Top 15 People Who Made Careers Out Of Getting Tattoos

Tattoos are colorful and intricate ways of showing off the beauty of the body, your rebellious side and now more commonly than ever before, your most lucrative asset — that pays big bucks. From painstaking efforts at resembling creatures to the ever-changing nature of "the world's most tattooed," thousands of dollars spent on tattoos are now turning hobbies into full-blown careers. Check out top fifteen folks who have turned their ink into careers!

Matthew Whelan

Matthew Whelan has spent over $75,000 on his tattoos. All that ink has earned him the title of most tattooed man in England. Whelan has also officially changed his name to King of Inkland King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite. Now that’s a mouthful!

Etienne Dumont

Etienne Dumont is an art and culture critic in Switzerland. Although, that’s not why he is famous. Dumont’s body is covered with floral and tribal tattoos. Plus, check out that crazy horn on top of his head!

Paul Lawrence

Paul Lawrence, better known as “The Enigma,” is covered in a full-body jigsaw puzzle tattoo. He had his ears re-shaped and implanted horns in to his head as well.

Katzen Hobbes

Hobbes is a performance artist and tattoo artist from Austin, Texas. She is covered in tiger stripe tattoos and has whiskers attached to her face. She was once married to fellow tattoo enthusiast, Paul Lawrence.

Rick Genset

Rick Genest has a skeleton tattoo that covers most of his body. He was actually discovered by Lady Gaga in 2011, and has since become a model and actor.

María José Cristerna

Believe it or not, Cristerna was a lawyer before she started he transformation. She started her body modification after she left an abusive relationship with her husband. Since then, María has undergone multiple surgeries to make herself look like a vampire.

Dennis Avner

Dennis Avner, or “The Stalking Cat,” underwent 14 surgeries and multiple hours of tattooing to make himself look like a tiger. Before his death in 2012, Avner was the record holder for “most permanent transformations to look like an animal.”

Henry Damon

That’s not makeup or prosthetics on his face. Henry Damon has several sub-dermal implants and tattoos on his face so he can look like “Red Skull” from “Captain America.” And yes, he had his nose cut off to finish the look.

Julia Gnuse

Julia Gnuse started to get tattoos to cover up a rare skin condition where sunlight causes severe blistering to her skin. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Gnuse is the most tattooed woman on the planet with 95 percent body coverage.

Horace Ridler

Horace Ridler has spent over 150 hours in the tattoo parlor with a pattern of curved stripes. Also known as “The Zebra Man,” Ridler dons some pretty interesting piercings too.

Eric Sprague

Better known as “The Lizard Man,” Eric Sprague performs in freak shows all over the world. He covered his skin with green scale tattoos, sharpened his teeth, and even forked his tongue to look more lizard-like.

Guinness Rishi

This man was so obsessed with breaking world records, he actually changed his named to “Guinness.” He owns several records, but is most famous for his tattoos. Rishi has over 200 world flags inked all over his body, 49 of which are on his head.

Isobel Varley

Isobel Varley was the record holder for world’s most tattooed senior. Over 95 percent of her body was covered in ink. Although she didn’t get her first tattoo until the age of 49, she added over 200 more before her death in 2015.

Tom Leppard

Tom Leppard was once the world’s most tattooed man. He covered his entire body with tattoos to make him look more like a leopard. Today, Leppard holds the record for “most tattooed male senior citizen” in the world.

Lucky Diamond Rich

If you couldn’t tell by looking at him, Lucky Diamond Rich is the world’s most tattooed man. He is completely 100 percent covered in ink, including the inside of his mouth and eyelids. Lucky dethroned Tom Leppard this in 2006.