More Japanese-inspired body art - Tiger & Koi Tattoo

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:18 pm

At 2:30 this morning I returned from my 2-day trip to Barcelona and now have some more body art to sport!

The plan is to have a full sleeve design featuring a tiger trying to catch a Koi carp in a river. It's a little reminder that strength alone will not grant one success; agility and wisdom is also important.

To help emphasis this meaning I'm utilizing a lot of imagery which, in Japanese tattoo symbolism, suit the story and suit me too. As such, the bamboo (one of the three trees of good omen) symbolises strength & youth and I'll be adding peonies [Good fortune & Prosperity] and a chrysanthemum flower [Steadfastness & Determination].

So far, the Tiger is 99% complete, he just needs his green eyes filled in. The foliage will be completed in the next session(s), hopefully along with the koi too. The flowers may be completed on another visit. So far, the tiger has taken around 12 hours (split over two days) so there's still some way to go but I'm VERY impressed with how it's turned out already!
My tattooist said that it's "the tattoo of the year" so that's encouraging coming from such a creative guy who works on a lot of challenging projects.

Anyway, here's a picture of the results so far. Please bear in mind that it's just 1 day old and there's a lot of redness and bruising which will heal up within 10-14 days.

RoboFlonne · Post by **RoboFlonne** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:43 pm

OMG!!! That is Beautiful!

The best I've ever seen!

lcatino · Post by **lcatino** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:57 pm

Wow, the detail is incredible!

Awesome!!

I can't wait to see it finished! Keep us posted with pictures!

Gonzai · Post by **Gonzai** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:09 pm

Wahhhhh................. I am not a huge fan of tattoos, but
that is just stunning!!

ReiTheJelly · Post by **ReiTheJelly** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:31 pm

That is one gorgeous tattoo...

Goldknight · Post by **Goldknight** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:01 pm

All I can say is......OUCH!

Stunning, but OUCH!

Krafty · Post by **Krafty** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:52 pm

Thankyou for the comments ladies [and Roboflonne], since this artwork is kinda Japanese inspired I didn't think it was too obsurd for this forum ^__^

Yes, you're right GoldKnight, there were several *Ouch* moments, especially when the needles work on the inside of the arm near all the nerve clusters. But actually, thinking of manga kept me from flinching.
I had read one my Lone Wolf & Cub manga books during my visit which was quite heart-warming and reminded me how tough a person can be. I thought of how the little boy, Daigoro, endured such hardships on the road with his assassin father which made me realise that the tattoo machine was nothing in comparrison. It's only a temporary pain anyway. Mind you, when the tattooist asked "so, how does it feel to have the tattoo of the year"?, my reply was "ask me again in 2 weeks because right now all I have to say is PAINFUL."

samiamew · Post by **samiamew** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:32 pm

S-W-E-E-T

Amazing detail

Belldandy16 · Post by **Belldandy16** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:14 pm

wow, amazing!

syan · Post by **syan** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 6:43 pm

Wow, that looks amazing! Looking forward to seeing it progress.

Belldandy · Post by **Belldandy** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:57 pm

Wow! Your tattoo artist is AMAZING! I can't wait to see more pictures with the updating of the progress over time.

D123 · Post by **D123** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:12 am

The tattoo is stunning

it’s so amazing what tattoo artists can do

Ronin · Post by **Ronin** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:35 am

Incredible mate, when I get my tattoo, I want it to look like that!

moonrabitt · Post by **moonrabitt** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:51 am

pretty!! That looks so real

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:55 am

looking good Krafty.

You'll be quite a work of art when your done