"Josh" with tree and fishing hook

This is a memorial piece for an important family member of the client. This is his first tattoo. He said that he would never have gotten one that didn't mean something important, and I was happy to be a part of this event for him.

I smile to remember... He and his friend got more and more excited as time went on with the detail I was putting into the bark or the tree. I'm really getting the desire to do more realistic work. Maybe even exclusively, someday.

Fleur-de-lis (Half outlined/textured)

At first glance, this one looks half-done. He did intend this look. My favorite part is the textured side. It feels good to shade.

Arm band: Complete

I've been working with this guy a lot lately, getting his arm encircled with tattoos. I have been very happy to work with him, as he likes artwork that makes me stretch and explore new coloring techniques. Today, we did the star design (mine from a long time ago that I never got to give anyone) and the maple leaf vines with the quote, "One Life, One Chance."

 

 

"Kellie"

Simple lettering job. I like how the fading turned out.

"Live Laugh Love" Vines

This was a fun piece to do. The client wanted it to look "viney." I was happy about that, since it takes a lot of stress away when the lines are meant to look imperfect. I was again able to mess with my color mixing, so I'm pretty happy!

Ladybug

This woman had a simple tattoo of three dots on her wrist that she needed covered up. Man... I need to remember before hand to take pictures of this stuff! My apologies on dropping the ball on that again.

Anyway, an adorable ladybug. She had to ask me where the original dots were. Fun stuff.

Addition to the Pirate Skull

This client came back for a slight touch-up of his colorful design. Only a little of the blue didn't set right, so it was to be an easy touch-up. Then he told me he wanted to add new material to the design altogether! I love how the designs go together and I'm excited to work with him more in the future.

Re-do

This was a tattoo that the client had done a decade or two ago and needed to be fixed up. We have the before and after for your viewing pleasure.

 I went over the tribal components with few changes. The coloring was the funnest part. I used two different hues of purple, green, and yellow respectively to add interest to each part of the design. The "M" shape in the center is representing the symbol for Scorpio.

Update from the shop

It's been a while since I've updated my progress as a tattoo apprentice. I've spent several months now working at Happy Valley Tattoo and Piercing in American Fork. It's been great to meet so many new people and learn from people who have been doing tattoos for years and years. My down time is spent drawing. Lots of drawing... My next goal is to tattoo a portrait or otherwise highly detailed image to push myself toward realizing anything people throw at me. I'll be doing my first portrait this coming Monday!
 

Happy Valley has been a blast to tattoo at. I feel more confident with each new client, and look forward to more work. Any of you who are interested should head on over and get yourself some work! Look us up.

Here are a few pieces that I have done recently that I needed to get on the blog.

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Another excellent butterfly. This was actually a cover-up, but I forgot to take the before photo. It was some text that the client didn't care for anymore.

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Very fun to do. This dream catcher is a kind of symbol of this client deciding to let the stress in her life take care of itself when things get too tough. I used simplified shapes with the feathers and string. Nice dream catcher.

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Getting much better at lettering. I've been tattooing a lot of first-timers lately!

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Neck. ... A difficult place to tattoo.After this one was done, the guy went to the mirror and had a troubled expression. I asked what was up and he said, "Isn't it supposed to be 'J' first, then 'R'?" A surge of adrenaline flew to my face for a split second before I realized that he was confused from the reflection reversing the letters. Phew! We laughed.

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The ear. ... ... even harder spot than the neck. This is one of my favorites now, though. The colors alone inspire me to try mixing more hues and use fewer outlines whenever a client would like something more artsy, rather than traditional.

Pirate Skull

Adding on this guy's arm. He will someday have a sleeve, but it going one step at a time. It's difficult to make out the fine details because this tattoo is actually only 3 inches or so across. The details were a lot of fun, but would have been easier with a larger tattoo. Turned out great!