A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

What, you’ve got a better source of inspiration?

Maxwell Brand (seen here a couple times before) writes of his tattoo based on a ModBlog feature from June 5th, 2006 (a difficult choice due to the blown out lighting and unusual proportions),

“My friend Sean Herman of All or Nothing Tattoo was going to tattoo me, but I hadn’t come up with something to get. I flipped through pages of ModBlog pics until I found this gorgeous girl. Then, Sean tattooed her on me. So, it should probably be a ModBlog feature itself…. haha.”

Maxwell, I agree entirely that I need to post this. I love meta-references and meta-jokes, so this is definitely getting modblogged! I wonder what BreedTheCancer (the person whose portrait makes up the tattoo) will think when she finds out (assuming she doesn’t know already) about the tattoo — and being featured a second time in this unusual way.

Comments

173 responses to “What, you’ve got a better source of inspiration?”

  1. Zar Avatar
    Zar

    it concerns all of us, logic of crocs. any of us could have been violated this way and it’s scary, to be honest.

  2. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    I see that a lot of peope are talking about the ethics of getting someone’s face tattooed on you…..I don’t think that’s the greater issues.

    The greater issue is that it looks like crap.

  3. tiff badhairdo Avatar
    tiff badhairdo

    I think I’d pity anyone who had my mug tattooed on them!

  4. CutThroat Avatar
    CutThroat

    Bad tattoo, and it’s a bite.
    Ripping off images is not okay. Photographers are artists.

    Not down for this at all.
    Unless of course the tattoo applicator had permission from the photographer. Then it’s just a bad tattoo used with permission.

    Pretty girl though.

  5. choice Avatar
    choice

    if it were ME choosing somebody randomly that i thought was beautiful, and wanted their face on my body, i would have to talk to them about it first, and not just because i think it’s fair to let somebody know those kinds of plans, but because if i didn’t like that person, no matter how beautiful they seemed, i would not be happy knowing i had their face tattooed on me…

    on her side – if she’s creeped out by it, i can understand, so i really hope she’s flattered, wherever she is.

  6. Jodie Avatar
    Jodie

    I think it’s slightly odd, but not creepy. If someone I had no connection with got my face tattooed on them I’d find it pretty funny and interesting. Since he’s worked in a tattoo parlour for 10+ years I’m assuming Max has quite a few other tattoos, and when you’ve got a lot of tattoos I think you’ve got more freedom to be frivolous.

  7. cait! Avatar

    that’s pretty creepy. i wish someone would get me tattooed on them!

  8. Zar Avatar
    Zar

    just because he has a lot of tattoos he’s allowed to get a random girl tattoo’d on him? so since i have not been tattoo’d yet due to being underage i have to get meaningful tattoos? when can i start getting frivolous ones???

  9. Jp Avatar

    I know I said I was done commenting but I was thinking, by sending a picture into MODBLOG you are saying that you don’t mind your picture being veiwed by millions in the first place. So Zar if you’re so concerned and that paronoid about getting that mug of your tattooed on someone then don’t put the pics out there to be seen in the first place. This is stupid, this was this mans choice, and again this is MODBLOG. If stuff as simple as this bothers you that fucking much then maybe this isn’t the site for you.

    Oh and by the way, since she is somewhat of a celeb now is it ok for me to get her on me? Because people seem not to have a problem with that. It’s no different, celebs chose to put their face out there, and so did she.

  10. tony Avatar
    tony

    the creepiness aside, how great does it feel to know you were the “pretty face” someone found for their frivolous tattoo?

  11. Max Avatar

    you all might be tattooed on someone and not even know it….HAHA!….duh! (of course that is, if your picture has ever been published anywhere)

  12. Zar Avatar
    Zar

    hey you know what bothers me? someone comparing the girl they got tattoo’d on them to wildlife. you’re such an idiot. this is fucking creepy, plain and simple.

  13. mikie ears Avatar
    mikie ears

    Ya know what….in the end it doesn’t matter. I love the idea behind the tattoo, I think its a great conversation starter. I’m jealous I never thought of that. She has a gorgeous face, why not get it tattooed? What if this never appeared on modblog? You all would have gone about your daily lives not even knowing. Don’t tell him it looks bad….he is happy with it, its not your style, and it doesn’t have an effect on your life, you don’t have to see it on a daily basis, so why do you care so much? What if he got her in cartoon form? or abstract, fantasy……what if……it doesn’t matter. I have a portrait of Che Guevara, odds are he would have never agreed to something like that….but it made me happy. Guess what he’ll never know either. Just because she knows…(and said she was flattered)….doesn’t make a difference. I think a lot of people need to take a step back and move on to something that has a direct effect on you. Cause Max your tattoo and idea is awesome. Congrats……I also love the “I’ll do what I want” line…….

  14. tony Avatar

    hey I’ve know some girls that I might call wild animals.

  15. an artist Avatar
    an artist

    Even though it is somewhat weird and looks like shit (but if she’s cool with it, it’s really no one else’s concern), I think this comment bothered me the most out of everything.

    “When you get a tattoo, you pay for the artists ability to do a tattoo, you don’t pay for what the specific content is.”

    Good to know that tattoo artists don’t respect the work of others.

  16. Max Avatar

    Zar…..you are underage….and have no tattoos…..i don’t hear your comments anymore…..be gone……

  17. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Yo man what ~R~ u talking about just as a referance??? Lol may~B~ slow down a little if u cant come up with some thin a little more original than using the fact that u have worked in the industry for 10 years…There are more second class people in the industry than first class citizen artist out there….hmmmm but hey if u wanted her powwers on u do what u want 2,,,,~O~ and buy the way tattoos are found on primitive men and women that have lasted thousands of years…..lol 🙂

  18. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    The shop does have some nice art work ~_0

  19. HereKittyKitty Avatar
    HereKittyKitty

    Releasing your photo for public viewing on the net means you open yourself up for anything. Not that it’s right. But it just IS. You’re out there for admirers and pervs, good intentions and bad.

    Personally, I would have tried to contact someone before having their image inked on me…but I would have no real obligation to do so unless the image was copyrighted and could not be reproduced without permission. Since the images become property of BME/Shannon…I’m wondering if there could be an issue there…

    But if the girl is cool with it, good for everybody.

  20. Kelseyyy Avatar
    Kelseyyy

    Holy shit. I think everyone needs to calm down a little. It’s just a tattoo, the girl doesn’t mind, so why are you arguing?

  21. Toser Avatar
    Toser

    bears?

  22. Zar Avatar
    Zar

    you’re right, at 17 i’m not allowed an opinion! you’re so tolerant and intelligent aren’t you max? at least when i get my tattoos i won’t pick a random picture, compare it to a bear, and get it tattoo’d on me. and yeah, i think i have to jump on the ‘its an ugly tattoo anyways’ bandwagon. oh and if its okay for you to get her face tattoo’d on you, is everyone’s original tattoo design automatically flash once posted on the internet?

  23. Bryce Mitchell Avatar

    Someone tattoo me on their body!

    If that happened, I wouldn’t be creeped out…I’d probably laugh pretty hard and tell my friends about it.

  24. brianna Avatar

    i would be totally flattered if someone got me tattooed on their body!!

  25. Max Avatar

    actually….yes, because it can be taken off of the internet, and tattooed by someone else. That doesn’t mean they will get the same tattoo. If you get a custom tattoo, and you don’t want anyone else to get it, don’t ever even take a picture of it, and don’t allow your artist to take a picture of it. They will put it on their web-site, and chances are, someone else is gonna get it, weather you ever know or not. I’m a photographer for a tattoo magazine, so I get to show the world all of the hottest shit done at tattoo conventions, and that gives everybody else a chance to rip it off. Sorry…..the world goes round…..

  26. kuroneko711 Avatar

    I like it, I’m glad she’s flattered, and her opinion counts more than the rest of yours, because its her face, and equally the opinion of the person who got it done.

    Oh, and Max is right, thought I’d add that, and I’m glad he’s made some of the points he has.

    And if its not creepy to get some celeb you like (which i’ve seen several times) than this shouldnt be creepy either. She doesnt mind, why the hell do you?

  27. Giles Wallwork Avatar

    Couple of points here. Max didn’t compare the girl in his tattoo to a bear. He compared the situation to that of using wildlife without their consent. VERY different situations.
    Taking a photo from the internet and publishing it elsewhere is illegal, it breaches copyright. Creating your own work from it is not, had this been drawn on paper or painted then nobody would question its use. It would have been nice manners though to have contacted the girl involved just to seek her permission, as it is she was happy to have had it done afterwards so she clearly is not harmed by it.

  28. Chrissie Avatar

    …whoa! What an arguement. =D

    I have that picture saved on my computer because I think that girl is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen a portrait tattoo that is as good as the photograph. I would have recognised her face anyway but I just don’t think the ink captured how amazingly stunning she is! Pity…

    If I were her, I wouldn’t be flattered that someone decided to get my face tattooed without asking me. But I’m glad for Max’s sake that she’s totally cool with it and can see the good side. Just because (judging by some of these comments) it could have turned into a legal battle… maybe… I’m not sure how that works with tattoos.

  29. Kendra Avatar
    Kendra

    Well after reading the same arguement over and over I just skipped to the commenting part. Sorry if I’m repeating someone elses point.

    I agree its kind of creepy. But I also get that she did allow her pic on the internet so thus its her bad kind of…

    Well, my take on it is, if it was REALLY a nameless face that you Google Image searched…weird, but tolerateable. I think the reason its so odd in this case is because Modblog/BME/IAM has always struck me as a community of sorts, you know? You wouldn’t take a picture of your neighbor and get it tattooed without talking to them. But if you took a picture of a random person in the city and got it done without asking, it would be less personal, so less weird. You know? Maybe thats just me though.

  30. Wells. Avatar
    Wells.

    Point #1: The tattoo is bad. Bad proportions, bad shading, and what the hell is going on with the eye on the left? Issues of execution aside, what makes that photo work is the bright white lighting on her face. Tattoos are [obviously] done on a flesh-colored background. As such, it just looks weird.

    Point #2: From a legal standpoint, the tattooee and artist are in the clear as long as they don’t use this girl’s face for “advertising purposes or the purpose of trade,” which may have already happened when the artist did the tattoo. Either way, there’s no real way to prohibit people from getting anything tattooed on them. If I was homegirl I’d be pissed at the artist for making me look like I’m rolling with a couple extra chromosomes.

  31. scott Avatar
    scott

    i think the girl is absoloutly beautiful, but the tattoo makes her look terrible

  32. me_again Avatar
    me_again

    It’s more an inspired tattoo than a realistic reproduction! It doesn’t look at all like the original photo (if it wasn’t for the hair and the piercings you wouldn’t even see a ressemblance) so I don’t know why your all upset…

  33. Max Avatar

    You guys don’t realize that everybody else in the world that sees my tattoo will not see the reference picture next to it, so it doesn’t matter at all if it looks just like the picture. Picking it apart is like saying Picasso was bad with proportions. IT’S ART….IT DOESN’T MATTER. If the artist is happy, and I’m happy, than the story is over. If you guys were looking at the tattoo, and never saw the photo, you might feel different. Plus, I’d love to see some of the awesome tattoos on you guys……haha…….
    And now people are gonna say, “oh my god, you’re comparing this to Picasso….blah blah blah”……save it……

  34. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    LOL MAX IF U were so tight confident on the tatt,, u woudlnt make no come back remarks cuase the it would stand on it’s own … I understand ur original intnetion but I myself really like this site becuase evry1 is so honest with thier opions + or _ and whatever goes…~_0 P.S. haha ..lol…we arnt going to show u our tattoos because we think that u might photo copy them on ur body ……..+_0

  35. ÈMþRê§§ Avatar
    ÈMþRê§§

    The trouble is this girl is such a beauty it would be very hard indeed to recapture that. Im sure most artists would just tattoo an adaption of her.

    Max seems happy and the girl gave her permission, I cannot really see the problem.

    I would take it as a massive compliment if someone wanted a tattoo of me, so long as I was consulted upfront.

    Personally apart from a couple of Picasso pieces I cannot see the fuss over his work – I went to his museum in October last year.

    Happy weekend everyone, hugz x

  36. hedning Avatar

    i think its an awesome idea haha. seems like theres always someone who has to be negative about shit and doesn’t see the fun of it.

    but well, negative comments are more amusing to read than positive ones.

  37. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Im like yeah whatever real powwer can be obtained through actions ….but hey would u think diff if what u considered to be a creep to the heap had u tatted on his wang and spread vaseline on ur face when he watched 2 male dogs mating ….. hmmm …just so happens that she liked it … @[email protected]

  38. hedning Avatar

    85. theres a huge difference between having your picture beeing used as a reference for a tattoo because they think youre beautiful, compared to having some creepy guy masturbating to gay dogs tattooing your face on theyr wang.

  39. hazelll Avatar
    hazelll

    I kind of dig the alterations… she’s a bit cartoonish to begin with, you just enhanced it

  40. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Bulllshit u following this dude around and everything that he does in life…R u that nigh eve?It was not a referance it was a copy…And the dude with u tatted on his fuckin wanker may dream about how butifeul u r all day with his d=gs cock in ur mo-th… u dont know … not illegal and i like the tatt myself but kep it real evrything is out there then my scenerio deserves thier respect the same as urs otherwise ur a modblog posser …

  41. nick Avatar
    nick

    where is this tattoo located? it looks like there is stubble underneath of the tattoo i hope its not an armpit or something. wierd

  42. Zar Avatar
    Zar

    wait, gay dogs?

  43. bravemenrun Avatar
    bravemenrun

    You guys don’t realize that everybody else in the world that sees my tattoo will not see the reference picture next to it, so it doesn’t matter at all if it looks just like the picture.

    No one needs to see the original picture to see that it’s a shitty tattoo.

  44. ÈMþRê§§ Avatar
    ÈMþRê§§

    Bradly,
    What you smokin today hun….and what the hell do you know about masterbating over 2 gay dogs lol 🙂
    tsk tsk

  45. hedning Avatar

    i dont see it as a copy, but that doesnt mean you dont. and i have never said that i didnt respect your opinion, i DISAGREE with it.

    clearly, the tattoo looks doesnt look exactly like the photo so i would say its just the same as the christopher walken old school tattoo that was feautered here a while while back. only that this girl isnt a celebrety.

  46. hedning Avatar

    and dont come bitching about respect after saying that my opinion is bullshit.

  47. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Lol EMpReSS just spittin sum silly a– rap out there becuase nobody ever makes a comment about my comments and I just want the attention that my mom never gave me growwing up… I remember on how on my 37 th birthday and she hadnt even baked me cake all she did was yell and scream for me to go and clean up my room b4 I did the dishes and why and how crappy her life is because im just like my dad…..:-)(-:

  48. ÈMþRê§§ Avatar
    ÈMþRê§§

    Bradly,
    Well firstly, im happy to give you the attention you so crave.

    Secondly, your comments make me laugh, cus I know your just stirring the hornets nest so to speak.

    Thirdly, Im sorry you had a sad life, but whatever hand of cards we are dealt just got to make the best of it.

    Now I gone to find a tissue, sniff sniff, after such a sad tale of woe. 🙂
    Hugz.

  49. lilish Avatar
    lilish

    Hmm I go to bed and there is 30 some comments, I wake up and there are over 90. I really would have expected the conversation to be over once we all found out that the subject of the tattoo was fine with it. It’s not like its an every day occurance for someone to tattoo a total (non famous) stranger’s face on their body, so i think a lot of the “what if she wasn’t ok with it” and “masturbating to gay dogs” comments are getting a little out there. I’m not saying people shouldn’t be expressing their opinoins or feelings at all, I am just saying that I know that we all can get a little too wrapped up in our own arguments and our own sides that we can get a little out there to prove our points.

  50. Bradly Avatar
    Bradly

    Fine they werent gay dogs.. I made that part up..but still it was fun to watch them mate…~_0

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