Lydia's tattoos

Lydia's tattoos
First mentioned:	Orientation
Owned by:	Lydia (deceased)
Current status:	Disappeared

Lydia the "tattooed lady" had many tattoos all over her body.

About

Lydia had many tattoos. She often used her power of empathy to sense things through her tattoos. For instance, with the help of Samuel to move the ink, tattoos of people's faces were created on her back, and Lydia could use her ability to tell the person's name and information about them. After her death, her tattoos all faded away and vanished. Following is a gallery of Lydia's tattoos.

Gallery

Tattoos That Don't Seem to Change

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  Lydia seems to have a basic tattoo of flowers and vines that don't seem to move.
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  Some flowers are in the shape of a mysterious symbol.
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  The flowers wrap around her shoulder...
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  ...to the left side of Lydia's neck.
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  The right side of her neck has another tattoo.
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  Her left shoulder also has a flower.
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  She has a butterfly tattoo on her left arm...
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  which is surrounded by flowers...
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  ...on either side.
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  She also has matching tattoos on her forearms.
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  Her right arm appears to have a mermaid...
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  ...and more flowers.
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  Lydia also has tattoos upon her abdomen...
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  ...and her right leg.
• 
  Lydia's tattoos disappeared after she was killed.

Tattoos That Change

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  One tattoo takes the form of Emile Danko.
  (Orientation)
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  Another takes the form of Hiro Nakamura.
  (Orientation)
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  Claire, Sylar, and Peter appear on Lydia's back.
  (Jump, Push, Fall)
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  A tattoo of Amanda Strazzulla is the first one to move on its own.
  (Slow Burn, Part 1)
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  Mr. Bennet appears as a tattoo also.
  (Acceptance)
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  Interconnected tattoos of Charlie...
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  ...Noah...
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  ...Claire...
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  ...and Sylar form on Lydia's back.
  (Once Upon a Time in Texas)
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  Claire appears on Lydia's back again.
  (The Fifth Stage)
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  When Eric Doyle visits Lydia, a marionette tattoo forms on her back.
  (The Puppet Master)
• 
  Arnold appears on Lydia's back, but not as she expected to see him.
  (Bloodlines, Part 1)

Original Art

Cesar Lemus designed and drew the original art that would become Lydia's tattoos.

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  Hiro
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  Claire
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  Sylar
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  Peter
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  Amanda
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  Noah
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  Charlie
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  Claire
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  Nathan
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  Nathan

Notes

• According to Heroes Interactive, Samuel makes and controls the mineral-based ink used to create Lydia's tattoos.
• Ingredients for the ink Samuel uses include indigo, umber, linseed oil, and honey. (Close to You)

Trivia

• A gallery at NBC.com describes the process that makeup artists undergo in order to apply Lydia's tattoos. The tattoo is actually a film of material created to fit precisely on a specific part of the body. The tattoo design is printed on special transfer paper. Pressure is applied and the backing of the transfer paper is carefully pulled off. Artists apply a little pressure around the edges of the tattoo to prevent it from peeling. Finally, a coating is sprayed on, which seals the tattoo and gives it a more natural appearance.
• According to a conversation with Dawn Olivieri, the tattoos take a total of about two hours to apply. Occasionally, the makeup artists will apply the tattoos the day before shooting, and then replace pieces the day of shooting as needed.
• A tattoo artist was originally hired to create the artwork that would become Lydia's tattoos. He did a wax template of Dawn Olivieri's arm with wax paper. He then traced all of the spaces in which he wanted to put the tattoos, and then created an array of tattoos. The tattoos were digitized in a computer program so they could be printed out. Makeup artists then spray the printouts with adhesives in order to apply the tattoos on Dawn. Next, the makeup artists spray on two layers of Green Marble (a body adhesive), and then cover it with a powder and a specialized lotion.
• The tattoos that appear and disappear are designed by Cesar Lemus. Each drawing that he does is done on an 8½" × 11" sheet of drawing paper. Cesar originally tried to use charcoal, but was not pleased with the results. Now he uses various pencils. He says that it takes about two passes to get it to a point that is acceptable.
• According to a Tweet from R.J. McCasland, Lydia's tattoo makeup was applied by Glenn Hetrick, Wendi Allison, Lori Madrigal, and R.J.