Body art so bad it’s… good? Brazilian tattoo artist with 62,000 Instagram fans has people lining up to get inked by her – even though she admits her unique childlike designs are ‘trash’
- Helen Fernandes has her own tattoo shop, Malfeitona, in Salvador de Bahia
- The artist explained that ‘malfeitona’ means ‘badly done’ in Portuguese
- Her specialty is cartoons and doodles that some would say are downright ugly
- Helen, who is in her late 20s, refers to her work as ‘tatuagens peba,’ which literally translates to ‘trash tattoos’
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A Brazilian tattoo artist’s quirky designs have earned her a cult following, and while she has people lining up to have her ink them, her drawings are actually terrible.
Helen Fernandes has her own tattoo shop, Malfeitona, in her native city of Salvador de Bahia — and her specialty is childlike drawings that some would say are downright ugly.
The artist, who is in her late 20s, is aware of her abilities and told Bored Panda that ‘malfeitona’ means ‘badly done’ in Portuguese. She even refers to her work as ‘tatuagens peba,’ which literally translates to ‘trash tattoos.’
Cult favorite: Helen Fernandes has her own tattoo shop, Malfeitona, in her native city of Salvador de Bahia
So bad it’s good? The artist explained that ‘malfeitona’ means ‘badly done’ in Portuguese. Her specialty is childlike drawings that she tattoos on her customers
One-of-a-kind: Helen, who is in her late 20s, is aware of her abilities and refers to her work as ‘tatuagens peba,’ which literally translates to ‘trash tattoos’
Helen explained that she developed a passion for drawing as a kid, recalling how her parents would give her a pen and some paper to keep occupied when they took her to church.
‘I was never into realism,’ she said. ‘Drawing was just something I really enjoyed doing. It made others happy and it made me happy. It still does. However, I never thought I could be an artist.’
In 2014, she drew a bat with pointy teeth for a close friend, and he liked it so much, he asked her to tattoo the drawing on him. Another friend requested a tattoo of a cat she had drawn, and her work eventually spread by word of mouth.
‘People who weren’t my friends started asking me for tattoos, so I charged them a bit to cover material costs,’ she explained.
‘Later, friends of these people started contacting me as well, including other tattoo artists that liked my ideas and were giving me tips while I was working on them.
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Not your average cat: Helen said she developed a passion for drawing as a kid but was ‘never into realism’
Looking back: The artist recalled how her parents would give her a pen and some paper to keep occupied when they took her to church. Her tattoos are childlike and whimsical
Going viral: Helen launched an Instagram page for her tattoo studio in 2017. She now has more than 62,000 followers
‘This taught me a lot and I eventually I got my own studio. I stopped bringing strangers to my house and wrapping my entire room in plastic.’
Helen launched an Instagram page for her tattoo studio in 2017, and with a name like malfeitona, people know exactly what they are getting.
What started as a hobby turned into a career for Helen, who actually got a degree in mechanical engineering in 2016. She had even been taking a post-graduate course on materials engineering at the Federal University of Bahia up until last year.
Helen said she now works as a researcher and is studying the relationship between tattoos and Instagram. She is also a digital artist and teaches art classes about ‘how to find your own style.’
Her Instagram account has more than 62,000 followers and features photos of her latest creations, which range from cartoon figures to doodles.
Before and after: When Helen posted this tattoo on her Instagram page, she included her original drawing
Magical: Helen’s creations range from cartoon figures to doodles. She has tattooed everything from animals flying to a colorful unicorn
Price: Helen said the cost of her tattoos varies based on where she is and ‘how much color and detail a particular design has.’ In Brazil, she said the average tattoo costs about R$400 ($100)
Self-aware: ‘I think people like my style because of how cute and funny it is,’ she said
The tattoo artist said she doesn’t always take on clients, and some times she will go a month or so before picking up a needle. However, when her booking is open, she said she can produce up to 30 tattoos a week, especially if she is on tour.
Helen explained that the cost of her tattoos varies based on where she is and ‘how much color and detail a particular design has.’
In Brazil, she said the average tattoo costs about R$400 ($100), but if she were to visit the U.S. she said she would want to see what other tattoo artists are charging before setting her price.
‘I think people like my style because of how cute and funny it is,’ she said. ‘But it’s a number of things. People don’t just like my designs; they also like my pictures, captions, and stories on Instagram — stories that explain my tattoos and help them relate to them.
‘A tattoo is something very personal and I try to make the entire experience of getting it as nice as possible,’ she added. ‘I spend as much time on my customers as they need; we talk and develop ideas together.’
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