Head bowed, the graceful guardian angel sweeping across footballer David Beckham's back is a stunning sight. But there's one thing missing on the foot-long figure, according to celebrity tattooist Louis Malloy - wings.
Louis worked hand-in-hand with Posh and Becks to come up with the angel's unique Art Deco design. The original sported a fine set of feathery wings, but minutes before Louis started the tattoo, David decided it would look too cluttered and settled for a clipped angel with outstretching arms.
Louis, who owns Middleton Tattoo Studio in Manchester, started work on the design in January. "David had come up with an idea and it was up to me to put it down on paper. He wanted an angel figure pitched straight on at eye level, stretching from shoulder to shoulder" says Louis, 36, who has tattooed scores of other celebrities, as well as many of Beckham's Manchester United team mates. Recently he did an ornamental dagger on All Saint Natalie Appleton's back and tattooed "Stamina" on her actor-boyfriend Jonny Lee Millers arm.
It took Louis two weeks to research the design, which looks remarkably like Beckham with his new bald look, and then four hours to draw it.
"Most angels are drawn from odd angles, so there wasn't much in the way of reference material", explains Louis.
David wanted the tattoo to look almost like a figure diving, representing the idea of free spirit", explains Louis. "He was very clear about not wanting it to look like a figure on a crucifix. Its one of the reasons the angel is bald, so it doesn't look like Jesus".
Luckily Beckham was thrilled with the result when he arrived at the studio to have the tattoo done a few weeks later - complete with wife Victoria, baby Brooklyn and the family bodyguard. "David took one look at it and said: "Wicked!", I was really pleased", says Louis. "It's not always easy to interpret someone else's idea and we'd got it spot on"
The tattoo itself took two hours to complete and Victoria stayed to watch, with one eye on Becks and the other on Brooklyn.
Head bowed, the graceful guardian angel sweeping across footballer David Beckham's back is a stunning sight. But there's one thing missing on the foot-long figure, according to celebrity tattooist Louis Malloy - wings.
Louis worked hand-in-hand with Posh and Becks to come up with the angel's unique Art Deco design. The original sported a fine set of feathery wings, but minutes before Louis started the tattoo, David decided it would look too cluttered and settled for a clipped angel with outstretching arms.
It took Louis two weeks to research the design, which looks remarkably like Beckham with his new bald look, and then four hours to draw it.
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