A Little Super Hero
I think it's awesome, but it's not good- good by any means
Image credits: Justus van Laake
#117 Fiona Oxton
Image credits: I can't even with the apostrophe
#118 I Don’t Understand
Image credits: Brittany Jade Kessel
#119 Oh My Glob
Image credits: Group member
#120 Found On A Ghostbusters Fan Page
Image credits: Jason Nunez
#121 A Pmu Artist Who Now Does Tattoos…. And She ”specializes” In Microblading (Brows)
Image credits: Group member
#122 My Newest Addition! I Always Said I Would Never Get Tattooed Outside Of A Shop, And Then I Realized Life Is Short, And We Should Do What Makes Us Happy
So, today I let my brother-in-law tattoo me. Anytime someone leaves our house we say “love you, bye”, so it has a special meaning. It’s terrible and I absolutely love it!
Image credits: Tammy Cooper
#123 10 Years Will Do Your Tattoos No Justice. Lol
Image credits: Michael Myers
#124 From A Disney Group
Image credits: Lana Baker
#125 "This Is Exactly What They Asked For"
Image credits: Page Frullo
#126 Found In A Scuba Group. Guess What I Am?
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#127 Found In A Fb Mountain Bike Group
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#128 Jesus? Is That You!!?!??
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#129 No Comment
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#130 This Fairy Is Doing Good Squat
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#131 She's Proud Of Her "Kentucky"
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#132 Have No Words
Image credits: That's It, I'm inkshaming
#133 At First Glance It Wasn’t So Bad…. And Then The Eyes… The Eyes!!!
Image credits: Chris Blagbrough
#134 She Absolutely Loves It Which Is Fine I Guess? I’m Glad Because I’d Be P*ssed
Image credits: Group member
#135
Image credits: Dustin Brown
#136 Found On Tinder...... Hope Youre Not In Here
Image credits: Garret Lanky
#137 Found In A Tattoo Apprentice Group
Image credits: Jacob Roe
#138 I Didn't Realize How Hard It Is To Take A Photo Of My Own Ankles
Image credits: Kiley Crusha
#139 From A Book Group I’m In
Image credits: Group member
#140 Everyone’s Saying The Artist Should Be In Inkmaster
Image credits: Group member