More and more people are taking the leap and getting tattoos. While some start small, others get giant works of art covering their bodies. Tattoos like these cost time, money (and inevitably some pain!). But those who choose to get inked go back time and time again to cover themselves in art.
Some choose to get a tattoo because they like the design, others have deeply sentimental meanings. These are some of those stories.
Kirsty Davies Powell, her brother David, and her parents, Caroline and David, all have matching tattoos. Mitchell was born with a heart condition and last year was excited to finally undergo surgery so his life could improve. But in an unthinkable turn of events the 26-year-old father of one died on the operating table while undergoing double valve heart surgery. You can read more of Mitchell's story here.
Kirsty said: "Me, my brother and parents all had our tattoo on the same day about three weeks after Mitchell sadly passed away which was in February last year. It’s all our favourite photo of Mitchell so all wanted the same one done. I constantly wear short sleeved tops because I love to show Mitchell off."
Connie Button, 29 from Cwmbran, got the portrait of her little boy on the top of her leg. Her son died of meningitis when he was three. She said: "I had the tattoo done in Cheltenham by Matthew James. I chose to get it a few months after I lost my little boy to always have a part of him with me. I had to wait just short of a year to get it done as the guy is an amazing tattoo artist and had a waiting list."
Sam Williams, 35, from Carmarthen, had his scalp tattooed after two years of deliberation. He said: "I had the design saved in my phone for over two years and finally decided to get it done so I could fill the rest of my head. I have got a few on my head and it’s nearly covered. I have liked tattoos from a young age and would like to cover my whole body from head to toe.
"A lot of people have said it takes guts to do the head and I always get asked if it hurt. To be fair it didn’t and was probably the best place I have had a tattoo without it hurting. I shave my head every two or three weeks, well, my wife does. It’s never affected my life in any way. It did upset my mother but she’s fine now, I have had two smallish ones on my face as well."
Mark Lewis, 45, decided to celebrate his long association with Oakwood’s Megafobia in Pembrokeshire by getting a tattoo. Mark, from Ebbw Vale, takes pride in the fact that he was one of the first people to go on the ride when it opened in 1996 and has gone on to raise thousands of pounds for hospital charities.
He said: “I can remember my first ride on Megafobia like it was yesterday. I went to Oakwood Park for the opening day of Megafobia on 30th April 1996. My first ride was one row from the back. When the train reached the brake run I was blown away by how amazing this ride was, and so happy that we had this in Wales.”
Mark decided to get the tattoo following last year’s 40-hour charity run to, as he puts it, “celebrate my ongoing love affair with Megafobia”.
Luke Harris has chosen to show his passion for football through his tattoo. The 28-year old, from Barry, got his portrait of Welsh star Gareth Bale in 2019. He said: " I got it for the passion I have of the Welsh football team. I got the tattoo done by an artist called Morgan Davies in Barry, I want as many people to see it as possible. People love it. I've been hoping for Bale to see it so I can get his view on it and ask him to sign it."
Kelvin Davies, 65, from Ystalyfera, near Swansea, has his whole back tattooed. He got the piece over 20 years ago and said: "It was all done freehand by Dai & Pie in Swansea, I have always admired the Native Americans, there are several tribes on there. It started when I took my wife for her first tattoo, we were in our 40s then. I have known Pie for some years , asked him to come up with a back piece, that's the result."
Read more: 'It's all about being yourself' Mum covered in tattoos vows to get ink until she's 80 despite 'funny looks'
Adrian Lewis has some huge pieces of body art. The 49-year-old from Pontardawe got all three pieces pictured done over the last 16 years by a husband and wife tattoo artist team. He got one on his back done by a friend who is the owner and tattooist for Iron Horse Tattoo and Art Studio Swansea. The three on his leg were done by the owner's partner, Hannah Williams, who became a tattoo apprentice and Adrian became a canvas for her to practise on.
"The front piece came about after few years finding right images and putting them together and coming up with a design and Shane (the owner) came up with the centrepiece. I have never had any a nasty reactions off anyone and it's never impacted my life in any way where it's stopped me doing anything."
Emily-Jane Siviter has a huge lion on her back. She got the tattoo six years ago and has never looked back. She said: "I got it because I really love lions, I think they’re amazing. I initially wanted it smaller but thought I’d get it bigger. Four hours in I thought "F***, so painful". I got it done with a tattoo artist called Ben Ormerod. He's located in Harlech, the shop is called Devine Ink. I think it took four sessions to complete. Everyone loved them! I’ve got a few tattoos as well as that one so they weren’t shocked when I got it done. Mum freaked but was alright after! I’m 28 now, I think I was 21 when I started it but I had breaks in between."
Zack J-T, 31, from Cardiff got his tattoo done in in the Welsh capital. He said: "The ‘Cool Zeus’ is part of my Trash Polka sleeve where the main pieces depict artwork but then either morphs them into an adjacent alternate piece or ‘ruins’ them. In this case you have a Greek mythological Zeus, but with modern-style sunglasses. Zeus is obviously a common piece for people to have but it’s usually part of a Greek mythology sleeve - thought I’d go against the grain like many of my other pieces. The artist was John Smith who used to be based in Cardiff but now lives in LA tattooing. He was one of the artists on MTVs ‘Just Tattoo Of Us’.
John Jobbins got his tattoo done in memory of his great grandfather. His daughter Kimberley said: "My great-great-grandfather fought at the battle of Rorke's Drift. His name was Private John Jobbins. My dad had it done in his memory... his grandfather looking down on the battle.
Lucy Morgan, from Nantymoel, near Bridgend, got her tattoo just a day after Banksy's Season's Greetings was removed from Port Talbot. Lucy got the tattoo as a tribute to her heritage. She said: "The tattoo was done by Ryan Littlejohns at Deadly Sins Ink. The tattoo was chosen because I believe it's a beautiful work of art and my family on my mam's side were originally from Port Talbot.
"I also spent a lot of time there shopping as a child with my mam. My tattooist worked his magic and he is an old school friend so he knew exactly what I'd like and how to incorporate the design for myself. It has one more sitting to go to add shading and a bit of colour. I wanted something Welsh and meaningful and personal to me and thought it would be perfect. I have a few and slowly getting covered. My tattoos are mostly Halloween and neo-trad based so that's why the frame around it was chosen to keep in line with the rest so its personal to me."
Samantha King's tattoo is Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy-themed. The 47 year-old from Barry got the body art in 2015. She said: "I suffered all my life with my mental health due to upbringing and situations in my childhood and I turned to comics and Marvel as escapism. I'm a bit of a goofball oddity and when Guardians of the Galaxy came out I absolutely loved it: the characters, the soundtrack, and mainly that you make your own family and do the best you can with what you've got. Everyone loves it."
Lesley Raven, 42, from Barry, has a colourful Disney-themed tattoo on her shoulder. Lesley took the plunge and got the body art in January. She said: "I got it because I love Disney, it was unusual from all my other tattoos. I go to Inkabella in Barry, the tattoo artist is Lisa Turner, she does all my tattoos. Most people like it as it's Disney, and people comment on the amazing colours."
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