I designed my first tattoo over 10 years ago. I made the decision to get a tattoo and I didn't want an image off the parlor wall. Since I have a background in drawing and painting, I came up with a small tribal design that kind of looks like an octopus with an eye in the middle. I remember the tattoo artist asking me where I got the design. After I told him it was one of my designs he asked if it was something that I saw in a nightmare. I looked at my new tat in the mirror and I was hooked. I started designing tribal tattoos and placing them on my website. I started receiving email from people who were getting these images tattooed. It was amazing. I knew I wanted to continue refining my design skills. All my designs start with pencil and paper. I start with a simple outline that I refine with ink and color. Sometimes I’ll recreate the image in a vector program (Illustrator). I scan the hand drawn images into Photoshop and clean the lines and remove smudges. In spite of my best efforts there will be minor imperfections in lines and points. Most tattoo artist can correct this during the tattooing process. The vector images are cleaner and require less refinement during the tattoo process. I'm often asked about the meaning behind my designs. It's difficult to ascribe a specific meaning to my work. I feel that they are organic in nature; they make me think of the bonds between individuals. I would like to think they are symbolic of a time when humans had a more organic relationship with the natural world. My designs have found their way onto motorcycles, clothing, video games, brushes and of course, skin. Thank you for taking the time to view my site.
