Viking Woman

This is the third part to the Viking-themed sleeve a client and I are working on. To generate this woman, I used multiple sources to create the pose, costume, and shadows on the body. People got really excited when they saw her drawn out, so I was looking forward to completing the tattoo.

I used three types of needles for various parts. For the fine details in the face: 3-liner. Other details and lines: 5-liner. For all shading (minus face): 5-mag. I am really liking the soft capability of the mag to shade and fill areas both large and small. I think I'll use them more often.

More to come on this theme. He may include his other arm on the viking theme in the future.

Altered Tribal Initials

This client is the husband of the woman with the recent butterfly tattoo. He used the same letters to become symbols, but wanted to go in the direction of a tribal design. Somehow, and don't ask me how, the 'tribal' style turned into metallic shapes with a drop shadow. I am very happy with it. They liked the shadow, too.

Music Sleeve

This was a fun project. The client had worked with another artist for one side of his arm and asked me to do the inside. I didn't get any photos of the other parts, but it includes some roses, lettering, and a giant star.

Viking Man

This is a piece that was started by a different artist. All I did was the axe, as the rest was already there. The fun part was trying to keep the shading style the same as what the other artist started with. I will be working on this guy a lot in the future.

This is the second part of the sleeve. The designs are all viking-themed after the client's ancestry. I love the lighting and shading on this. I know my style is not perfect yet, but I'm stretching myself like crazy lately and having a blast.

Butterfly with Cherry Blossoms

The butterfly is made up of symbols the client requested.We spent a good deal of time working on the design to make sure it was absolutely perfect. She and her husband are awesome people. Just saying.

"S" and "K" Tree

This is a work in progress that will span a few months as the client gets money ready. The letters represent his children. they are kind of tangled in what will be the roots of a large tree that will reach the top of his shoulder. It's kind of like the tree is gaining strength from the kids.

I'm excited to see this one take shape.

Piercing Needle

This tattoo went out to our piercer. He's a blast to work with and has been wanting piercing tattoos forever. One day, I told him I'd draw him up a needle with a mad face.

He looked at me like I was nuts.

Then I drew it and he wouldn't go a day without asking when it would be inked, so we got it done. The lining on this piece is so thick because I used a 9-shader with my voltage set high. The higher voltage makes the needle jump faster, making it act like a liner, even though the 9 needles aren't pointing at the same spot. I did use a 9-magnum, but only to lighten up the color near the center of the shapes. This design takes up the man's left calf.

Flower and Ladybug fix-up

This client had got this tattoo done twice before me. Both times: infection. Plus... faded colors. WTF?

I gave her specific advice on taking care of the foot. She had been letting the tattoo breathe by wearing flip flops. I urged her to try socks and loos shoes. She said she has some that only really cover the toes, to the sock will prevent infection, but not irritate the tattoo. The weird thing is that she's got two other tattoos, but hasn't seen any problems with anything but this foot.

"Kayson"

This is the other arm of the man who got the "Kellie" tattoo recently. I feel like this one is an improvement off of the first. However, we have plans to add to both, making it look more complete on both arms with meaningful designs that symbolize his kids.

I only used a 5-liner on this one. I no longer think I'll use a 3-liner for anything except minute details. No more lining with the 3-liner.

"Stolthet"

This word it European. The client did not tell me its meaning; only that it relates to her family heritage.

She came in and spoke with our piercer about the design. She had brought it in on a piece of brown paper bag. It was sketched out roughly, but she asked that it look like it was sunk into her skin. Also, she wanted pink.  The result look kind of like she has pinkness under her skin, visible through a "Stolthet"-shaped hole.

Wing touch-ups

These wings were not done by me, but I was able to touch them up. A few of the lines were faded and/or splotchy. I fixed those and darkened the shading a bit. This girl was a bit of a squirmer, but we got it done.

Caffeine Molecule

Science nerds unite! Yes, it's the molecular makeup of caffeine. Awesome.

The stencil color was nearly identical to the ink, so when I was finished others were like, "Why are you bandaging up the stencil? Aren't you going to tattoo?"

Portrait of Russell

This goes with the previous portrait. The first was the client's mother and this hansom man was her father. This was a special experience to be a part of as the tattoos are so important to her.

The father passed away only a few weeks ago. As a way of keeping his memory close to her heart, she chose to add some of his ashes into the ink. I've heard of this being done before, but hadn't ever done it. In order to get the ashes fine enough to dissolve in the ink, our team at the shop ground it up with a mortar and pestle.

This was a strong bonding experience for all of us. We feel like family at Happy Valley, and it's been a blast. Speaking of which, the shop has been purchased by the owner's son, Lenny. He will be changing the name of the establishment to Infamous Ink in the near future, but we will be operating with the same staff and awesome qualities. Come on in!

Professional Body Artist

Well, that was awesome. I just completed my apprenticeship at Happy Valley Tattoo & Piercing. I have an awesome certificate to prove it! My self-confidence is high and my understanding that my skills are still not perfect is ever present. All-in-all, I have had a blast with the hobby of tattooing.

Yesterday, I gave my boss's wife a tattoo portrait of her late mother. My mentor had mentioned that if I pulled that off, my apprenticeship would be over. He has been excited for me to expand and attempt this art style, since good portrait tattooists are hard to find. I am excited because I feel that I have accomplished something very difficult that directly relates to my lifelong dream of being a professional artist. Will I support my family on it? Not any time soon; but I love doing it on the side.

Right now, my art is in a state of change. I won't say that I'm better than any other artists, but I will forthright say that I am stretching myself and enjoying the results. You will notice that the most recent pieces involving color were more intricate than I had done in the past. Even the tree branches on the "Josh" piece were far more detailed than the client had expected or even paid for. What's happening is I am really getting into the art itself as I go. I'm not making alterations that can't be covered up if the client doesn't like them, but they are often accepted as improvements on the tattoo.

I will continue working with tattoos this summer while school is off and probably every other Saturday during the school year. It's rewarding to create art and intriguing to meet people from so many places, each with his/her own stories, interests, and creeds. I guess this marks when I am considered a professional, rather than a student or apprentice, but I'm going to continue on as normal with improvements each time I color skin.

Portrait of a Late Mother

This client is actually my mentor's wife. Well, I say mentor, but he's now more like just a boss. With this piece, I capped off my apprenticeship.

I chose to use a 3-tight bit on this face of this piece to help with fine details. When I do the same client's father's portrait tomorrow, I will only use the 3-tight on the actual places that need it and probably a 5-round on the rest of the face and hair. I like how everything turned out, but the 3-tight left some imperfections in her skin tones that I want to avoid.

As far as going light to dark, I'm happy with the result. I was very careful and had almost no unwanted marks. that's right. Of course, everyone is his/her own worst critic. The client is very happy with the tattoo, and so am I. I mean for a first-ever portrait, this is better than I would predict probable.

Fish Bones

This is a logo for a popular fishing company. The client loves fishing, wanted a tattoo, and is aware of a contest by said company to get the "most bad ass" tattoo of the design in order to win a fishing vacation. These three things combined: Tattoo. Pretty large, really. The tip shading was nice and relaxing, despite the design's size.