The birth of a tattoo...

Tim has wanted to tattoo his right lower leg for a few years now and found a local artist up to the task! After 8+ surgeries to repair the leg he broke/dislocated in 2001 people tend to stare at his leg so he figures it would be better for them to have something better to stare at. :o) The tattoo will be a work in progress as he may be having another surgery on the ankle area (once we meet with the ankle specialist we have been referred to) so he has started with the calf and inside of the leg and will wait until he is most likely done with surgeries before finishing the leg.

I'm always a bit concerned when I go into tattoo parlours because they are always adorned with what I like to refer to as "biker chic" tattoo work and most artists are covered in a variety of skulls, daggers, and other work that isn't exactly to my taste! Tim was going for a much different style...asian inspired integrating a dragon, a koi and lotus flowers...much softer than the art work on display!! I had previously visited this studio to have Mae's ears pierced and was very impressed with how clean everything looked (and smelled, good old antiseptic smell!) so I told Tim he had nothing to lose by talking with one of the artists. He met with Mike Stevens, a resident artist, and after exchanging emails with examples of artwork and bouncing ideas off of each other, Mike had come up with drawings to show Tim. I didn't view the work but Tim came home very excited with what had been shown to him and went ahead and booked his first appointment for today. Cue nervous reaction from Mommy!! I stopped by with my camera to document the process for Tim just as they were shaving Tim's leg in preparation....ooooh, la la....and I was really blown away by what Mike has come up with! What was impressive was that Mike was just as excited as Tim to get started on this tattoo and I can see why!

A leg as smooth as a baby's bottom!

Tim assumes the position..hmmmmm...
Mike places the stencil
Hmmmm...yup, that's about as good as you can get!
Doesn't Timmy look all excited?
Tim settles in for the long haul...
Mike hand draws parts that didn't transfer fully
Let the tattoo begin! Is that a slightly clenched fist Timmy?
Getting used to the sensation
Today will be all outlining
Mike has a lot of work ahead of him!

Four hours later I got a call from Tim that he was almost done so I popped over to get a few more pictures of today's work. It looks even better in person and will be amazing when it's finished.

Mike finishes shading outlines of petals of the lotus blossom to make them look 3D!
The detail is impressive
And TA-DA...today's efforts result in:
one cool looking koi!
Koi blending into a lotus flower
Tim models for photos!
To the right of this, the tattoo will continue with a dragon over his main scar.
Another look at that beautiful koi
The stunning lotus with petals that seems to reach off his leg
The left side of the tattoo, the next tattoo will blend into here