HGTV Star David Bromstad's Most Iconic Pop Culture Tattoos
Some people enjoy pop culture, others are pop culture, but HGTV's David Bromstad? He's both. The heavily tattooed host of "My Lottery Dream Home" has a wide variety of ink in different colors and tattoo styles, but one thing stays consistent throughout his work: his love and appreciation for the pop culture that inspired him to become an artist and designer himself.
...much to the chagrin of his parents, anyway. Growing up in a conservative, Christian, Midwestern family, Bromstad told Hart and Huntington Orlando (his go-to tattoo shop), "My parents said, 'If you get a tattoo, no more funding for you.' But as a teenager, that makes you want it more. So, I got a dragonfly tattoo right after college."
Bromstad has collected quite a few more pieces since then, many of which directly pertain to his profession, personality, and the HGTV hosts' pride as a member of the LGBTQ community. But the HGTV star — and pop culture icon in his own right — has several large pieces dedicated to the movies, books, trends, and toys that have shaped who he is today.
David Bromstad showcases his love for (and professional connection to) Disney
Before David Bromstad was the HGTV host we know and love today, he was a hustling artist making his way through the ranks at Disney. Bromstad experimented with computer animation, visual merchandiser, and park production sculptor. The HGTV star told Hart and Huntington Orlando that the work was difficult, "But it made me appreciate that if you don't have finishing skills in any artistic life, your work isn't going to look expensive or truly finished."
So, it's unsurprising that when it came time to pick out his Disney tattoos, Bromstad went all in and opted for a centerpiece of the world-famous parks: the Cinderella castle. He has a large illustration of the iconic castle on his thigh, colored with vibrant oranges and purples as if you were looking at it during a sunset. Swirling clouds flank the castle, and the word "Fantasy" is written in large, black font across the bottom.
Bromstad also paid tribute to Disney's mascot, Mickey Mouse, in a large upper arm piece on his left shoulder and bicep. Done in a style true to Disney's modern animation aesthetic, the Mickey Mouse character appears to be holding two smaller versions of its older animated self in front of a red, orange, and yellow sunburst.
David Bromstad views himself as 'a blank canvas that needs to be filled'
What do you get when you cross a wizard, dabbing unicorn, and popcorn? More of David Bromstad's tattoos, obviously. In addition to his impressive collection of Disney tattoos, the "My Lottery Dream Home" host has a wide variety of other pop culture moments, like a tiny Poppin' Good scratch and sniff sticker on his stomach that Bromstad says "brings me back to my childhood and my families love for popcorn" (via Instagram). His IG post also showed off a dabbing unicorn on his left pec, which he said "was just to cute and hilarious not to get!"
Bromstad has Hogwarts castle from the Harry Potter series tattooed on his right thigh to match Cinderella's on his left. He opted for clean, black lines similar to the illustrations found in the books. Bromstad wrote in an Instagram caption that he wanted this piece to be as different from his Disney castle as possible. However, he cleverly maintained symmetry between the two pieces by placing the word "Magic" under the wizarding world castle.
The real meaning behind Bromstad's tattoos? He loves the art form. "Tattoos are a beautiful, brilliant way of expressing yourself. I'm a blank canvas that needs to be filled," he told Hart and Huntington Orlando. "I literally stay up at night thinking and researching what I can do next, what area I can have tattooed that's interesting, different, and fun."