Well... here is our "Machine-Free" poster child again :-)
There has been a debate in the papers recently about some polititians wanting to refuse unemployment benifits to people with facial tattoos (Much like the British tried in the 80s with all the Punk Rockers). There was an interview with some dumb ass covered with aggressive shit on his face saying that if he didn't get his welfare checks he would be forced into a life of crime. Please don't blame your bad life decisions on our art... it makes tattooing look bad and does no good defending a human rights issue. However Loki spoke up to defend this guy saying that facial tattoos are pretty (he hadn't seen the photo) and that he wanted one!!! When we asked him what he wanted, he said said, "something like Brent" :-)
Good answer... but you're still gonna have to wait until you're 18 :-)
Some new tools I have to give a try...a gift from Brent McCown and a new "tapping stick" from Wayne McGee from Stones and Bones.
Try to guess what it is from? :-)
And while on the subject of Loki...
From the "Blood Gods" series... bound until Ragnarok with a serpent poised above dripping poison onto his face.
Just need to add the dots
A Valkyrie... another of the "Blood Gods"
Based on a historical piece
and the original.
It is not always an easy matter transforming a historical piece into a workable tattoo. My background is graphic art and tribal tattooing, so I like to break up my designs into positive and negative spaces. This makes the design more easily readable and will age better than if I had shaded the whole design.
It's a balancing act :-)
The Older Futhark down the back of an arm. We skipped over the elbow, but with the two lines framing in the runes it still retains its flow up the arm. I went a little deeper on the frame lines which made them thicker than the rune lines and a little stronger graphicly.
I finished this dragon on the same client at the London Convention and finally got this healed photo.
The outline was done with machine, while the runes and dotwork are all done by hand tools
Back to Black... a little Colinesian.
I did Marius' right arm shortly after his daughter Sif was born in 2010... little sister Sigyn had to wait a few years for hers. Same form but slightly different patterns... complimentary but not a mirror image.
A memorial tattoo for a recent loss of Inge Mette.
I've tattooed this woman on many occasions in many style and techniques. We were able to squeeze this Pictish design into the pit of her elbow between a Celtic Eagle, a hand poked Pazaryk design and a Haida Thunderbird which was sewn in using an Inuit technique.
Start of a Nordic half sleeve around a much older armband. Outline completed... just have to fill in the negative spaces with solid black and bring the pieces together-
Yggdrasil the World Tree
Nine branches with nine runes in nine leaves. We marked this up with machine then went back in and outlined and shaded by hand.
Start of a double dragon calf. Took most of the day to draw it on freehand. We then marked it up with dots and started the outline.
Anniversary tattoo for Jonathan... one line sewn into his wrist. We might continue by adding a pattern in subsiquent years.
Had to add a few dots to a Haida frog I tattooed a few years back on a client from Sweden... good opportunity to get a healed photo.
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