Artist Benjamin Lloyd from New Zealand is drawing tattoos on children's arms and if this might alarm parents, he's actually doing this for a good reason. He's encouraging more people to share or like his work on social media so that he can complete a goal. What is it and what does it have to do with kids?
Benjamin Lloyd has had 10 years' experience as an airbrush artist and only started doing airbrush tattoos for adults recently. When he tried this on friends' kids one time, he couldn't believe the reaction. He saw that the tattoos became a confidence booster for the kids, who were proud to show the body art off. He thought this might help cheer up sick children at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital.
Putting a demonstration of his work on Facebook, Benjamin Lloyd asked his followers on Sunday, May 23, if he could get at least 50 likes so he could tattoo on sick kids. He mentioned that airbrush tattoos are actually not permanent, so parents and other adults do not have to worry about any scarring.
To Benjamin Lloyd's surprise, his Facebook post earned over 50 likes in no time. In fact, it received nearly 400,000 likes and over 212,000 shares as of press time. The post has gone viral.
The artist shared that the children's tattoos, which is made from safe ink from India, take at least eight minutes to finish when he's working really fast. Hence, the kids won't grow bored or fidgety about the process, but they might feel a bit ticklish about the cold air blowing from the tools used. The only downside is that it might take parents a lot more to convince the kids to wash or shower later on. Airbrush tattoos are easily removed with soap and water, per Stuff New Zealand.
Benjamin Lloyd believes that the overwhelming response to his social media post was because of his offer for the kids. New Zealand Herald reports that he already got an approval from the hospital and has prepared the stencils that he thinks the kids will like, such as superheroes.
The artist plans on training more people in the art of airbrushing. He's also going to release a series of videos about his work, which will be marked by his visit to the children's hospital next week.
