Julia Gnuse – nicknamed the ‘illustrated lady’ – has 95 per cent of her body covered in ink, ranging from jungle scenes and cartoons to her favourite actors. Miss Gnuse, from California, started getting tattoos on her legs after developing a skin condition called porphyria, which causes the skin to blister when exposed to sunlight. More images after the break...

In an interview, Miss Gnuse said although the ink did not stop her skin from blistering, it covered up the scars and allowed her to be exposed to the sun. ‘I had a friend who is a plastic surgeon, who suggested tattooing my skin the same color to the scarring that I had, seeing if we can match my just pale-looking skin that I had.’ Miss Gnuse said every one of her designs had been created by the same tattoo artist. Miss Gnuse features in the 2011 Guiness World Records book.