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?

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#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

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#53 Permanently Filthy. Big Win!

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#54 My Mom Didn't Like This One

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#55 What A Horrible Coverup

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#56 Is This Celtic For “Bad Choice?”

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#57 Uh, My Eyes Are Down Here

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#58 Joke's On Him

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#59 Zoinks Scoob

Image credits: Gemma Hawkins

#60 The "Bones" Look More Like Boners

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#61 This Is The Most Texan Thing I've Ever Seen

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#62 Tiger... Lilly?

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#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

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#65 How Is Babby Formed?

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#66 Why

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#67 I Just Can't With My Local Shop Anymore

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#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

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#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

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#75 Crooked A** Lines And Hot Dog A** Fingers

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#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?

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#79 Sad Nicholas Cage

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#80 It’s So Irresponsible To Do A Memorial Piece Poorly

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#81 Beautiful...flower

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#82 Dollar Store Jesus

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#83 Why Are The Edges Cut Off

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#84 That Owl Has Seen Some Things

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#85 Live People Ignore ... What???

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#86 Steve Broke Her Heart

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#87 Awh Poor Person

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#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

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#99 Turtlenecks For Life!!!

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#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"

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#102 Octobooty

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#103 I Love When People Get Fonts In Microscopic Sizes And Expect Them To Last The Rest Of Time

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#104 Um

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#105 No One Will Let This Woman Be Dead In Peace. Every Bad Portrait Wakes Her Up

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#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

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#114

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#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?

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#127 Found In A Fb Mountain Bike Group

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#128 Jesus? Is That You!!?!??

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#129 No Comment

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#130 This Fairy Is Doing Good Squat

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#131 She's Proud Of Her "Kentucky"

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#132 Have No Words

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#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