Rikhall

Here's a photo of my winged lion by Valerie Vargas, its quite big so a little distorted and wraps a lot, it's only a start but I love it was such a great experience and a lovely shop and atmosphere, plus it's like the first tattoo I've had in six years that's needed more than one sitting, looks like il be visiting home again sooner rather than later

Here's a photo of my winged lion by Valerie Vargas, its quite big so a little distorted and wraps a lot, it's only a start but I love it was such a great experience and a lovely shop and atmosphere, plus it's like the first tattoo I've had in six years that's needed more than one sitting, looks like il be visiting home again sooner rather than later

Here's a photo of my winged lion by Valerie Vargas, its quite big so a little distorted and wraps a lot, it's only a start but I love it was such a great experience and a lovely shop and atmosphere, plus it's like the first tattoo I've had in six years that's needed more than one sitting, looks like il be visiting home again sooner rather than later

Finished my back on Friday night (well, Saturday at 5:30 am). It was a hell of a ride - it took almost exactly a year of sessions every 2-3 weeks. We'll do a final session after this heals to tie the bow on it.
This tattoo was made by Sean Zee out of Brick, NJ from pictures I've taken while scuba diving. I gave him 50-some pictures and a wish list, and he selected about 15 shots to create this scene. These pics were taken on 4 continents from 1998 through 2013 using (mostly) a Nikonos V underwater camera with an SB-105 strobe, UW Nikkor 35mm, 28mm, and 15mm f2.8 fisheye lenses, Sea & Sea (no relation) macro kit and Nikonos closeup kit.

Sean is a great guy, dedicated and amazingly creative. It boggles my mind how artists just "see" stuff like this and make it happen. He put up with a lot of questions and "what ifs" and "why nots" from this nearly virgin canvas (as he likes to say, "this woman only had lil kitty paw prints on her shoulder before this"), explaining to me all the ways this tattoo would NOT work, and ended up just putting it on the table that it really needed to be a full back if I wanted so many references. And to prove it, he designed the whole thing superimposed on a picture of my bare back and emailed it to me. I remember the moment I saw it for the first time and it shorted out my brain. I committed to the full back about 20 minutes after I got the email. (And I admit at the time I did not understand in the least what I was in for...)
Kinda funny, thinking back on it, how all the chatter and uncertainty and 14 years of wanting some sort of tattoo with my eagle rays were completely silenced and resolved in a heart beat. Anyway...
So, the critters making appearances, starting at the top right and going clockwise are: two moon jellyfish, two Moorish idols, two clownfish and anemone, a batwing coral crab and mustard tube sponges just behind him, a leopard moray eel, two squirrelfish hiding in red sea fans that cross my lower back, a sea snake in lettuce coral (very poisonous, which I didn't realize until after I'd crawled up in his face to take the picture and then been admonished by the divemaster after the picture was developed), a queen angelfish and a hammerhead shark. In the center are two spotted eagle rays and the broken mast of the Nippo Maru, a Japanese supply ship sunk during WWII by US forces in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia.
When I look at this, I don't just see a tattoo of fish. It's a diary of my favorite diving experiences. Each part has such different memories of the location, the people I was with, and the experience on that dive. (Yeah, poisonous sea snake. Whoopsie on that one. And the clownfish was actually guarding a little ring of day-old eggs. And trying to photograph moon jellies in a surge without being hit is like playing a 3D video game. And that I really really wanted my spotted moray eels but Sean said the pattern wouldn't age well, so with resigned sadness, my handsome spotted moray had to morph into a leopard moray. Sniff Sniff.) All of this flooding my brain at the same time.
And then I get this goofy grin on my face thinking about walking around with this huge awesome back piece that anyone I know would be shocked to learn I have.
He put up a little video where you can see the ribs, too: Video of SeeSea's Back. Healed pics coming to an LST contest near you. I want a T-shirt, dammit :D

Here's a photo of my winged lion by Valerie Vargas, its quite big so a little distorted and wraps a lot, it's only a start but I love it was such a great experience and a lovely shop and atmosphere, plus it's like the first tattoo I've had in six years that's needed more than one sitting, looks like il be visiting home again sooner rather than later

Here's a photo of my winged lion by Valerie Vargas, its quite big so a little distorted and wraps a lot, it's only a start but I love it was such a great experience and a lovely shop and atmosphere, plus it's like the first tattoo I've had in six years that's needed more than one sitting, looks like il be visiting home again sooner rather than later

Here's a photo of my winged lion by Valerie Vargas, its quite big so a little distorted and wraps a lot, it's only a start but I love it was such a great experience and a lovely shop and atmosphere, plus it's like the first tattoo I've had in six years that's needed more than one sitting, looks like il be visiting home again sooner rather than later

got this ganesh yesterday thanks to robert ryan @ electric tattoo in asbury park, nj

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

The winner of Tattoo of the month "December" 2014 is @Cork with this spectacular back piece by Dana Helmuth. Congratulations!!

Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address.
New contest will be up shortly!

Just booked in with Franz Stefanik to start work on my stomach. Starting with a devil's head, then we'll see what happens next.

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Just started a large thigh piece with Valerie Vargas, managed to get in with her on a cancelation while I was back in England visiting family, only the line work so far but it looks great, il upload a pic when it's healed, also I'm trying saniderm for the first time

Maybe check out some Roxx stuff if you really want some really black tattoos