Not everyone can be a good tattooist. There is a lot that goes into the practice, including artistic talent and patience. A lot of people try to cut corners when getting a tattoo by going to a cheap artist or getting their buddy to tattoo them with a gun he bought off of a friend. A good tattoo goes a long way, and these photos prove it.
Stay Blown-Out
Blowouts are the last thing you want in a tattoo next to infections. Tattoos that are blown out age terribly, look fuzzy and change the look of the tattoo. A blowout generally happens with poor tattooing but it is sometimes hard to avoid. This person didn't even try to avoid the blowout.
Learn Your Directions
We all learned about compasses in elementary school. So, why did this person mess up so badly? It's so easy! "Never Eat Soggy Waffles." This person drew up the compass as "Never Soggy Waffle Eats" which could kind of work, right?
What is Lettering?
Lettering seems simple enough, but it's actually a pretty tricky tattoo practice. You have to get the kerning correct, the line height looking naturally pleasing, and the overall aesthetic just needs to fit. This tattoo hit absolutely none of those points. Also, that "h" looks like an "n" and the word "without" looks like two words. Overall, it's rough!
Grammar is Everything
If you are getting a quote or any words tattooed, make sure they are correct. There is a distinct difference between "your and you're." This person meant "Live Your Life," not "Live You Are Life." Not only is it spelled wrong, but it looks bad, too.
This Looks Painful
We're not totally sure as to what this is supposed to be, but we are sure that it's not supposed to look like that. Tattoo lines are not supposed to be scratchy and painful like that. A lot of the time, a bad tattoo will consist of shaky yet solid lines. This is the complete opposite of that.
Another Portrait Bites the Dust
There's a lot going on with this one, and none of it is good. It's kind of impossible to think that someone would do such a bad tattoo. Not only is the linework shaky, but it also doesn't make any sense. The shading is barely shading, it's more like someone scratched them with the needles. And the hair... Wow.
Don't Look At Me Like That
It's hard to tattoo a face, especially when you're trying to make it look realistic. The bad shading on the face makes this even more creepy to look at. Imagine living with that on your arm! Definitely cover-up material.
Ouch In More Ways Than One
Portraits are tricky! It's really hard to find a tattoo artist who can do a portrait tattoo while still capturing what the person looks like. Obviously, this tattooist did not pass the portrait test. We're pretty sure that Maria doesn't look like that in real life. Also, what is with the yellow shading coming out of her head? It's all sorts of weird and wrong.
Careful with Cursive
If you're not good at cursive, "Never tip the crown" can quickly turn into "Neven tip the croun." Unless they spelled "crown" wrong, which is very, very possible. Either way, bad lettering, bad tattoo!
Yeah, That's Infected
And this is what an infected tattoo looks like. This looks like the issue of the tattooist and not the client. If you get tattooed in a dirty environment with dirty tools, this is easily the end result. Invest in your tattoos so this doesn't happen.
A Butterfly and Flower
At least this tattoo is legible! Technically, it's a pretty poor tattoo. The lines are totally blown out, the color is scratched in, and you can see visible scar tissue in the liner lines.
That's All Scarred
How is it possible to have a tattoo that only scar tissue? The tattoo artist must have had the heaviest hand in the world. This tattoo is completely healed, so it won't be getting any better.
Father and Son...?
We're pretty sure this is Simba and his dad, right? It's a little hard to tell, the proportions are a little off and the lines are actually just scratched. Imagine having this on your back. This definitely didn't age well.
Sorry, Karen
Karen doesn't deserve this crappy tattoo, no one does. The snake's proportions are absolutely awful and there's no shading on the knife or blood. This is why you don't get a cheap tattoo.
Taylor Swift, Adjacent
You really need to be able to nail a celeb tattoo. What if this person ended up meeting T-Swift and showing her this tattoo? She'd be insulted.
Uncle Sam Wants... You?
This is supposed to be Uncle Sam, yes. But, is it really? Where is he pointing? The awful coloring is one thing, but the shading to boot makes this unbelievably bad.
Dollar Store Dory
Dory is looking a little rough these days. She's also looking quite splotchy. Color tattoos are supposed to be solid, and the application on this one is definitely not solid.
Doing Historical Figures Dirty
This person must have felt super connected to Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson, and George Washington. So much so that he got them tattooed on his chest, but not connected enough to go to a more expensive and competent tattoo artist.
Yep, That's What He Said
This is definitely a satire piece. Well, hopefully. But the scratchy, "it's is my life - Jon Bovi" is too hilarious. Is this technically a bad tattoo? Sure. Is it funny and a good conversation starter? Absolutely.
Additive... What?
Additives are substances added in small quantities to a food product. Usually, the word refers to chemicals. So, this tattoo was obviously a spelling mistake. Maybe they were trying to spell "Addictive?" Which is still very weird.
This is a Finished Tattoo
Like the title says, this is a finished tattoo. This isn't the linework. It's all done. For one, most of the time, the linework is only done in black. It's not super rare to see something without a thick black line, but this is a bit much. This isn't going to age well at all.
Power To Ya
This tattoo was from a very specific picture that the client wanted. It's not like it's a bad picture, it's just a bad tattoo. The proportions are all wrong and the lines in her face make her look older. That's cover-up material for sure.
Very Cringe
The application of this tattoo is horrendous, but the concept might be even worse. Is "Facebook Famous" even worth anything anymore? Would anyone want to be Facebook Famous? This is a very embarrassing tattoo to have in such a high visibility spot.
Is The Joker Okay?
The Joker looks mighty disgusted in this tattoo. Maybe he isn't so happy to be there. It's also very bold to get Jared Leto's Joker... Not even Heath Ledger? Really?
Sorry, Jesus
Getting an entire hand tattoo is bold already, but with Jesus's face looking like that? That's a bit blasphemous, don't you think?
This is Insulting
It seems like this person loves Jesus enough to get him tattooed, but not enough to go to a good tattooist. It seems like the tattoo artist pretty much gave up on shading.
Tattoos Are Forever
... pregnancies are not. This tattoo is always going to be on her body, even after the baby is born. This is a little weird!
Not Quite
This is supposed to be a tattoo of Nefertiti's bust. It's a truly iconic sculpture and has been tattooed time and time again. This tattoo is absolutely one of the worst out there. They did not do her justice!
This is a Nightmare
There's a lot going on in this tattoo... It's pretty confusing! Obviously, it's very special to the person who got it but for everyone else, it makes no sense. It's also done poorly (surprise, surprise).
This Is Wrong
Honestly, whoever did this tattoo should go to jail. First of all, it's completely unreadable and you can't tell what it is. Second, it's done poorly and the lines are shaky and scratchy. Third, it's in such a high visibility area that it will never, ever be fixed!
Ariana Grande? Is That You?
Okay, this is actually satire. Someone drew Ariana Grande like that, and someone else decided to get it tattooed. To be honest, it's pretty funny. We're not sure what Ari thinks of it, though!
Taking "Forever" Seriously
If you couldn't tell due to the blowout, the gravestone said, "Whatever, Forever." Yeah, forever is for sure! Also, getting a tattoo by some dude is never a good idea.
King & Queen of Cringe
Couples' tattoos are tricky and looked down upon in the tattoo world. That doesn't mean artists won't do them, though. If they do ever break up, at least the ink isn't completely tied to the other person.
This was Bold
If you didn't know, this is a SpongeBob SquarePants character named Plankton. He only has one eye, so this kind of makes sense. It absolutely does not look good, though. It's quite a commitment.
A Loose Definition of a Zebra
Art is subjective, sure. And this is definitely a zebra. Is it a well-done zebra? No. Tattoo lines need to be solid and consistent. This tattoo has about the opposite of that technique.
Dedicated to the Cause
This guy could commit to an entire chest piece and lifestyle but he couldn't commit to a decent tattoo artist. The proportions of the cow and pig are inexcusable. How can you make such cute animals look scary?
A Lot To Unpack Here
Let's start with the letter. It's shaky, scratchy, and the weight of the lettering changes a lot. They also used the wrong "your" so that's good. The "target" looks like a dark circle. Overall, it's not done well.
Sorry, Mom
If this is supposed to show your mom how much you love her, then you failed. The tattoo is a nice sentiment, but it's done so poorly that it's offensive. Color tattoos are supposed to be packed solid! There shouldn't be any streaks whatsoever.
Ouch All Over
This one is super weird. The actual logo of the football team is done really well. Obviously, it was done way before the lettering and not by the same person. It looks like they didn't even put a stencil on the person before they started spelling out "Denver Broncos." That's a shame!
Sorry, Ashley
This is not a great way to honor that special someone in your life. Are none of these tattoo artists using stencils? How are the letters in "Ashley" so uneven and wrong? Don't even get us started on the tiger.
A Nice Sentiment
Honestly, the cursive on this tattoo isn't that bad, but the spelling is! "Smiling" is spelled super incorrectly. The happy little peppermint candy is kind of cute, but it's really not done well. That is barely a circle.
Can Aliens Shred?
Apparently, they can. A silly tattoo doesn't make it bad; it's more about the application. The lines are shaky, there is no shading or depth, and the proportions (even though who's to say that an alien has Earthly proportions?) are super off. Overall, the tattoo is silly yet bad.
Hopefully, This is a Joke
Sometimes, people get ironic tattoos like this one. But this one... Well, it's really hard to say whether or not it's satire. On one hand, the lettering looks bad and uneven. And of course, if you didn't catch it, "Nothing" is missing the letter "T."
No Stencil In Sight
If you didn't know, all tattoos need to be stenciled before they're tattooed onto someone's skin. It's always obvious when someone gets a tattoo that was totally freehanded. This one is scratchy, shaky cursive. And, of course, "conquer" is spelled wrong. It's one thing to spell something wrong online or on paper, but on someone's skin? Unforgivable.
Voldemort?
Why does it look like this tattoo artist gave Voldemort a nose? Doesn't he famously not have a nose? Aside from that, this is still a super rough tattoo.
This One Is Just Rough
This tattoo is definitely giving "done in a kitchen" vibes. The black liner is splotchy and blown out. The fire isn't even blended! How could someone do this and then be happy with it?
Oh, Marilyn
This tattoo artist did the opposite of justice to poor Marilyn Monroe. They used her iconic photo as a reference but still messed it up horribly.
Harry Styles
This girl took her love for Harry Styles to a whole new level. This is true dedication! Kind of. It was actually a fake tattoo that she completely trolled the internet with. Could you imagine if it was real, though?
Meatball Special
This is the type of tattoo you get in someone's dark basement. Word to the wise: don't go to a tattooist who doesn't know what they're doing. It's very apparent that was the case with this piece.
Bold Move
These are the lyrics to Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta." It's not uncommon to get lyrics tattooed, but it is uncommon to see them this big on a person. This was probably super painful, and for what? Just to have an ugly tattoo? So sad.
What Are Human Proportions
... is what this tattoo artist should have googled before they scarred this client. There's literally nothing right about this tattoo. From the shading to the proportions, to the color... Nada!
Artistic or Lame?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this person obviously thought that this tattoo was art. To most others, it just looks like leg hair with extra steps.
Grimes Did It Again
This is the back of music artist (and partner to billionaire Elon Musk) Grimes. Fans roasted her for her odd design and for the fact that she got this done in white ink. If you didn't know, white ink doesn't last at all and can actually damage your skin when exposed to the sun for too long.
The Suggestion of a Lion
This isn't quite a lion. The more you look at the tattoo, the more you see wrong with it. There's no real consistency with this tattoo.
That's Not Human
If this is supposed to look like a zombie Steve Buscemi, then they nailed it. More than likely it was not supposed to look like a Zombie Steve Buscemi. That's a bit tragic! Human skin color should not look green.
Another Basement Tattoo
This one was definitely done in someone's basement. You can tell that this is healed already, so this is the ultimate final product. Why make the dinosaur look pigeon-toed?
Spitting Facts
The tramp stamp trend came and went, but the tramp stamps themselves have stayed. Funny enough, this person decided to embrace their mistake wholeheartedly with another tattoo. At least it'll give you a laugh!
Devil Child
This was obviously supposed to be someone's child, but instead it looks like the girl from The Exorcist. There's no fixing this one.
Going Extreme
This one isn't too bad, honestly. A lot of the linework isn't great, nor is it consistent, but at least the black ink is punched into the skin. Let's not talk about the proportions, though...
A Total Mess
This tattoo is supposed to look abstract, but it's just kind of bad. The lines aren't solid and are pretty scratchy.