A Pound of Flesh is making incredible innovations in the world of tattooable and pierceable synthetic skin, from flat sheets of flesh to super realistic limbs!

Best known for its severed arms, hands and feet, A Pound of Flesh creates some of the most lifelike synthetic skins on the market in a whole variety of fun forms and shapes.

We spoke with Kayleigh Tanthorey, Director of Marketing at A Pound of Flesh, about how the company started, the pranks they pull on each other, and the ominous Wall of Flesh that haunts their office.

When was A Pound of Flesh founded, and what problem were you trying to solve?

Up until APOF was created there wasn’t really a way for people to practice tattooing or even just tattoo pieces they wanted for fun if you didn’t have a customer lined up for what you wanted to do. Apprentices were turning to latex alternatives or pig skin, or just trusting friends and family, none of which are optimal options.

APOF filled that need, and went beyond just flat practice sheets (although we have those too) to offer 3D models that not only feel a lot more like real flesh than anything else available, but provide more lifelike practice situations. They help apprentices to better understand how to work and create pieces which take into account the natural curvatures of the human body.

Even though the product filled a huge hole in what was available for apprentices, it’s also allowed seasoned artists to get creative, try new techniques and products, and even showcase their work in ways that was never possible before.

What’s your role in the company?

I’m the Director of Marketing.

Are you a tattooer or tattoo enthusiast?

Now, I’d probably fall into the enthusiast category. Earlier in my career I went through a traditional apprenticeship and worked in shops for a while. Then I started working closely with a machine builder, and got very involved with the equipment, supplies, and really enjoyed all the artists I was able to help reach through that side of the industry.

How many tattoos do you have, and do you have a favourite?

I don’t know that I could count them, but I have both legs fairly full, and one of my arms partway there. I don’t know that I could pick a favourite tattoo without offending a friend, but one of my coolest tattoo experiences was getting tattooed by Victor Chil before the London Tattoo Convention several years ago in a space that had a beautiful view of The Gherkin which, coming from the States, was an incredible experience (when you ignore the hours of pain).  He did an incredible pink coil machine on the side of my knee which still looks amazing!

Can you tell us about the others working at A Pound of Flesh with you?

We’ve got an insanely talented crew working behind the scenes to create all of this fake flesh. The cornerstone is really our mould-making team – they have a ton of experience in prop-making and have been able to translate that into APOF, creating our sculptures and 3D modelling, then turning them into the moulds we use in the production process.

From there we have an in-house team dedicated to mixing the silicone, pouring/curing and actually making the products we sell day to day, and another group who packages them and gets them shipped out all over the world.  

Do you play pranks with each other using your products?

Oh, yeah… we definitely have entirely too much fun with some of our quirkier skins. As an example, this past Halloween, one of our photographers set up a “Tattooable Cutie Doll Séance” in the studio. We definitely used that for social media.

Then, we have the occasional “prank” of tapping someone’s shoulder — or, you know, stroking someone’s hair — with an APOF hand when they least expect it. Our Design Manager is guilty of that one most days. I think the longest-standing prank was when we duct-taped a tattooable foot to the underside of our Content Writer’s desk. He didn’t notice for like a week.

It gets weird. We’re all weird.

Do you think it’s important for artists to practice on synthetic body parts like hands before moving onto the real thing?

Absolutely. That was one of the main founding principles behind A Pound of Flesh: our belief that artists need a reliable resource for quality practice canvases, so they don’t make mistakes on real clients.

Lifelike practice skins not only prepare artists for “the real deal,” but make sure that when they do take on clients, they’ll be ready to produce their best-quality work to date. Plus, an apprentice tattooer taking on their first client will be less intimidated by the curvature and texture of real hands, feet, and torsos if they’ve already practiced on our silicone surfaces (which mirror that texture and curvature as accurately as possible). But, like I said before, these canvases aren’t just for beginning artists. Experienced tattooers can also try their hand at new techniques and tackle new styles confidently after working at it on a lifelike surface.

So, basically, practicing on fake body parts boosts everyone’s confidence all around and makes our industry more professional, with even beginning artists much more prepared to give their clients a quality experience. Plus, tattooing on fake body parts gives you something cool to add to your 3D portfolio… as opposed to citrus from your local grocery store, which eventually rots.

Can you reuse practice skin?

Tattoos on APOF are as permanent as they would be on real skin, so you can’t clean them off and reuse them. But, unlike real skin, all our APOF flats are double-sided, so you get a front and back side for double the practice!

Best way to apply a stencil to practice skin?

Since our practice skins are made of silicone, the stencil application process is a little different than the process you would use for real skin.

You’ll want to clean your practice skin first. So, just dampen a paper towel with isopropyl alcohol and wipe it along the surface of your practice skin.

Then, you’ll dampen another paper towel with isopropyl alcohol, rub Speed Stick deodorant directly onto the paper towel, and then rub the paper towel on the surface of your practice skin. That’s basically your stencil applicator.

Then, you go ahead and apply your stencil. We have a great video that gives you step-by-step instructions in all our product listings. You can check it below!

Is it important for tattoo artists to try on different practice skin colours?

Practicing on different tones is a great way to prepare for the diversity of real-life clients that can walk through the door at any moment. Especially when training, there’s a big difference in the way you’d approach a black and grey piece on a Fitzpatrick 2 client versus a Fitzpatrick 5. Silicone is a great way to practice and make sure your tattoos have enough contrast and legibility on all skin tones.

Are some of the skins also useful for piercing practise?

Yes, we offer a selection of products you can use for piercing practise, too — like our Practise Lips Body Bit. These are specifically designed for piercing practice (and PMU practice, too). You can easily use piercing markers on the silicone surface, pierce through the material like it’s real skin, and even showcase some of your best lip jewellery. We have a full line of body parts in the works now, specifically created for piercing practice, that we’ve been developing with a piercer with a lot of great options for any type of piercing practice.

How do you make your synthetic skin so lifelike?

A lot of effort and experimenting went into making APOF feel as lifelike as possible — we went through countless testing rounds in the beginning to get the right mixture of silicone that would most closely mimic the way real skin feels when you’re tattooing it. Through that process, we found thousands of ways to make a bad synthetic skin before we landed on a good one.

In addition to the formula, the moulds are another key factor to how real our 3D items like hands and arms look and feel. Our mould-makers’ attention to detail and ability to capture tiny details of skin texture adds an element of realism you just don’t see at the same level anywhere else.

What’s the most inventive thing you’ve seen an artist do with your products?

That’s hard to say – we’ve definitely seen a LOT of weird things happen with our creations over the years!

I think one of the more creative things came through with our most recent Battle of the Ducks, where artists could tattoo one of our Lucky Duckys and send it in for a chance to win $2,500. One of our entrants got really creative and created an entire true crime back story for her tattooed duck – it arrived “suffocated” in condoms with Polaroid “evidence” and a full murder story – it was pretty incredible and such an outside of the box way to submit an entry. The tattoos were great too!

Would you rather fight 1 horse-sized Lucky Ducky or 100 Lucky Ducky-sized horses?

Assuming both are unarmed, it would be 100 Lucky Ducky-sizes horses, 100%... I’m 5’1, so one horse-sized duck could crush me in an instant, but I think I could take a ton of mini horses. They don’t have the agility to climb, and I could easily kick or throw them away from me, although truthfully, I’d probably spend most of my efforts trying to tame them and turn them into pets. How cute would Lucky Duck sizes horses be?!

How did you come up with the idea of making the cutie doll, and how popular have they been?

Cutie dolls have always been a staple in tattoo flash, and it was a fun way to play with some of these older tattoo themes in a new way. I think there’s a layer of humour to everything we create, and it’s also just a silly way to do something forbidden by tattooing these little babies. Our team certainly has fun playing with them and putting them in strange situations on social media - one of our favourites was a tiny, tattooed baby séance last Halloween.

Why did you choose to make products in Fitzpatrick tones 2-5?

Representation and inclusion is something that’s so important, and something the tattoo industry has been slow to really push to the forefront. There’s a hole in the industry when it comes to darker skin in a lot of ways — from inclusion in portfolios and features on artists’ Instagram accounts to education and available products. Until recently, there weren’t resources to practice on varying skin tones and to help artists understand the differences.

What is the strangest item you’ve made in fake skin?

It may not be that weird of an object, but the scale certainly makes it notable – we’ve recently made some custom 2-meter sheets which were massive. It’s been fondly called the Wall of Flesh in the warehouse, but it’s pretty creepy to just have a bedsheet-sized fleshy mass flopping around.

Which sells better - left hands or right hands?

More people go for the right in hands, but it’s surprisingly split 50/50 when it comes to right vs. left arms or feet.

Why use A Pound of Fruit instead of an actual grapefruit?

The grapefruits were made as a fun way to pay homage to the way a lot of us learned to tattoo on fruits – plus it’s a cute way to hold onto your first tattoos and see how much you grow as your career progresses, without it rotting or getting mouldy.

What new products will you be bringing out next?

I can’t give too much away here, but we’re just getting started - we’ve got a lot of really fun and exciting things coming soon. I think people are going to have a blast tattooing them. We’re constantly thinking of new and random objects it would be fun to tattoo — and while there have been a lot of rejects (R.I.P. tattooable hot dogs) there’s a LOOONG list of fleshy sculptures and shapes we can’t wait to bring to life.

Which tattoo artists are pushing the industry forward right now?

I always feel bad dropping names as I will almost certainly forget someone, but there are so many amazing things happening in the industry right now – the new styles of art and limits that are being pushed in tattooing overall are incredible. I’m also excited to watch the artists who are pushing the industry forward not just artistically, but through innovation and changes to the established industry norms as well.

There are a lot more artists now focused on the future and offering education to future tattooers in new ways that are far more open than they ever have been in my time in the industry. Phenomenal artists with jaw-dropping portfolios are starting to offer online courses and training for new artists in an open way we really haven’t seen before – there are a lot of opinions on whether that’s ultimately a good or a bad thing, but it’s an idea that’s really picking up steam and new versions and classes are launching constantly. I’m excited to see how that grows and evolves.

Is A Pound of Flesh going to any conventions in 2023?

We spend all of our time working on new moulds and creating new flesh, so we don’t get out on the road often. But you can always find some body parts or Cutie Dolls lying around at any show because we have so many great distributor partners who attend for us.

What does the future hold for A Pound of Flesh?

The future for A Pound of Flesh is, as usual, weird, unpredictable, and a ton of fun. We’ll never reveal what we’ve got “brewing” in our facilities, but we’re always thinking of innovative moulds and surfaces that will challenge artists and spice up their 3D portfolios.

Also, as we expand into the PMU and piercing worlds, we’ll be offering more and more practice moulds that are useful for a wide variety of artists. There should be enough flesh to go around for everyone!

Huge thanks to Kayleigh for taking the time to answer our questions – we know you must have your hands full!

Make sure to check out A Pound of Flesh and their antics on Instagram and Facebook, or check out the full range of synthetic skins including hands, arms, and Cutie Dolls in Fitzpatrick tones 2-5!