16 tattoo artists reveal the absolute worst ink they've ever given a client.

Getting a tattoo can be a fun way to express your style permanently, but what about when your request makes an artist who has done countless designs shudder with secondhand embarrassment?

While most artists won't actively judge your decision, they might deny your design if they don't want that kind of work attached to your portfolio. Sorry, lower back butterflies, infinity symbols on the wrist, dolphins on the ankle, or incorrect translations of a language you don't speak. So, when a Reddit user asked tattoo artists everywhere, 'What's the worst tattoo you've ever given someone?' people were ready to share the worst designs, requests, or overall awkward customer experiences they ever endured during a shift at the shop.

1.

I did a cover up that I wasn't proud of, but that's what the client wanted. A couple came in to the shop asking for a cover up of an ex bf. She showed me and surely enough, a big guy's name on her side hip. The good part was it was done in a light blue ink, easy to cover. I already started getting ideas in my head of what to cover it with. Guy steps in and says, 'No. We just want a star over it.'

The name was about 5-6 inches long and I explained that a star that big would have to be, at least... 8inches big to fully cover the name. Both said yes to this. My boss walks over and gets on my ass for not suggesting something else, but I explained to him that that's what they wanted. Both looked at him and nodded.

By the time it was done, this small, petite girl had a blue star covering her entire hip area. It looked cheap, tacky, just stupid. After that, I refused to do cover ups if the client doesn't listen to reason. - tattooed_n_high

2.

I do custom script, there's this couple that comes in, trashy tattoos etc. She tells me that he's going away to prison in a few weeks and he wants to get her name and she'll get his name right after. I insist this isn't the best idea, try to convince them otherwise, they don't listen.

So I do it because rent doesn't pay itself and I got bad habits to maintain. He goes first. After getting her name tattooed across his stomach she spits in his face, says: 'Now you understand how sh*tty it felt when you slept with insert name here, you thought I'd never find out you f*cking piece of sh*t?!' And then stormed out the shop, never getting hers...

Now I'm not a 100% sure here because I'm not very good with these things but I think they had problems... cough - Grimzkhul

3.

A tattoo of Lois Griffin from family Guy in her underwear, right on his bicep. He was so proud of it. - noskee

4.

One day he had a woman come in and ask for a full back tatoo of musical notes. My mate had asked her what music she wanted tatooed and she said she didn't care. So yeah I get this call from him asking if I could help him find sheet music to a particular song. She ended up with Star Wars - The Imperial March tatooed on her back and to this day I doubt she knows what song it is. - FjorgVanDerPlorg

5.

Maybe not worst necessarily but weirdest was once during my apprenticeship a guy wanted Wrangler pockets on his butt cheeks. Nobody else in the shop wanted to do it so they gave it to me for practice so I end up spending hours doing detailed pockets on this guy with the Wrangler patch on one cheek and the Skoal ring on the other. He seemed to like it though. - lunchboxink

6.

'Love, Laugh and Live' in Chinese script; it took a few days before someone pointed out to her that she actually had 'Please choose one of the tattoos below' in Chinese script on her right arm. - richardharrowsmask

7.

A dragon and a unicorn. Spooning. Dragon was big spoon. They were floating on a cloud. It was a sizable shoulder piece. - skooterblade

8.

I tattooed in Ibiza, Spain in 2008. A guy wanted his wifes initials tattooed on his chest. After I done the 3 initials he kept laughing. I asked what was up. He said 'you'd never have done that if I told you it stood for Do Not Resuscitate'. My heart stopped. No pun intended. - ItsJustGizmo

9.

A buddy of mine was in China and got a tattoo in chinese lettering saying 'Horse C*ck'. He specifically asked the artist for the closest thing in chinese to 'c*ck' as opposed to just 'penis' for extra vulgarity. The tattoo artist thought this was great because he himself has a tattoo of a wizard with a d*ck for a head... - [deleted]

10.

Late evening and I'm in a tattoo shop getting my first tattoo. About 15 minutes into it some guy drives up to the shop with alarming speed and I swear he stopped his car with his e-brake. He barges into the store and demands he have a 'black bar' inked onto his chest. He pulls his shirt down and Rebecca is written. My artist replies 'we don't do black bars here' and the guy furiously exited the building lol - SeriousBA

11.

A biker girl that got 'Property of (guy's name)' on her lower back. Talking huge though, literally half her back. Same deal as the last one. Might as well get it done right and might as well be the one that makes the money.

Apparently her and the guy had only been dating for two months, and she had just had a baby with another guy. Even asked her when the guy went outside to smoke if she was sure, and that she could back out if she wanted to and made sure she wasn't getting pressured into it.

She was just genuinely down as fuck for the guy, absolutely stoked to get that tattoo. Hope they're still together cause there's no way in fuck that giant tattoo is getting covered. - Noservant

12.

The worst tattoo that I wasn't given was denied to me by an artist who said I was too drunk. ...I owe that man or woman everything. (It would have been a name tag on my chest that said 'hello, my name is....') - Weekend833

13.

A pokemon valor tattoo on someone's neck. - Jilgebean

14.

A dream catcher on his leg (I think calf I forget) but instead of feathers hanging it's dildos. - [deleted]

15.

4 kids in their early 20s came in. One of them lost a bet, he had to get a tattoo and he had to let the tattoo shops artists pick it. Being the lot of wise area we are, I shouted 'unicorn with a d*ck for a horn' and my co-workers yelled 'd*ck taco.'

His friends laughed and he was blown away and just beside himself. His friends and him agreed to let him pick 4 of his own choices and put a number from 1 to 6 on all of the ideas then roll a die. Well, we had one of our best artists do an amazing a unicorn with a d*ck horn on him...I'm just glad people still hold up to their end of a bet. - MajesticChazwazzer

16.

A tattoo of Roman numerals with his date of birth running down his forearm. The problem is - he wasn't old enough to get one at the time so lied on the form he had to fill out, and as a result, he now has a tattoo with the WRONG date of birth on his arm! - UnclePepperpoty