Tattoos For The Screen

Tattoos are as prevalent in current society as they are not only because of the hundreds of people who used their skin to pioneer and parade tattoos, who forced society out of its comfort zone and compelled it to view tattoos as something more than a freakshow attraction.

In the way that it does, TV and cinema have thrust an idea upon the general public and forced people to look upon their idols, and teenage idols adorned with artwork that adds to their character, makes them tougher, rougher round the edges. Gives them more believability and their performance more clout. The prevalence of tattooing in mass media has ingrained a feeling to a large percentage of people, not least my generation that tattooing is sexy. We're not entirely sure why we find it so attractive. Its not necessarily the fact that going through the pain of tattooing make you tough, different people's pain thresholds allow for different kinds of pain and some of the most delicate people I know have ink. It would not be absurd to suggest that the images in our minds of beautiful people displaying intricate and beautiful art on the perfectly toned bodies lay in the recess of our brains popping their tattooed selves our of our subconscious every time tattooing is mentioned. 

These people are our own examples of how tattooing can be beautiful, spectacular and character building so I give you some of the best tattoos given to us by the big and small screen.

Wentworth Miller as Michael Scofield in Prison Break.

Brad Pitt as Mickey O'Neil in Snatch

Viggo Mortensen as Nikolai Luzhin in Eastern Promises

Russell Brand as Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Angelina Jolie as Fox in Wanted

Matthew McConaughey as Denton Van Zan in Reign of Fire

Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flannery as Connor and Murphy MacManus in the Boondock Saints

Eric Bana as Nero in Star Trek

Cinema.com, Fyeah Hollywood, dreamgirldiaries, IMDB, Google Images,

Celebrity Ink - Jay Baruchel

Red maple leaf on left pectoral.

Celtic cross on upper right arm.

"Ropell" mother's maiden name on right forearm

"It’s like in the army, they put on your dog tag – what religion you are – just so they know where to bury you. I tattooed this leaf, which they traced right out of my passport, onto my heart so they would know where the boy came from.


"I've actually got a couple. That's my mother's maiden name. She's six of eight kids, most of them are girls, so my granddad's name probably won't live on past this generation. It was my tribute to that side of the family. My mother hates it every time I get one. She'll never be psyched about them, but at least she can't take issue with them. I got the maple leaf, her family name, and then I got, representing her Irish side of the family, I got the Celtic cross."

Source: weheartit, still shots from Knocked Up, Google Images

Celebrity Ink - David Beckham

Guardian Angel upper centre back.

Winged crucifix on back of neck.

Jesus on lower right ribs taken from the painting The Man Of Sorrows by Matthew R Brooks.

Angel on right shoulder with text, "in the face of adversity" - a memorial to his grandfather.

Sons names, Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn on back.

VII Roman numerals for the number 7 jersey he wore at Man. United.

"Victoria" on inner left forearm in Hindi.

Left forearm comprising 10 roses, an image of wife, Victoria as a topless angel surrounded by stars.

“Ut Amem Et Foveam” which translates to “so that I love and cherish on inner left forearm

"Pray for me" on right inner wrist

Left upper arm, Renaissance image of a Cupid carrying his wife Psyche to Heaven.

Full sleeve on right arm, religiously themed featuring cherubs, crucifix, a Templar Knight clouds, number 23 (LA Galaxy jersey number).

"Let them hate as long as they fear" on right outer forearm.

Chinese proverb on ribs, translating to "Death and life have determined appointments. Riches and honour depend upon heaven."

Hebrew quote from the Song of Solomon 6.3 "I am my love’s and my love is mine, who browses among the lilies" on left forearm.

Latin phrase on left forearm "Perfectio in Spiritu" meaning "spiritual perfection."

Hebrew phrase, "My son, do not forget my teaching but keep my commands in your heart." on left arm.

"I think everybody's got a way of expressing their feelings, and mine is through my tattoos."

"The idea to get tattooed came to me a little while after Brooklyn was born. I was talking to Mel B and her then-husband, Jimmy Gulzar, and the subject of tattoos came up. I ended up going to this Dutch guy who'd done all of Jimmy's. I'd finally realized what I wanted a tattoo to represent. Mine are all about the people in my life, my wife and sons, who I want with me always. When you see me, you see the tattoos. You see an expression of how I feel about Victoria and the boys. They're part of me." 

"I don't plan on having a tattoo, it's just sometimes I wake up and I think, you know, I've got an idea of an image I would like on me.

"Some people love tattoos, some people don't. It's just something that I have always found can kind of express how I'm feeling, or the thoughts that I have or memories...most of my tattoos are memories and things that mean things to me...there's not one tattoo that I've got on me that doesn't mean something."

Most of David Beckham's work done by Louis Malloy most recent chest piece by Matt Mahoney.

Celebrity Ink - Adam Levine

Shark on right ribs.

Eagle on upper ribs, across torso.

"Tapas" in Sanskrit on left upper chest.

Tiger on right arm-inner elbow.

"Mom" on right outer forearm.

"Los Angeles" on right upper arm.

Paw print with "Frankie Girl" on right upper shoulder blade for his Golden Retriever.

Full sleeve on left arm - acoustic guitar, "222" the room number of the first studio that Maroon 5 recorded in, dove and cherry blossoms in remembrance of 9/11, Roman numeral "X" marking when he and bandmate Jesse Carmichael got together, when Songs About Jane went platinum and the 10 year anniversary of the band.

Sources: UK Cosmo, We Heart It, The Examiner