If you once thought that it was a great idea to get the name or likeness of your ex tattooed on your body, you know now the agony of having to look at that part of yourself literally marked with your ex. However, for some lucky individuals, the nightmare of living with the mark of their exes’ names became a bit more bearable. Thanks to world-famous tattoo artist, Mister Cartoon, who teamed up with mobile food delivery service app, DoorDash, on their “Food Is Forever” campaign. Their mission – cover up exes’ names with tattoos of the fortunate person’s favorite food—just in time for Valentine’s Day!
‘LLERO caught up with Mister Cartoon to chop it up about the DoorDash project, covering up tattoos, and some of the future projects the Chicano ink slinger has in the works.
‘LLERO: How did you get involved with DoorDash to work on Food Is Forever?
Mister Cartoon: DoorDash reached out to me with the idea of covering up exes’ tattoos with food, and I loved it! Breaking bread and getting tattooed is part of the culture in my studio, people love to get different types of artwork inked on them from food-themed and beyond. My collaboration with DoorDash is a creative and cool way to help people move on from their pasts. For someone who got a relationship inked on them, they now have a chance to cover it with an iconic food tattoo that’s more meaningful and stands the test of time. Lucky for them, I’ve seen it all and look forward to helping our winners’ ink something new.
‘LL: The basis of the DoorDash’s Food Is Forever campaign is to cover up the contestant’s tattoo with a tattoo of their favorite food. If you had to get a tattoo of your favorite food, what would it be?
MC: If I got a tattoo of my favorite food it would be a bowl of menudo! That’s my favorite because it makes every day feel like a holiday.
‘LL: How often do you get return visits from people looking to cover up someone’s name?
MC: When I worked in a street shop, I encountered more people getting relationship tattoos that weren’t well thought out. Guys would get sprung on a girl, and get her name impulsively tattooed on them. You would see all the drama in street shops coming from a younger crowd. Today, my clients are much more strategic and thoughtful with their choices.
‘LL: There are some tattoo artists out there who are opposed to both tattooing and covering up names of significant others, why are you open to doing this type of work?
MC: I am not a superstitious person. If you want to change your look, I am here to help. I am not here to judge your past. My goal as an artist is to beautify my community the best way I can.
‘LL: What has been the craziest tattoo that you’ve ever been tasked with covering up?
MC: The craziest tattoo that I have been asked to cover up is a giant spider web on the cranium of a famous musician. ‘
LL: Speaking of covering up tattoos, what are your thoughts on applying laser to a tattoo before covering it up? Is it something you would recommend?
MC: Laser technology is getting so advanced, so it really helps by lightening up a tattoo before getting it covered up. I hear that laser work hurts twice as much as getting the tattoo, so I understand skipping the laser session.
‘LL: What advice would you give a client who is pondering on getting a tattoo of their significant other’s name?
MC: Make sure they like the same food as you, the same music as you, and have a kid with them just in case, so you didn’t get the tattoo for nothing. And, finally, get the tat in an area that makes it easy to cover up!
‘LL: Have you ever gotten a tattoo that you regret?
MC: I don’t regret any of my tattoos. They reflect the space I was in at the time, and they give me memories of how far I have come. There are some areas I would do differently if I could jump in a time machine and go back and start again.
‘LL: Do you have any other projects or contests coming up that you would like our readers to know about?
MC: Aside from my DoorDash partnership, I have a couple of things in the works. I am working on opening a new location in Santa Monica. I, also, have a gang of new t-shirts coming out on my website, www.mistercartoon.com, and I’m also working on new vinyl toys, paintings and a couple of animation projects.
For those who missed out on the opportunity to get a tattoo of your favorite dish, don’t you worry because DoorDash is giving away a free dinner during Valentine’s Day week. From 2/7/2020-2/14/2020, the first 100 people who post a photo of their own food tattoos on Twitter using the hashtag #FoodIsForever, will receive a $25 DoorDash credit!