Monday...

Bringing the Weekend to a Close

Megan's chest piece, colored.  A little bloody, but you get
the idea!

A little better quality pic, better illustrating the colors.

Saturday I was visited by my favorite South-Dakotan clients, Seth and Megan, who brought some of their friends along for their annual tattoo adventure.  The make the pilgrimage to visit me every year over their spring break for tattoo work.  This visit, Megan got her chest piece finished that we started exactly a year ago.  As always, she sat perfectly and the tattoo went extremely well.  We also outlined and shaded an addition to Seth's lower right arm, a traditional eagle with bombs and bomber planes.  It should be a fun piece to color!  Most people who follow my work may recognize Seth as the owner of the sugar skull/gyspy side tattoo that we completed about three years ago.  Seth and Megan's friends got tattooed by Scott and Erika.

Outside of Brittany's arm, completed roughly
two years ago

The inside of Brittany's arm,
picture 1.  

The inside of Brittany's arm,
picture 2.

I was fortunate to tattoo Brittany's arm again today.  I tattooed her girlfriend, Abby, with the Nintendo tattoo a few weeks ago.  Brittany got a super-original memorial tattoo for someone very close to her.  I am completely in love with this tattoo!  As always, I still have yet to get a great photo of the outside of her arm, but eventually it will appear in one of my books.  Always fun to tattoo Brittany!

Oh what a day...

I think I tattooed for twelve hours today, straight.  I started the day with a cross on James, a first timer.  Anna got these traditional, custom drawn, mirror-image roses on her shoulder-cap, (I  LOVE tattooing roses)!  I took a pic of each rose with the Hipstamatic, and also posted a pic of the tattoo I took without a filter since the Hipstamatics blur the center of the roses a bit.  I then outlined the start of a lower-back cover-up tattoo, (normally I don't post in-progress photos, but in this case I think the picture is better explanation than my words can be).  Then, (to my poor clients dismay running two hours late), I started on some initials for Ben, (a tribute to his triplet daughters).  I didn't take a picture of the tattoo, but I did take a picture of the rough sketch, which I found archived in my photos.  Whew, what a way to end the week, I'll be relaxing tomorrow!

Dragon Koi's and Family Crests

Started the day with a family crest tattoo on James.  It was his first tattoo and he was a pro!  He got the tattoo on his forearm.  The final image is modified quite a bit from the original picture he brought me of the traditional crest, but we both seemed to like the custom modifications.

I then completed the inside of Jared's arm.  We completed the outside over the summer which involved some covering and re-working.  The inside involved working around a circular tattoo in the center of his arm.  I didn't take finished pictures, but I did find this picture of his rough sketch, where you can see the space we had to work around.  Jared wanted a dragon koi and hibiscus.  

Meet My New Station Mate

I have been slowly remodeling my station, with the chair marking the beginning of the remodel.  I have added some fabulous scents, and a new visual distraction; my new fish, Hostage.  I have also added an anti-germ air filter, (which you can sort-of see in the pic), some spring flowers and have even de-cluttered my knick-knacks!  The plan is to add a flat-screen television to show ambient visual distractions on in the form of old horror movies or tattoo slideshows, as well as upholster my chair and get a new mobile to stare at while getting your arm or chest tattooed.  I aim to please, and I plan on stockpiling my station with distractions to busy every sense.  Oh yea, and I have tons of candy to share!

Keep On Truckin'

An ode to a trucker father in black and grey on Paul's arm.