Tattoo Topic: Fixing Imperfections

We’ve all got imperfections and most of the time they are nothing more than our own insecurities. But if you brought your tattooist a portrait of say, your grandma or your father, even your child, and they had a crooked nose or lots of wrinkles, would you want the artist to “spruce them up” or leave as is? After all, you’re about to permanently ink their face onto your body. Plus, the work has to be pretty big to show substantial detail.

Bernadette Macias set out and spoke to a bunch of top artists (Russ Abbott, James Vaughn, Nikk0 Hurtado, and more) to get their take on this installment of Sullen TV’s Tattoo Topic – their answers are hilariously real. Some think it’s only right to keep as is, but others try to fix the blemishes. Nikki Hurtado makes a good point when it comes to tattooing a portrait of a child, “Always fix it because the parents don’t see them like that and when you tattoo it, it always comes out worse, so then they’re like ‘why is my kid’s eye crooked?’” How does an artist tell a client that their kid looks busted in the picture, though? And how would you react if your artist said that to you?

Just in case my opinion matters, I say leave as is – that adds to who they are and you love them anyway! Like America’s Sweetheart Marilyn Monroe said, imperfection is beauty. Check out the video below to hear what the professionals have to say.