Tattooist Min Zumi permanently places patches on his clients’ skin. They aren’t real fabric badges, of course, but they look so authentic that his work will make you do a double-take. Zumi incorporates drop shadows and tiny lines that mimic the look of stitching, and he lends his style to a variety of pop culture-inspired subjects. From classic video games like Banjo Kazooie to cherished storybooks like Winnie-the-Pooh, Zumi recreates these beloved figures as collectible memorabilia that will forever be with their fans.

“A patch is like an emblem that shows who a person is, where they belong or what they really love,” Zumi tells My Modern Met. “I have also worked on sticker tattoos and they are a similar concept which shows our personalities and our fun or creative side.” Popular culture is a big part of our lives and can be a huge influence on who we are, making books, video games, and television shows obvious choices for tattoos. “It has been common for me to create around the characters and animations that we love.”

Zumi gives us some insight into how he crafts his three-dimensional-looking body art. “Patch tattoos are an effect made of lots and lots of thin lines of varying colors and shades which give the effect of hundreds of threads in the skin,” he explains. “I use other shading techniques to make the piece look as though it was sewn right into the skin as well. The blending of the vibrant colored inks with the skin creates an amazing tattoo!”

Tattooist Min Zumi creates pop culture-inspired patch tattoos.

In addition to creating patches, he also imagines famous figures as “sticker” tattoos.

Min Zumi: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Min Zumi.

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