Barcelona Trip. Tattoo now complete [see pg2]

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 12:00 pm

That depends.

Lynxa · Post by **Lynxa** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:25 pm

Holy crap! Your artist is amazing!!!!

That is a gorgeous tatoo!

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:07 pm

That is looking awesome Krafty!

Can't wait to see it finished

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:46 pm

The tattoo is now complete. These pics were taken 1 week after the last session, so it still needs to heal a little.
Looking at the photos myself makes me appreciate what it really looks like in terms of the scale and detail. It's not quite the same looking down at it or even seeing its reflection in a mirror.
I'm tremendously pleased with how it turned out- worth the planning and effort.

The actual tattooing took 15 hours in total, spread over 3 sessions. The last session was a busy day because I made my journey to Barcelona a day trip. That meant geting up at 3:30am and arriving back at home at 2:30am, 23 hours later. Still, it all worked out fine.

Now I've begun researching/designing the second tattoo and it's going to be twice the size... *Mwahh ha ha*

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:17 pm

That's some real impressive ink there.

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:17 pm

Thanks for explaining some real impressive ink there.

Ronin · Post by **Ronin** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:54 pm

Wow, that looks incredible mate...and makes me want one even more! You sure found a great artist and picked a fantastic design!

So what are your preliminary thoughts on the 2nd design?

RoboFlonne · Post by **RoboFlonne** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:15 pm

Wow! That's awesome!

Is that a Samurai vs. a Demon?

Did they draw it on paper first?

blueheaven · Post by **blueheaven** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:18 pm

Nicely done. Some great work for sure.

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:33 am

That is nice work Krafty. All the planning and research definately paid off!

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:53 pm

I appreciate the positive comments folks, cheers!

RoboFlonne wrote:Is that a Samurai vs. a Demon?

Yes, you're right. It's my interpretation of Musashi Miyamoto defeating a demon. I like to think this is what he would have looked like in his later years, with facial hair. He lived 1584-1645 but most of the prints made of him in the late 18th-mid 19th century showed him in his prime and he was clean-shaven. I prefer the look of older men with facial hair so I based the design on one of the heroes of the Suikoden, Tettekisen Ba-Rin.
This also happened to be warrior character drawn up by famous Japanese tattooist, Horiyoshi III, so I knew it would work as a tattoo.

I've included a signifier to indicate that this samurai might be Musashi- the two blades. The style of martial art he invented was called "Ni-ten Ichi Ryu", a two-sword technique for which he became famous and won all 60 of his battles.

As for the demon, that is based on a couple of Horiyoshi III's designs. I like to think that Musashi is not only a hero defecting evil but the 2 gourds represent a battle with alcohol too. I used to drink a lot and have stopped now which has been good for my health and wallet. I've had a couple of friends who haven't been able to give it up and they've suffered for it.
This image is a reminder for me to stay off the drink.

RoboFlonne wrote:Did they draw it on paper first?

Yes, it wasn't done freehand becasue that would been too complicated to get right- all those details and proportions. However the sakura tree and blossom was all drawn directly onto my shoulder/arm/chest with a thin marker pen, then it was tattooed.

I collated the reference material for the image I wanted then handed it over to the tattooist who put it all together and draw it up on paper in black ink. I didn't like to be too specific about the composition/scale or details because I wanted him to have creative input into the project as well. Plus, being the expert in this field, I knew I could trust him to come up with a stunning design. He's been tattooing for 17 years.

Ronin wrote:So what are your preliminary thoughts on the 2nd design?

It will feature a Koi fish with a dragon's tail and a Tiger.

An old Chinese folklore states that any Koi swimming upstream in the Yellow River who manages to climb up the waterfall at Dragon Gate will transform into a dragon. It's a positive representation for change and succeeding in one's goals. As I'm about to go through some big changes soon [moving house, changing jobs and relationships] I think it's apt.

The tiger would be featured on my left shoulder. His head on my shoulder with a paw splashing in the stream trying to catch the Koi, without success. The Koi would be the length of my forearm and its tail would wrap around my arm somewhat.

I'm thinking that this could look effective in colour. The fish in yellow/gold with a touch of red; the tiger in natural tones with some dark bamboo surrounding it and vibrant water effects like spray and ripples.

How's that for an idea?