New Zealand Artist to Bring "Tattoo" Skills to Children's Hospital Patients

Back when we were kids, temporary stick-on tattoos were the coolest way to sport some faux ink, but one New Zealand-based artist is offering body art that's way more authentic looking (but just as fleeting). He's now looking to bring the fun to some kids who need it most, and the response to the initiative been huge.

Benjamin Lloyd is based in Tauranga, New Zealand and uses an airbrush, stencils, and non-toxic, water-based India ink to create his "tattoos," according to TVNZ. While he's been inking kids for years, just days ago he posted a photo of his work on Facebook and wrote that if it got 50 likes, he'd offer the service to patients at Starship Children's Health in Auckland. It currently has 451,000 likes. 

Fans, as well as the families of patients at the hospital have been commenting on his page, requesting that their children be chosen for the airbrushed tattoos. Lloyd, in turn, has responded by fully committing to the project. "I painted this young man in 9 minutes so I promise no kid at star ship will go without," he wrote, adding that he will bring along a film crew to document the day.

The hospital has reportedly learned about Lloyd's proposal and reached out to help make it happen. Based on photos of his previous work with children (a few of which are below), we're pretty jealous of their forthcoming body art. 

"It's just amazing watching their confidence and their ego boost up," Lloyd told Mashable Australia. "The only bad thing is that they don't want to take a shower afterwards."

[h/t Daily Mail]

Images via Benjamin Lloyd Collection on Facebook.