=1ST ROUND MEDUSA=

DID THE FIRST SESSION ON KELSY'S MEDUSA PIECE... LINES, BLACK AND GREY... DONE. NOW WE GET TO WAIT FOR IT TO HEAL SO WE CAN BLAST SOME COLOR INTO THIS LADY!!!
SORRY ABOUT THE CHEESY FOTO QUALITY... ONLY HAVE THE FONE CAMERA AT THE MOMENT, THE DIGI DIED.

=KESHIA'S 80'S HOMAGE=

I WAS LIKE..."HOLY SHIT! LOOK AT HOW MANY FRIGGIN STENCILS THERE ARE!!!" KESHIA HAD BEEN TALKING TO ME ABOUT THIS SLEEVE IDEA DEPICTING THE 80'S AS AN ODE TO HER CHILDHOOD AND WE FINALLY GOT IT ROLLING. PEEP IT BELOW.

 

AMONG THE ICONIC CELEB'S ARE THESE STAPLE IMAGES FROM A TIME PAST...

 

MISS PIGGY...

 

SMURFETTE, GIZMO (GREMLINS), A TROLL...

 

POUND PUPPIES, A BOOMBOX...

 

PEE-WEE HERMAN...

 

THE GOONIES, SNORKS...

 

GLOW-WORM, NINTENDO CONTROLLER...

 

JEM...

 

MADONNA...

 

SHE-RA, MONSTERS...

 

RAINBOW BRITE...

 

GARBAGE PAIL KIDS (CUSTOM 'KUTTIN KESHIA' MADE FOR HER)...

 

MR. AND MS. PAC MAN...

 

NINJA TURTLES (DONATELLO, OF COURSE)...

 

MY LITTLE PONY...

 

FRAGGLES (AND A DOOZER!)...

 

LABRYNTH...

 

MISS POTATO HEAD...

 

CARE BEARS... AND MORE!

ALL IN ALL, THERE'S A SHIT-TON OF IMAGERY GOING ON IN THIS 'COLORING BOOK' STYLED SLEEVE. WE DID THE OUTLINE IN TWO SESSIONS ON BACK-TO-BACK DAYS. STAY TUNED TO SEE THE FILL FOR THIS MASSIVE PROJECT IN THE DAYS TO COME! GOOD JOB AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY KESHIA!!!

=JEREMY'S SLEEVE PROGRESS=

DID SOME COLOR AND FILL WORK ON JEREMY'S FAMILY SLEEVE. EACH IMAGE REPRESENTS SOMEONE IN HIS FAMILY... COOL! STILL A LITTLE WAYS TO GO, BUT WE'VE MADE GOOD PROGRESS SO FAR... LOOKING FORWARD TO FINISHING THIS ONE UP! FUN TIMES!!

=NICKS SLEEVE=

SO MY PAL NICK GETS A GYPSY OUTLINED ON HIS THIGH, WE DONT SEE EACHOTHER FOR A FEW... AND WHEN HE RETURNS HE DOESN'T WANNA FINISH THE GYPSY, INSTEAD HE WANTS TO BLAST OUT AN ENTIRE SLEEVE OF NEO-TRADITIONAL JOINTS. OKAY!!!

ABOVE: 1ST UP, THE ALL SEEING EVIL EYE IN THE HAND OF GOD. I MADE IT UP.

ABOVE: 2ND IS THIS LIL' OWL... AWWWW CUTE, HE HAS HIS OWN BRANCH.

ABOVE: 3RD, THE EVER CLASSIC PANTHER. PUMP YER FIST!

ABOVE: 4TH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SUGAR SKULLS TO DATE. SO SWEET YOU'LL CATCH A CAVITY.

 

WHAT WAS NICE ABOUT THESE IS THAT WE OUTLINED ALL 4 TATTOOS IN ONE SITTING. TOOK MAYBE A FEW HOURS, BUT LAYING THEM OUT THIS WAY WILL HELP THE WHOLE ARM LOOK REAL COHESIVE AND LESS 'PATCHED-TOGETHER'. 

 

A HANDFUL OF DAYS LATER WE ADDED TWO MORE PIECES, 5TH THE KEY ABOVE AND 6TH THE ZOMBIE CHICK BELOW. STAY TUNED FOR THE REST KIDDIES!

 

=THE WEEK IN REVIEW=

ABOVE: LACEY CAME DOWN FROM WASHINGTON AND GOT THIS CREEPY KID.

BELOW: CORY WASN'T HAPPY WITH THE CORN AND EGGPLANT HE HAD ON HIS THIGH, SO WE DECIDED THERE WAS ONLY ONE APPROPRIATE SOLUTION... THE CIRCUS BEAR. 3 STEPS OF HIS COVER-UP ARE SHOWN. ONE MORE SESSION AND WE'LL FINISH ALL THE COLOR AND BACKGROUND. HOLLER AT YER BEAR.

 

BELOW: SOME SEQUENCE SHOTS OF ROB'S FULL SLEEVE (AND FIRST TATTOO EVER!)'S PROGRESS. HE SAT GREAT, BUT HE DIDN'T LIKE THE FEELING TOO MUCH OF SCRUBBIN IT UP AFTER OUR SESH.

 

WE ADDED THE BLUE BUTTERFLY FOR EL SEGUNDO AND SOME MORE FLORAL JOINTS, FILLING OUT HIS INNER N OUTER ELBOW AREA... THEN WENT IN TO ADDING THE COLOR.

 

WE MADE MAD PROGRESS, AND WE MAY ONLY HAVE ONE MORE ROUND LEFT TO FINISH IT OFF. GOOD WORK ROB!

=THIS WEEK=

WELL INTO OUR 3RD WEEK AND IT'S IN FULL SWING! OUR RENT PARTY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS AND WE'VE MANAGED TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN... THANKS TO ALL WHO CAME OUT TO SUPPORT AND SHOW THEIR LOVE!! FULL STEAM AHEAD... 8 DAZE A WEEK THE VIRTUE TATTOO/ROCK-A-BETTIES TEAM IS HERE TO SERVE YOU (AND PROBABLY FRIGHTEN YOU A BIT TOO!)

 

HERE ARE A FEW SHOTS OF SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S COME THROUGH IN THE PAST WEEK... ABOVE IS JONATHAN'S DAVE QUIGGLE PIECE. NO TOUCH-UPS WERE NEEDED ON THIS NECK PIECE! BELIEVE ME, I'M JUST AS SURPRIZED AS YOU ARE!

TIF AND TIM CAME IN FOR THIS SET... LOCKET AND KEY. I LOVE THE LOVERS... AINT THAT CUTE!!!

 

MY BOY ROB AND I HAVE BEEN PUSSYFOOTIN' AROUND HIS FIRST TATTOO FOR PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR BEFORE COMING UP WITH WHAT TO DO... HE WON 1ST IN AN ALLEYCAT LAST YEAR AND PART OF HIS PRIZE WAS A TATTOO FROM ME. HE OPTED TO PASS ON THE MODERATELY SIZED BIKE-RELATED TATTOO AND GO FOR A FULL SLEEVE INSTEAD. 'ATTA BOY ROB-O!

 

HIS IDEA IS A COMBINATION/COLLAGE OF ALL THE CITIES THAT HE'S LIVED IN THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE. ALL OF THEM ARE ON THE WEST COAST, U.S. AND HE PICKED ICONS TO REPRESENT EACH OF THEM.

 

 

ABOVE ARE SOME DETAILS OF THE PIECE... THERE'S A GAP IN THE ELBOW/TRENCH AREA THAT WE HADN'T FIGURED OUT YET, BUT ROB CAME THROUGH WITH THE IDEA OF ADDING EL SEGUNDO'S BLUE BUTTERFLY TO FINISH IT UP. THE OTHER CITIES ARE LOS ANGELES, GLENDORA, ARCADIA, CORONA AND PORTLAND.

 

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT... SECOND SESSION. THE OUTLINE WAS ABOUT 3 1/2 HOURS AND THE WASH & SHADING WAS AROUND 4. NEXT WE'RE ADDING COLOR WASHES TO THE SUBJECTS ALONE, LEAVING THE BACKGROUND BLACK & GREY TO HELP IT READ AND NOT APPEAR TOO BUSY.

BELOW IS AN OUTLINE I THREW WITH MY HOMIE EDGAR... (BATTLE!) COMING IN AT JUST UNDER 2 HOURS, I'M HYPED ON THIS ONE! IT'LL BE FINISHED LIKE AN ILLUSTRATION... SOLID BLACKS AND LINES... NO WASHES. VERY GRAPHIC, NOT SO TATTOOISH. STOKED AS FUCK.

 

I'LL TRY TO KEEP UP WITH THE HIGHLIGHTS OF EACH WEEK AS I BUILD UP VIRTUE'S REP... IT'S NOT ALWAYS TATTOOING THAT KEEPS THE PLACE ROCKIN' EITHER, SO TUNE IN FOR ALL THE ADVENTURES TO COME!!! HOLLERATYERBOY.