Airbrush Artist Applies Temporary Tattoos onto Sick Kids to Boost Their Self Esteem

A great tattoo—even a temporary one—can improve your self-confidence and encourage you to see your body in a whole new light. For kids, especially those suffering from severe illness, this type of non-permanent body art gives them a much-needed self-esteem boost. New Zealand-based artist Benjamin Lloyd is helping to facilitate their positive outlook by airbrushing intricate custom tattoos on their arms and torsos.

Lloyd has been an airbrush artist for 10 years and only recently started inking temporary tattoos. He began painting on adults and then on kids, who were elated by his handiwork. “It's just amazing watching their confidence and their ego boost up,” Lloyd told Mashable. “The only bad thing is that they don't want to take a shower afterwards.” Each piece is designed with the young client’s input and takes around nine minutes to complete. Lloyd uses traditional tattoo imagery like roses, skulls, and waves as they sprawl across the skin and look exactly like the real thing.

Since posting his body art on Facebook, Lloyd's compassionate gesture has received a bevy of positive comments and interest. He plans on providing tattoos to patients at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital very soon.

Benjamin Lloyd: Facebook
via [Mashable]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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