People Are Tattooing Fruit—Here’s Why

When life gives you lemons (or honeydew melons, bananas, grapefruits), tattoo them.

Tattooing fruit has been around for ages and is often one of the initial practices a mentor suggests to his or her apprentice. There are a few challenges one faces when tattooing fruit: Its shape, its texture, its take to ink. While honeydew melon is great for line work and offers a decent size to play with, it is not ideal to practice shading. Honeydew is however believed to be the most similar to that of human skin. Grapefruits, oranges and lemons have like textures and were used when tattoos were still largely taboo, but the ink frequently bleeds when overworked. Keeping the piece of fruit steady is difficult, of course, but any great artist will find his or her way around it in time.

If done right and plenty, tattooing fruit can offer some of the best tattoo training without the pressure of fucking up. Plus, the results make for stellar centerpieces. Watch the video below to see how tattooing fruit is done in real-time, and scan the gallery for a look at some of the coolest decorative fruit on the planet.

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