Our special way to remember a loved one... with a tattoo
As Brooklyn Beckham revealed another tattoo tribute to fiancee Nicola Peltz, Catriona Doherty talks to three local people who paid homage to their loved ones through body art
BROOKLYN Beckham’s eyebrow-raising neck tattoo is a literal love letter that pays tribute to fiancee Nicola Peltz. The text — positioned under an image of his lover’s eyes — is a personal letter penned by Nicola, which reads: ‘My forever boy, read this anytime you feel anxious. I want you to know how deeply loved you are. You have the kindest heart I’ve ever met and I hope I never go a day without your love. I think you are so incredible. Just know we can get through it all together if you breathe slow and trust. I love you beyond. Love always, Your future wifey.’
From Angelina Jolie’s coordinates of her children’s birth places on her arm, to Sophie Turner’s G on her pinkie for her late grandfather, and Mylie Cyrus’ portrait of her Shetland Sheepdog Emu — body art tributes are varied and deeply personal to the owner, as these local tattoo enthusiasts attest…
‘He was the only man I could call my hero’
Craig Mayne (37) from Bangor has a number of tattoo tributes including portraits, silhouettes and script dedicated to his wife Jenna (35) and children Emilia (7), Rudi (4) and Teddy (22 months), but it’s an image of his late father’s American Willys Jeep that brings Craig the greatest comfort.
“My dad Jim (James) was a great man, loved by all and he had time for everyone,” Craig explains. “He was warm, friendly and a bit eccentric to a degree. My kids used to call him ‘a fixer man’ because he used to fix everything. We used to joke that in another life he would have been an inventor of some sort.
“About 12 years ago my father got prostate cancer which he recovered from, and it was only in the last few years the cancer came back, it was a bit more aggressive and it spread. Through that whole time, I never seen it getting him down, he had a strong faith and that shone through and that gave me comfort; that he wasn’t worried or scared.
“The word ‘hero’ is brandished about a lot nowadays, but I can honestly say that he was the only man who I could call my hero.”
Three months after Jim lost his battle with cancer on December 27, 2018, Craig went to Eye Candy Tattoo Studio in Bangor, to discuss ideas with tattooist Brian Tipping.
“I wanted something a bit different and unique, that would remind me of Dad,” Jim explains. “Something that I could see every day that would remind me of him — and not in a sad way — the tattoo that I got, it actually, when I look at it, makes me happy.
“The design is of Dad’s Jeep; Brian took it from a picture. I have script above and below: ‘The light you left is endless and I still see you every day’.
“That’s taken from a Gary Lightbody, Snow Patrol song and he was talking about his grandmother at the time. Those words stuck with me when I heard them because they sort of brought me comfort.”
When Craig thinks back to being a boy, he recalls fond memories of his dad repairing a Jeep.
“As a teenager my father owned an American Willys Jeep which he travelled Ireland in. He later sold it. Years after that, he had a dream about it and he woke up the next day and tried to track it down. He found it and bought it back.
“Throughout my whole childhood I remember dad rebuilding this Jeep. Obviously life was busy, he had three young boys and he didn’t always have time to work on it. It was only in the last few years that he finished it completely.
“It was his absolute pride and joy and he loved taking it to different shows and rallies, and he loved nothing more than talking to people about it.
“He used to love kids getting into it at shows, it wasn’t something that he didn’t want people to touch, he wanted people to enjoy it.”
Although Craig admits his late father “wasn’t a massive fan” of his body art, he’s confident Jim would have approved of this one.
He says: “We used to joke I’d get a tattoo of his face and he was all against it, but I know Dad would have loved this one because of the likeness and because of how well it’s done.”
For Belfast Telegraph readers who are considering getting a tattoo tribute, Craig shares the following advice: “Think carefully about it. Try to be unique, be certain in your mind it’s what you want, then find a tattooist you are comfortable with.
“I had a couple of different tattoos and then I came across Brian and now I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
“Sometimes a tattoo studio can be a bit intimidating at the start, but Brian is unique, friendly and he makes you feel at home and he gets what you are trying to do. He will tell you if it doesn’t work which is a big thing for me.”
‘A tribute tattoo can be quite powerful’
Belfast tattooist Brian Tipping (39) says it’s quite common for customers to request body art to commemorate a loved one.
“I suppose they give people comfort,” Brian says.
“It’s a nice reminder, it’s something that’s there forever. It’s very difficult to explain why people get them.
“I have done ones, and whether it has been a portrait or a few lines of script, I have had people break down crying and getting emotional in the past.
“There is something quite powerful about getting a tribute tattoo, it’s just hard to put my finger exactly on what.”
“A lot of the time people get something quite small, maybe a few lines from a song that means something to them. It could be a child’s favourite toy — something that is personal to them.
“Sometimes it’s just a little symbol and other times people get big ones like a portrait.
“One man got his full back done — sadly his daughter passed not long after she was born and he got an angel and her footprint.”
Tragically Brian suffered his own loss five and a half years ago when his brother Jonathan took his own life. He decided to pay tribute to Jonathan, with a permanent reminder that he designed himself and had inked by Eye Candy Tattoo Studio colleague Rana Yavuz.
“Jonathan was two years younger than me, he passed away in August 2015,” Brian says. “I was originally trying to think of a tribute tattoo for him and then I thought I would get a tribute to my brother Lewis in there too. Lewis is the youngest, there was a big age gap between us; 13 years. He was the unexpected one who came along.
“My right arm is all realistic portraits, so for my left arm I wanted to get a more traditional style of tattoo. Traditional tattoos are almost simplistic, I wanted a traditional design with a twist, something that’s a wee bit more modern.
“The basic idea was the heart, which literally is a heart, and three silhouettes — obviously Jonathan has passed so he has wings. The silhouette shows the age gap between us as Lewis is a toddler reaching up, I have him at that age as it was a happy time. And then for the background I wanted a sunset, that was basically setting on Jonathan’s lifetime.”
Craig shares the following advice: “I would say if you are thinking about it — for me personally, and for a lot of my customers — it gives you a lot of comfort. Think about roughly what you want, you don’t need to have a specific idea, you can go to any reputable tattooist and talk through your idea and take it from there. As long as you are sure, go for it.”
“For me, it’s about always having her with me”
Nadine Sterrett (27) has body art to commemorate her two sons
and late daughter. It was a particularly painful moment in Nadine’s life that promoted her to get her first tattoo she explains.
“My daughter Aurora was born in 2015 and she died two days after birth.
“I got my back tattoo in 2016 in a place called Dark Moon in east Belfast that is no longer open.
“It was my first tattoo and I always wanted something special and to me it’s like always having Aurora with me. The design is of angel wings and a sunset with birds and stuff around it, it’s like her own wee garden or sanctuary in heaven.”
Although Nadine loves the result, she wants to have some finishing touches applied to it, she says, “I want to get some more flowers and birds added to it”.
In addition to the design dedicated to her daughter, the Newtownards mum has the names of her sons, Brooklyn (2) and Cruz (3) on her shoulders, because she wanted the siblings “to be close together”.
To readers who are contemplating a tribute tattoo, Nadine advises: “Go ahead and do it because you will always have a part of them with you”.
‘You will always have a part of them with you’