Another look at my Buddha tattoo design

I designed this as a tattoo for my chest. One thing I like to be able to do is use photoshop to get an idea of how a tattoo will look before it is even done. Of course, many tattoos take shape directly on the body, so this technique would not always work, but in some cases it works beautifully.



This photo has the photoshopped version of part of my right arm sleeve tattoo, and then the actual tattoo, and the actual tat doesn't look all that far off from the mock-up I created. I hope the chest tattoo works out, I think it looks wicked cool.....

Viking Water Compass Tattoo Design

A friend who has some 'Norse' or 'Viking' roots, asked me recently to design a tattoo for her back. Something with some iconic Viking symbolism in it, but also some of my most flowing water work, to reflect her affinity with water and her Aquarian astrological sign. I should note here that although Aquarius is 'The Water Bearer' it is actually an 'Air Sign' oddly enough. Go figure.....anyhoo, this is what I came up with and she seems to like it so far. I would add alot of shading in the background, flowing shaded areas to fit it to her physique better.

Rose Tattoo Design

I am starting to try and think in terms of "What if someone walked into my tattoo shop and asked me for a.......". So I thought of one of the most common requests, a rose. I am trying to draw from the various tattoo disciplines I see, in this case, I went with a traditional 'old school' approach, except that my lines are heavier and smoother than typical old school designs. And the drawing is also a little bit more realistic and less stylized than the old school look.