A group of tattoo artists smashed a massive world record with a touching tribute to late rapper Takeoff.
Artists at Atlanta Ink, Iron Palm Tattoos and Pèse Noir (all USA) joined forces in Atlanta, Georgia to ink the world’s largest tattoo artwork.
The superlative tattoo measures a whopping 7.395 m² (79 ft 6 in²) and was inked onto a giant piece of synthetic silicone skin that artists use to hone their craft.
Getting hold of a silicone sheet big enough was a tricky task.
As Atlanta is a major site for TV and film production, organizers reached out to their contacts in the industry who make prosthetics for movies, but it took four tries before they found a suitable piece of silicone that was free of defects, tears, and bubbles.
The tattoo is an image of Georgia-native Takeoff – real name Kirsnick Khari Ball – a member of hip hop trio Migos, who was tragically killed in November 2022.
While the sheet of silicone is supersized, the tattoo guns and ink used to create the tattoo for this brand new record title were all standard products, meaning it took many, many hours of inking.
Adjudicator Michael Empric travelled to the tattoo studio to measure the giant tat and declare it a record breaker.
J.R. Outlaw, one of the artists involved in creating the giant tattoo, told Fox 5 Atlanta: “It is special to be able to create something that stays with people for their lifetime.”
On why they chose trap rapper Takeoff as the subject, J.R. added: “I just want people to reflect on him as a person and his legacy in music and in the city.”
It was only when the artists hung their masterpiece up outside the studio and stood in front of it that its sheer scale could be fully appreciated.
“Seeing it when we actually stood it up and took the pictures of it, and you get a feel for how big it is - that's when you start to feel the emotions come out of it. Like, wow,” J.R. said.
The artists have been in touch with some art galleries and are hoping to see it go on display one day soon for all to enjoy.
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