Tattoos

Ever since I was a teenager, I've been fascinated with tattoos. I've always thought it was cool to see people decorate their skin with cool looking artwork. Every time I see a person with nice tattoos, I feel inspired. I think we are finally living in a society where tattoos are considered acceptable. Not everyone with tattoos is a gang member, pirate or some other bad person. More and more people are expressing themselves with body art these days. There are a lot of great tattoo artists out there and I have seen some great work. I always tell people: "Never get a tattoo on impulse! Plan it out first, and get something with meaning." Naturally, I started getting tattooed myself several years ago. Being an artist, I like to design my own pieces. I've been going to the same artist for every piece so far. Rob Sampson from Patriot Tattoos does excellent work! He's done an great job transferring my own art onto my skin. They look identical to my original designs. I always draw them by hand first, then finish them on the computer. I then bring the color version and a line-only version for him to use. Here are my (and Krista's) tattoos:

	Zach The Iguana This was my very first real tattoo. Krista got me a gift certificate for a free tattoo for Christmas that year. I'd been drawing my Zach character for about 18 years at the time. I draw him on everything. I always wanted him on my skin and since it was his 18th Birthday, it was the time to get him on my shoulder so he could go everywhere with me. Everyone smiles when they see this tattoo.
	Yin & Yang Technically, my first tattoo was a Yin & Yang that I did myself when I first started college. I used a sharp Calligraphy pen and black India Ink. It was very small and looked terrible. People thought it was a mole on my arm that I "should get checked out!" So, I had my tattoo guy cover it with something much better. I got a bigger Yin & Yang with some flames to cover the cheezy original one.
	Krista's Damsel Fly The day I got my Zach tattoo, Krista got brave and got this one. I drew the Damsel Fly for her, but she wasn't quite happy with it. Rob drew a much better one that she was happy with. It's pretty small....on her right shoulder. Krista was so brave as she sat in the chair gritting her teeth the whole time. When asked if she will get another tattoo, it depends on how she feels that day. She does want to get a frog to go after that Damsel Fly sometime. Who knows if she'll be brave enough to actually do it!
	Red Dragon This was my third tattoo. It's on my left shoulder. Since Zach is a symbol for my humorous side, I got this dragon to represent my more serious side. I've always liked Asian dragon tattoos, plus I took Tae Kwon Do for many years. Of course I drew this one myself too. It turned out perfect. My only regret is I wish I had gotten it a little bigger!
	The Lizards Everyone knows by now, I am a huge lizard freak. For this one, I wanted a more traditional / tribal look. I also made put the lizards in a Yin & Yang shape. I get a lot of compliments on this design. It's a very traditional looking tattoo...but also very unique.