Mr_Spaghetti

My little kappa. 
 

Horitomo. Two sessions, all electric (rotary and coil).  Photos do not do this justice! I will say that first four hours of outlining and shading was super hateful. Of course, I am already considering having him do my left shin. What is wrong with me? 😜

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Here's my healed mini-eagle from Grez... His name is Greagle. :) Coverup of a really, really bad tattoo...

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

And here's what Mike made for me on Saturday. Next level chrysanthemum. I am so thrilled!

finally got the nerve to go onto the chest and decided on Walter McDonald at the Bay Area Convention. flipping thru his books of designs took FOREVER!.. the dude puts out so much work, Adam Shrewsbury called him maniacal.  i fell in love with two different designs that fit the center and chest panel well. The center eye was actually dice in Walt's original design, but i asked him to change it up and he gladly did. he's a great dude with a glowing personality! now i just have to find something to fill that empty space to the right and perhaps the collarbone... although i'm not looking forward to the pain that would bring me. even just the tips of that glow were felt in my teeth. strange sensation, but damn stoked on the result!
 

Super honored to have new peonies from Henning on my right calf. Done at Kings Avenue last Friday. More than a little thrilled!

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Hello everyone!
Decided to come out of lurking, partially because I am really surprised that I have not seen any references to Horifuji at State of Grace in San Jose here. He is a thoroughly lovely person and feel fortunate to have his work on me. Imho he should get even more exposure (even if that may mean it will be progressively even harder to get more appointments with him, heh).
Anyway, it felt like the right time for me to finally get some work. I wanted something rather more on the traditional vein (whatever that means, exactly) and the craftsmanship of tebori really appealed to me (even if it won't necessarily look that different). I called State of Grace as I saw in the intertoobz that they had artists there that did tebori and I was referred to Horifuji.
I asked him via email for a half-sleeve with chest panel with a karasu tengu - like the ones seen on woodblock prints sparring with Ushiwakamaru (later known as the general Yoshitsune) on Mount Kurama. 
So, a few days before my first appointment 3-4 months later, he sent me a concept drawing of what he felt would be best and I was floored. He recommended actually including Ushiwakamaru on the chest panel (hikae?), having just swung his bokuto (wooden practice blade) at a quite smartly dressed karasu tengu on the arm that is slipping off a rock ledge by the water, with autumn Japanese maple leaves falling around.
The outline was done by machine in one session (photo of outline on Horifuji's Instagram here). Shading and the vast majority of the all colour done by tebori. Closer photo after starting on the colour here. A few small "flat" monochrome areas were done by machine shading, e.g. the brown on the bokuto that the tengu and Ushiwakamaru are holding. I deferred all decisions on colour and exact placement to him as he is the professional and I trust him completely  .
Will have my final appointment in a month or so. As I have to fly to San Jose for my appointments I have done six sessions, each between 4.5 and 5.5 hours two consecutive days at a time to save on my airline miles. So something around 30 hours, so far?
Since this photo I have attached to his post was taken, I have had more work done. Only have a couple momiji to colour in and the eyes are left.  I'll try to take a more current photo to place in a more appropriate thread on the forum.
Sorry for the lengthy, possibly rather gushing,  first post.
 

Booked in with Dan Nelson and Frank William over the next couple of weeks. First time being tattooed by them and looking forward to it! 

It's fine! I have multiple panthers, snakes, skulls and will probably get more.

Booked in with Dan Nelson and Frank William over the next couple of weeks. First time being tattooed by them and looking forward to it! 

Thanks. Jesse Tseronis in Winchester VA is my artist. We're working on a piece that goes from my ankle up to connect to my chest panel and back piece.
 

Brand new shoulderblade piece, 4 days old. Inspired by the cedar waxwing, my favorite bird, and my grandma's pansies (she would have been 120 years old on Friday!) Tattoo by Darcy Nutt at the Richmond convention, blending in beautifully with her previous work the past two years on my SA cichlid/floral half-sleeve. I'm definitely one of Darcy's "nuts"
P.S. All of Darcy's tattoos are free hand

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Ok I sat in the chair for a little over 5 hours today. Off to a great start. Will go back in about three weeks for color. My artist was excited when I presented him the Cuban cigar. The afternoon passed quickly with lots of great conversation. Little did my artist know the old guy had attended Tool concerts...
 
Before
20 year old Dragon showing a little age.   
Work in progress



Life is good

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

Finished off this eagle/snake with Grez a few weeks ago. Hard to get a good photo by myself!

Also got this weird reaper from Chad around the same time. For the first time I'm having trouble healing red ink but it's getting there! 

I see you also have a piece by Greg Whitehead. Great minds think alike!

This looks great! Planning to visit Robert soon, can't wait!