The beginning of a sleeve

I went into the shop on my day off to begin what will be a full sleeve on my brother-in-law.

We've much to do, but so far I'm happy with the skull. I tried my best to apply the mixing and blending techniques that have filled my head from the seminar (awhile back) …

Pistols and Wings

Some session work... She wants it to look a little like a sketch. Dual pistols (older ones) and wings. Sketching is fun. When this is finished, it'll all be greys and the handles will be a cherry red.

View larger version here.

Lady with Cross

The idea was a lady taking up her cross... So I took some time to plow through paintings of women by artists I love and trust. After finding a close body shape, I pieced this together and finished it off with a Baroque style face (classy, not trashy!).

Jaymi sat …

In progress - A Nightmare Session

For whatever reason, the most response I've gotten so far is from the second session of the Nightmare Before Christmas forearm I've worked on.

Jake comes in sporadically, so the process has stretched out over time, but we got to spend a few hours on it and I thought …

Take care of yourself

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were wonderfully busy. From opening to close, I was completely booked. I was so excited going into the week! Note the exclamation mark, I rarely use those.

I tried to plan as much as possible: no room to skimp on preparation. Drawings were …

Graffiti - Johnathan

Just finished this one today, we'll be taking better photos with the Nikon tomorrow. I drew it up about 15 times and finally I felt comfortable with the layout. It covers up a few small music notes... Oh, and the background is, obviously, splattered paint taken from …

A new Soba liner

Another recommendation, this Soba Mini Rusto Liner will soon be a part of my growing machine family as well. Purchased from the always dependable folks at Workhorse Irons, I threw in some inks to sample and everything went smooth.

Machine unboxing

A new Aaron Cain shader

This sexy machine came highly recommended for my style of tattooing by Nate Beavers (at his seminar). Ever since I've been scouring the planet trying to find one. It seems the Aaron Cain Jonesy is now discontinued. As excited as I am about his new line of machines …

An improved version

I'm slowly, but surely working on a new look for the site. I think I'm going to add a section that I update with details on my machines, tools, inks, needles, etc.

If you have a second... leave a comment if you have any ideas, suggestions, shaving tips, or awkward pauses.

Tattoo Revue #131

I'm not even sure if it's still on newsstands, but if you see this cover of Tattoo Revue, check out my article on Monte Agee. As he's working on my back piece, we've had a few discussions and I pieced together a few paragraphs about his thought process and growth.

Bjork

This one was a blast. I played around with color and tried to make the image fit and meld with the shape of the leg. Kevin sat like a tough guy, cracking jokes the entire time. I couldn't have had much more fun.

And here's a small progress image as well as a different angle.

A September update to the Tattoo Gallery

A handful of photos have been added to the gallery (link corrected). Some have commentary, others will soon. Some time has passed since last posting, so it's good to have new ones up to chew over.

Also, with more and more tattoos being worked on, I'm struggling to …

Flickr account

I've a Flickr account that I've been posting to throughout my days. Feel free to indulge! It's flickr.com/photos/allentattoo.

The Blood Red Project

Make a point to hit up the only ad I've had on the site: The Blood Red Project. (store for purchase is here) When it's all said and done, our character is built on what we -a people with- do for those without. What better way than to utilize a great product that …

Where I am, now

I'm ever learning.

There are days of certainty that end up with quivering outlines. Hours of intricate patterns seemingly lost twenty minutes in. Where is this going? Oh, oh! I see it. My trust in the stencil was worthwhile! Then I breathe a sigh of relief moments …

Lately

I've been having to work just as much, if not more, while sick. No complaints here.
Many of the newer projects are challenging and I love it:

1. An Olivia pinup on a lady's ribs. She wants it "realistic and black and grey".
2. A flock of bird gradually getting closer …

HXC

Back in 1996 I created a website for hardcore. A year later I bought the name HXC.COM. Five years after that our biggest day was well over 25,000 unique visitors. Nice.

But as my career progressed, the site slowly went by the wayside. Here we are, 11 years in, and the …

I'm around

Just getting over a weird, snotty sickness.

And the winner is

Based on content, I had a lot to choose from. But I'm also familiar with some of you from visiting. So, to make it fair, I separated the tattoo ideas from the names (as best as I could). There were some wonderful ideas...

What I was looking for was something different …