Skull Cover

Man, I messed up...

Not on the tattoo (I think) but I lost the before picture of what this is covering.  This was one of the craziest cover ups I've ever done.  Believe it or not, there was a very solid black and grey half sleeve under there of a guy shooting himself in the head under a bridge or something made out of bricks...no joke.  I've been doing other work on him for years and he's always mentioned wanting to do something about it but I always kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to have to tell him it couldn't be done.

We had been working on dialing in the lower section of the arm one day (which has a bunch of skulls and roses I was finishing that had been started by another artist) and he brought up the upper arm.  I started looking at it and realized there were these three pretty dark spots roughly where two eyes and a nose would be.  I started drawing on him and it was looking like it might fit, so we just went ahead and started outlining it.  The roses up top are there to match all the ones that were already on the lower arm.

I really hope he has a picture of the old tattoo laying around, because I still can't really believe we were able to cover it so well...

Also, threw in the last picture to show how different these things can look in different lighting...

Phoenix

I actually did this one a few years ago, but we never got around to finishing the inner tail feathers.  I had always meant to add some stripy dark grey lines over the lighter grey shading, but we never quite got to it.  Years later it finally happened, and honestly, it really pulled it together.  

This piece is really about pattern and it looked strange to have one part not like the others...

Also, it was fun to just dive in after all that time and just do it.  No drawing or over planning, just pick up the machine and go.  Very free and fun...

It was very cool that he requested such a graphically oriented piece, and it actually goes very well with his arm of tribal on the other side.

Japanese Hulk

Yup, that's right...it's a Japanese warrior Hulk.

Definitely one of my more fun and original requests in quite a while.  He asked for the Hulk as a samurai or ninja or just some bad ass looking Asian dude.

It was super fun from the drawing through to the final session.  The only snag was in the beginning, deciding the ratio of Hulk to warrior.  Do you make it the classic bare chested Hulk with some Japanese clothing and weapon details, or do you focus on the Japanese part and let the green guy be secondary?  I sort of chose the later approach.  I figured as long as his face and hands were showing (and green), you'd be able to figure out who it was.  That way I could focus more on the clothing and patterns (which to me is way more interesting than some green pecs and six pack) and try to "trick it out" a bit more.  Since it's a sort of campy premise (and totally cool at the same time), I subtly hammed it up a little by putting the kanji for strength in the robes, and trimming it with the universal nuclear sign as a repeating pattern.  He's the new school Hulk from the comics with the smaller head, but it makes his hands look way bigger and more substantial...

Super fun tattoo on a super fun guy who I'm looking forward to working on more in the near future (you should see his next idea...)

Horitoshi 1

Not sure where I came across this one (or who made it or why it's so short), but I kinda dug it.

Both gentlemen are wearing Horitoshi body suits (the shorter haired one is my friend, Mr. Ishikawa, who I've had some great times with in Tokyo and SF, and the longer haired fellow is basically what I'd like to look like when I'm that age)...

Horitoshi has always been my favorite tattooer and one of my main main influences and inspirations. I've always admired his personal and artistic style, not to mention his ferocious work ethic.

I met him almost 15 years ago, and am very fortunate to have gotten to spend so much time with him and his tattoo family over the years.

There's a link to the right if you'd like to check out some of his work...

Warrior and Snake

This one was started sometime last year I believe.  I wrote about once before, but it actually is based on a bible verse.  I'm not sure which one, but he had a list of a few key elements/images that need to be represented (I think it was sword, armor, serpent, helmet, and shield).  His idea was pretty neat, to interpret a biblical passage as a piece of Asian inspired art...why not?  

He mentioned a samurai at first, but I wasn't really clicking with that off the bat.  Even though so much of this tattoo stuff is make believe and fantasy, a samurai just would have never battled a snake (at least not one that big).  I decided to model the main figure after one of the Suikoden bandits (as depicted by Kuniyoshi).  The thinking was this:

They are warriors that are often shown wearing helmets and armor, so check on that.  And since the story is pure fantasy, there are times when the protagonists fight giant creatures of various sorts, so check on that as well.  Also the shield was a big sticking point.  There had to be a shield in the composition, but the samurai didn't use shields (ever the consummate bad asses, they had to keep both hands free for two swords, a bow, or spear), so that wouldn't have worked.  But as the Suikoden warriors are originally from China, there were shields used (and depicted in the prints).  I didn't love the idea of having it be a main focal point, so you can just see it poking out from behind his back, but it is there...

Seems like there are usually at least several months between each session, but it's coming together just fine and we're having a good time...

Tiger Sleeve

Even though he's one of our favorite people around here, I sure didn't take it easy on him this session.  Started right on the elbow and shaded the whole thing solid in one shot.  Then it was around to the inner arm for more fill in.  Rounded out the day by finishing the thick rock lines around both sides of the arm pit.  I imagine it was one of our more intense sessions for him, but as always he laid there perfectly still and relaxed.  His dedication to getting tattooed really invigorates me and is a constant reminder of all of the best aspects of what I do.

We've actually had another session since that one, and although I forgot my camera I was able to snap a couple pics on the phone...

Another painful day I would imagine.  All up the inside of the arm, skirting the arm pit and onto the chest.  It's cool to see the silhouette of the sleeve taking shape and I'm really focused on moving ahead in a couple weeks...

Body Suit

Well for the first time in over a year we tattooed him with something that wasn't new outline or background shading.  The really dark, dense background is what really makes this style (and he knows that full well and loves it) but it can be tedious just doing month after month of black and grey clouds.

This session was still just black, but we started coloring in the scales on the right dragon.  This will eventually get color as well, and the black will serve as a little extra depth and texture.  Again, his wish is for a traditional-ish suit that follows established Japanese aesthetic, but a little tweaked and unexpected.  It's a bit hard to explain, but if you knew him it makes perfect sense.

We also began consulting for the next phase of the project, which we might even start next time depending on which way the winds are blowing.  Here's a sneak peak (very rough, but it's a general idea)...