An
ink-addicted woman has spent 416 hours covering her entire body in
tattoos, despite the fact she will never see them because she is blind.
Fran Atkinson has spent the last three years having a colourful ‘body suit’ inked on to her with no idea what it looks like.
But the mother-of-one, from Rhyl, says
her husband, Ron, and tattoo artist Grez Bowman have acted as her eyes,
describing details of the intricate artwork from her neck down to her
ankles.
Fran
Atkinson from Rhyl has endured 416 hours of pain over the last three
years for a colourful body suit that she will never see, because she is
blind.
SEE MORE PICTURES AFTER THE CUT.......................
The mother-of-one says her husband, Ron, and tattoo artist Grez Bowman have acted as her eyes, describing details of the intricate artwork from her neck down to her ankles
Now she
thinks she could be the most inked woman in Wales, and is hoping to make
it into the Guinness Book of World Records with the help of Mr Bowman,
who runs North Wales Ink in Prestatyn High Street.
The
52-year-old suffers with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an inherited,
degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment and can
lead to blindness.
She began
losing her sight when she was a teenager and has now been left with just
three to five per cent vision, but said she’s always had a passion for
body art.
‘I got my first tattoo of a flying Pegasus around 25 years ago and it has progressed ever since then,” she said.
‘Around
three years ago, I just woke up one day and something clicked in my mind
and I decided I wanted to have a full body suit done.
The
52-year-old from Rhyl suffers with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an
inherited, degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment
and can lead to blindness
She began losing her sight when she was a teenager and has now been left with just three to five per cent vision, but said she’s always had a passion for body art
‘I started coming to Grez for two-hour sittings per week but in the last year and a half it doubled to four hours.
‘I told him I wanted an Egyptian theme on my back and gave him free rein to do whatever he wanted with the rest.
‘Grez and Ron have been like my eyes describing to me what it looks like.’
Mr Bowman said Mrs Atkinson’s body suit is the largest piece of work he’s ever done.
‘Because
Fran’s been coming in so often, we’ve become good friends and she’s
trusted me enough to use my artistic licence,’ he said.
‘I’ve been
working in small sections of her body for such a long period of time,
it came as quite a shock to see the piece in full. I’m really pleased
with the end result.’
The tattoo
has cost thousands of pounds and Ms Atkinson said the most painful
parts were having her kneecaps, underarms and ankles done and said apart
from some finishing touches, she won’t be going under the tattoo gun
again.
Her heavily tattooed husband said: ‘Fran is an exhibitionist – she loves giving people the shock factor.
‘I’ve always backed her in whatever she’s wanted to do. I know myself that tattoos are very addictive.’
DAILYMAIL
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