Rose Tattoo Design

I am starting to try and think in terms of "What if someone walked into my tattoo shop and asked me for a.......". So I thought of one of the most common requests, a rose. I am trying to draw from the various tattoo disciplines I see, in this case, I went with a traditional 'old school' approach, except that my lines are heavier and smoother than typical old school designs. And the drawing is also a little bit more realistic and less stylized than the old school look.

The Magic Mouth

What started as an illustration for my second volume of my 'Elemental Magic' Book (and still is) turned out to be what I think is a pretty darned cool design for a tattoo! What do you think?

My Tattoo equipment has arrived!!

My first shipment of quality tattoo equipment arrived today from Eikon Tattoo! So the dream is becoming a reality.....This is my very first machine, a 'Green Monster' made by Eikon, a relatively inexpensive yet really solid, robust little tattoo machine. This is a shader machine. I got another Green Monster 'liner' machine that has to be assembled, so I can learn more about them while building it and setting it up to run properly. I am immensely excited. My new friend Shawn of Vancouver Island Tattoo in Cumberland is helping me get set up and may even go so far as to do a formal 'apprenticeship'. We are working out the details as we go, but he has already been an incredible helpful resource....

Liquid Skull Tattoo Design

A fresh design that I did today. Since my foray into painting with acrylics the other day, this design has been showing up in my imagination. It is definitely something I'd like to paint, and hopefully something I'll get a chance to tattoo on some lucky soul.

It is made up of three separate levels of artwork. Many tattoo artists work with tracing paper this way, but I use a light table, as it is something I've done for my animation for so long, and I always have my light table everywhere I go.

I like the second version best as a tattoo design, but for my painting I will probably go with all the details and little fishies like in the third design.

Some new tattoo designs, and NEWS!

Well, it looks like it is finally happening. I am waiting for a shipment of tattoo equipment, machines and all the gizmos that go along with them. I will be starting to practice very soon, and hopefully before long I'll be able to get down to the business of tattooing my friends and more.....

Here are a few designs I've done recently.....

Themetacular

Some recentish Joe Capobianco girls...

Devin(e)

I wrote down the artists name as 'Devin' - can I find a link now? Can i buggery.

Simply Beautiful!

There's something about this tattoo I absolutely love - it was a tattooist submission from Karla Hansen, who writes:

"Hi my name is Karla and I am a tattoo artist from Auckland, New Zealand, I recently did this tattoo on my husband Alex. It's a Chris Sanders design, the director/art director/character designer for movies sucjh as "Lilo and Stitch" and "How to train your Dragon" hope you and your followers like!!"

Thanks Karla!

nb. 'How To Train Your Dragon' is awesome. Pixar-level awesome.

Dead Hot

A couple of zombie strippers from JimmyLajnen.

Unmasked Beauty

Another terrific piece from Anabi in Poland.

Flowing into Hyperspace and back.....

Some day, when I learn how to work a tattoo machine with a degree of proficiency, I hope to reproduce art like this on the flesh of willing human canvases....