Inked Mag Staff

July 19th, 2022

45 Creative KAWS Tattoos

Are you familiar with KAWS?

While you may not recognize the name Brian Donnelly, we’re certain you’re familiar with Kaws. Kaws, stylized as KAWS, is the professional name of Donnelly and he’s most known for his stylized characters. These characters have some of the same physical characteristics as Mickey Mouse, such as the shoes, shorts and gloves. However, his figures typically also have a skull-shaped head, X’s for eyes and bones on either side of the head. Donnelly began painting his characters in the 1990s and later expanded to casting his figures in 3-D.

KAWS figures range significantly in size, with the smallest being just a few inches in height and the tallest reaching nearly 33 feet. Over the years, KAWS has done a number of high profile collaborations with artists like John Mayer, MTV, Comme des Garçons and Travis Scott. KAWS has also shown at a number of high profile museums around the world, including the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center, the High Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum.

KAWS has also made its way into the tattoo world, inspiring numerous artists across a variety of styles. Take a look at 45 of our favorite creative KAWS tattoos in the gallery below, then let us know your favorite piece from this list in the comments section on social media.

 

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