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The world is full of some seriously talented and dedicated artists. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of ink and looking at some of the most impressive tattoo designs, as shared on the ‘Crazyy Tattoos’ (yup, with two y's) Instagram page.

A page with a jaw-dropping following of 1.1 million people, ‘Crazyy Tattoos’ celebrates the best of the best and the weirdest of the weirdest. The details are incredible, and they’re seriously inspirational no matter if you’re inked up to your eyeballs or you prefer just looking at awesome designs from afar. If these won't make you say 'Whoa!' like Neo from The Matrix, we don't know what will.

As you’re upvoting your favorite designs, have a think about which of these pics wowed you the most, and let us know about it in the comments. Meanwhile, if you’re feeling up to sharing, tell us all about how you got your first tattoos, Pandas.

Meanwhile, check out Bored Panda's interview about tattoos with artist David McKinlay, the owner of the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Scotland. He told us about what happens to ink as time goes by and why artists need to think weeks in advance when adding minute details to their designs.

David, the tattoo artist running the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio, told Bored Panda that the quality of a tattoo really depends "on the skill of the artist, with the equipment a very close second."

"As tattooing is big business now, so is supplying tattooists with equipment. This means there are more companies than ever competing for our business, and having to refine and improve the quality of their products to be competitive," he told us.

"It’s really hard to get a lot of minute detail into a tattoo, and for the tattoo to keep that detail over time."

According to the tattoo master, as tattoos age, the lines will spread out and thicken. That means that, eventually, no matter how great a tattoo initially is, it won't be as sharp and crisp as it once was. Time marches on.

"This is the sign of a great tattooist— knowing just how much detail to put in, with the finest needles, that will last the test of time. Unfortunately, we see a lot of work now—micro portraits mainly—that will only look good for a few weeks, then like mush forever after," he warned.

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David said that with the high-quality inks that are available nowadays, they'll last infinitely longer than older inks. "Generally, a good tattoo won’t need to be touched up for at least 20-25 years, if at all."

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Potato Chimps
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if there's any backstory here like an actual gator took their finger, and this is a way of owning that?

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Unfortunately, not everyone gives tattoo artists the respect and recognition they deserve. The key is in the name: they’re artists, and what they do really is art. Their creativity, their dedication to their craft can be phenomenal.

All the while, you have to keep in mind that they’re inking a real live human being, not just painting designs on paper or pixels. It takes nerves of steel, as well as imagination and patience to create the best designs. Designs that end up being shared and reshared on social media around the globe, for years to come.

During a couple of earlier interviews with tattoo master David, the mastermind behind the Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Bored Panda learned a lot about the craft of tattoo artists. We also got a peek into the relationship these artists build with their clients.

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David told Bored Panda that tattooists can practice on any number of things “to help them get the mechanics and techniques to tattoo properly.”

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mulk
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's funny because in french (my main language) we call this kind of birthmark a "tache de vin", laterally: wine's stain (I guess this woman is french...)

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“You can buy synthetic skin, pig skin from a butcher’s, or even use fruit, such as oranges or lemons, bananas,” the tattoo artist shared with Bored Panda.

Eventually, however, you’ll have to move on to inking real people. According to David, there is “no substitute for moving, breathing, sweating, bleeding human skin.” Oranges and pig skin, while good for some initial practice, aren’t the real thing. Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, it’s time to hone your craft further.

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Some tattooists choose to do their very first designs on themselves. David, from Glasgow, is one of them.

“The first 4 or 5 tattoos I ever did were on myself. It was a pretty severe learning curve, but I had to prove that I wanted the apprenticeship, and it let me see how the tattoos would heal up, and what I could do better,” he shared just how dedicated he is to his craft.

“You shouldn’t really be tattooing actual clients for a long time, but if you can persuade friends to let you once you’re ready, that’s great,” he added.

“Tattooing is a craft, a skill, and should be taught directly from one person to another,” David, the founder of Archangel 1608, told Bored Panda. In his opinion, tattooing isn’t something that you should learn from “a YouTube video or a bs tattoo ‘school’ that only cares about your money.”

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Ansgar
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's why you don't ... oh well. Nice cover-up idea :D

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According to David, in their tattoo studio, they have a rule that if a customer isn’t 100% confident about the design, they won’t do it.

“We’ll try to offer a compromise, but if the client is too rigid, we’ll point them in the direction of another artist. The client is only right in terms of what they like, not how the tattoo can actually be done or will end up looking,” he told us.

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That other Panda
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m a Harry Potter fan myself, but this is next level cool!

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A while back, David told us about another side of the artist-client dynamic. While most customers are great people, there are some bad apples here and there. Some folks simply don’t understand that what tattooists do requires a lot of time, effort, and experience.

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“We do get people asking for discounts, but it’s not as common as it was. I think we’ve a reputation now for not taking nonsense,” he said that some industry professionals generally tend to get more customers asking for discounts. For instance, bakers and hairdressers get these requests more often than others.

“It’s insulting though. These people trying to barter certainly don’t go into their supermarket or travel agent and try to get the price down,” the tattoo artist said.

David said that he’s run into some rude clients who don’t respect the artists’ time and think that “it’s ok if people cancel last minute, or fail to turn up, as they think we can just do some drawings to fill our time, when we should be earning money.”

In his view, people really need to call out rude customers instead of ignoring them. “In the last couple of years, there’s been a rise in entitled, over-bearing, and spoilt attitudes from a certain minority that think the sun revolves around them… when it doesn’t! It shines out your tattooist's butt!” the Scot joked.

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Luna
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one is absolutely GORGEOUS. I would love this as a tattoo

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Olivia Lisbon
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m not normally that fond of dinner parties, but I’d be sorely tempted to join this one!

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Zara VP
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow...just wow. The stained glass effect is executed flawlessly!

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Zedrapazia
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Am I not understanding what this is supposed to mean, or is this just humans banging skeletons?

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Note: this post originally had 130 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.