Sick crystal butt tats. Mad elephant business. (at Fishtown)
Knocked out this rose and crown on Jamie tonight. Next time we’ll be working on tying this to the two large roses I did in her lower back.
Finished up the outer portion on Mike’s half sleeve cover up Tuesday. This was two sessions, and on this one I was able to finish areas I hadn’t completed, so a second pass on a few spots, and run through detailing and texturing. After we do the inside, we’ll see what’s what and if we need to do a little more clean up, we’ll take care of that. (at La Colombe Fishtown Cafe)
Threw some background on @goldmanglass mechanical octopus I finished up last month. I tied it up to his chest, and around back to his shoulder so it works into his half sleeve. It’s nice when things connect. (at The Fillmore Philadelphia)
What are your goals?! We all need to set and achieve goals to find meaning and purpose, and to have a positive impact on the people around us. To live a life without goals is to be devoid of purpose. Do a serious inventory of yourself. Think about what’s important to you, and what you’re going to do to make those things better. Write it down. Map the steps. Move forward. Because if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards.
Wouldn't mind doin a sweet tat of this lady (at Core Creek Park Off-Leash Dog Park)
Brought Caine's partial bodysuit down the backs of his thighs yesterday. This is the largest piece I've ever done, as it's his entire torso, butt, and backs of his thighs. I already did the rest of his left thigh and a bit of work ok the right. This whole thing is not only a lot of fun for me, it's also a big learning experience. It doesn't hurt that Caine is an awesome guy and we have really good conversations (when he's not being murdered at certain points.) (at Fishtown)
Me and @radnines are down at @luckyslastchance queen village for the next couple of hours, shamelessly whoring our wares. Come grab some shit and eat a hot dog! (at Lucky's Last Chance - Queen Village)
I remember from the period of time from my late teens to late twenties, I would experience a lot of jealousy over where other people my age were in their lives. Whether it was a band who had blown up and they were fresh out of high school, or a tattooer who opened their own shop and I didn't think they deserved it, I always found someone to direct my anger at. It wasn't fair! Where's the justice?! The truth is, we end up where we are by the decisions we make. Laziness gets us nowhere, and a lack of gratitude causes many of us to miss opportunities. If you can't see the good right in front of you, how will you ever see what's up ahead beyond it? Work hard. Be grateful. Our lives aren't predestined, we can forge our own path. (at Fishtown, Philadelphia)
I did this cover up in 2009. As you can see, it lightened considerably, and lost a ton of color. Some of this I absolutely attribute to my own lack of knowledge about the aging of tattoos. I had been tattooing for 11 years, but didn't take it seriously until about 6 years in. Though I had picked up a lot from the people I worked with, my knowledge was limited. It wasn't as easy to learn prior to the internet being so prominent in tattooing. On top of my own shortcomings, I was using different inks. I was using Kuro Sumi for blacks, and I don't think it was right for the style I work in. I was also using Fantasia oranges and yellows, and a bit after I had done this, I started seeing older work where they fell out completely. Basically anything that had Fantasia orange or yellow would end up back at skin tone within 5-10 years. I'm going back through the entire tattoo and reworking it. I believe my knowledge is far superior to where I was in 09, and I've been using @eternalink for 7-8 years now, with positive long term results. Whenever a new ink hits the market, it's good to be a bit cautious until you can see healed tattoos, and also aged tattoos. I hope me sharing my own knowledge about aging tattoos can help some of you youngsters. (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Shitty made for tv zombie movies and a lot of projects. Monday is for grindin. (at Zombietown)
Knocked out a solid first session on Brad's sleeve yesterday. We're incorporating a lot of different elements, all as a tribute to his brother. I'm looking forward to getting some color in this. (at Middletown Community Sk8park)
I got another session in on Wayne's sleeve yesterday. I started this around 4 years ago, and it's basically covering what was almost a full sleeve of smaller pieces. I know some of this was second pass, some of it might have been a third, I've honestly lost count. I'm really excited that we only have one, maybe two sessions left on the arm. (at The Fillmore Philadelphia)
Did this little freehand anchor on my buddy Ryan tonight. He's in the navy and just got back from Japan, so it was cool to bullshit a bit with him before he heads off to his new assignment. (at Port Richmond, Pennsylvania)
So Nathan had the family crest and dog tags already. We reworked those, and added a lot of separate images that have particular meaning to him. So this half sleeve may not be consistent in appearance, but it's consistent in theme. Think of this like a new school version of a traditional half sleeve, with a bunch of stuff fit in wherever it can fit. (at Pennsylvania's 1st Congressional District)
I'm looking for 9 entrepreneurs to start a local mastermind group. The goal is to discuss strategy, mindset, and basically help each other grow our businesses, and grow in our position as leaders. I'm sure there are a lot of people who are running their business and don't have many friends doing the same thing. We need the support of like minded people if we want to grow and prosper. If you're interested, DM me. (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
This is a personal favorite tattoo I did a few years back. It was great to step a bit out of my comfort zone and do something more realistic like this. I wouldn't mind revisiting some color animal portraits, especially if I can do some large scale work. (at Art Machine Productions)