A Manchester-based tattoo artist has come up with a novel idea to save customers money on pricey trainers – by permanently tattooing them on to their feet.
Dean Gunther, 34, originally from Bellville, South Africa, moved to the UK five years ago and opened DG Tattoo art in Ashton-under Lyne. He first started inking people aged 21 and recently went viral after giving a customer a permanent six-pack tattoo.
It looks like he’s not stopping there – with his latest design even more bizarre. Sharing his creation on TikTok and Instagram, where a video showing the art has racked up over two million views, Dean reveals how he tattooed a pair of shoes on a customer's feet.
“I wanted to create the illusion that the person is wearing shoes, even though he's bare feet," Dean told NeedToKnow.online. "It will definitely make you look twice."
Dean found the trainer his customer liked best, viewed the image in 360 degrees and then drew it onto his foot, freehand. The piece around two hours to draw and another eight hours to tattoo onto both feet.
One social media user commented on the bizarre idea of a permanent shoe, saying : “they'll last you forever”. "Save a fortune on trainers," added another person. “Mad as pumps love it," commented someone else.
Another couldn't believe the genius idea saying "F*** me that's clever." “Wow brave man both feet," wrote another user, clearly stunned by the customer being able to handle the pain of tattooing this body part.
Dean said: “Drawing the tattoo on my free hand was the most challenging part. I had to make sure everything flows with the contours of the body. A stencil would not work in this case, so it's all freehand.
"Once that was on, the tattooing was straightforward. He's tired of paying for shoes, so he decided he will get his favourite pair of Nikes tattooed on him and he can see the funny side to it.
"Definitely a great conversation starter. His wife loves it too.”
Dean, who recently won Best In Show at the Liverpool Tattoo convention with a stunning African-inspired tattoo that took three days to complete, has also given a hint to his next tattoo. He says it will be one of the most emotional pieces he’s attempted, in hopes of bringing awareness to cancer.
