Shawn Mendes just got a butterfly tattoo and its backstory is straight out of a fan’s wildest dreams.
On July 17, a fan named Kayla (a.k.a. @nasaruins) posted two black-and-white photos of Shawn Mendes on Twitter sporting an intricately designed butterfly tattoo on his left arm. Kayla revealed that she edited the tattoo onto Mendes’s forearm and posted it with the caption, “Shawn mendes with a butterfly tattoo. I rest my case.”
The next day, the communication began with Mendes and his fan. Mendes retweeted the edited photo and then requested that Kayla direct message him the specific drawing that she edited onto his skin using an app called PicsArt. Kayla relayed that the original sketch was illustrated by tattoo artist @macdreaper on Instagram. Their incredible conversation over direct message has since been shared with the world via screenshots.
i love ONE man🥺 pic.twitter.com/7YIV4x3sUV
— 𝐤𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐚 gigi eva ana & carinas day!! (@nasaruins) July 18, 2019
The butterfly illustration is seriously cool. One side consists of a normal version of the insect, while the other is made of of lush florals in the shape of a butterfly wing. Mendes brought the tattoo to life on July 21 with help from Toronto-based tattoo artist Livia Tsang. He got inked in the same exact spot imagined by Kayla — and just as the two speculated, the tattoo looks like it was made just for him.
Obviously, Kayla lost her mind when she realized Mendes was really getting the tattoo. She wrote on Twitter, “I’m fully crying oh my god he’s really getting it.” And then, “Who would’ve thought that me messing around and editing a tattoo onto him would turn into a reality??? No words.” Mendes even gave her the “follow” on Twitter.
Things worked out well for the OG tattoo artist, as well. He wrote in an Instagram caption, “I thank you very much for all the messages of love that you have sent me and for appreciating and sharing my art. For those who have asked me, I am located in Santiago de Chile. I invite you to continue reviewing and sharing my art.”
The major takeaway? Mendes is always paying attention. If you consider yourself to be a superfan, it’s about time you get creative.
