Die cut stickers are hot.

Here's the first die cut stickers I got made. die cut stickers are "not your normal style of peel-and-stick stickers, but rather, they are highly customized pieces of digitally cut vinyl". for real.
Black vinyl, 9 inches wide. 30 made, 20 left.
$2 gets one sent to your house. Perfect for cars, mirrors, pet store shop windows.

Red Maori

Another polynesian tattoo to add up to the list. But this time, its not the traditional black but full red. This is the very first time I ever did something so red !

I have related a topic on Polynesian/Maori tattoos in my previous post ( Sunday, August 26, 2007 )

As there is no writing in the Polynesian culture, the Polynesians used this art full of distinctive signs to express their identity and personality. Tattoos would indicate status in a hierarchy society: sexual maturity, genealogy and one's rank within society. Nearly everyone in ancient Polynesian society was tattooed.

Go check out : http://www.tahititatou.com/history.html

My mom is so happy, but I look like I'm 18.

After 6 years, the dredlocks finally came off. I had a lot of identity wrapped up in those things, but it is nice to have all that weight off of my head. Things like putting on a tee shirt, or showering, or jogging all just got amazingly easier. Here's a picture.

Koi

According to Japanese legend if a koi succeeded in climbing the falls at a point called Dragon Gate on the Yellow River it would be transformed into a dragon. Based on that legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.

More generally, the Japanese associate koi (also known as carp) with perserverance in adversity and strength of purpose. Because of its strength and determination to overcome obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals.

Others say it means good fortune or luck.

The Koi Fish is symbolic in the Buddhist Religion, representing courage. Humans 'swim' through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear, just like a fish swims through water.

It is also one of the most popular and beautiful of Japanese tattoo symbols – a beauty which belives its symbolic meaning. Although Chinese in origin, the carp is now widely celebrated in Japan, particularly for its manly qualities.

In tattoo imagery, especially in combination with flowing water, it symbolizes much the same: courage, the ability to attain high goals, and overcoming life's difficulties

There are fourteen classifications that koi fish can be broken down into, separated by color and markings. One of which is the : Bekko. Bekko can be red, white, or yellow, but will have black markings, like the one I did.

East Coast kids showing how it's done.

So Tyler and Dean came out for a visit this weekend, and both got some serious work done. Tyler did a 6.5 hour sit on the first day (the apocalyptic horses and more not pictured), and an almost 3 hour sit the very next day (the shrimp/woman piece). Dean rocked a 4.5 hour sit for a storm trooper on the first day, and did a 5+ hour sit the next day for a dirty-puking-bird piece. They both did awesome, and I was proud to show them off at the drag show saturday night, which is becoming a staple for our out of town visitors. The drag queens loved Tyler (who doesn't), and we handed out all of the business cards I had on me. Dean had phantom hands grabbing his butt all night. I didn't get even a little squeeze. oh well.
Sitting two days in a row for large tattoo work isn't easy, but they both said it was worth it. Awesome visit.

More dead things on stickers

New stickers ordered, these boar head black on red ones. 4.25 x 2.75 and only 500 of them.
The boar lost it's head from natural causes. If you are upset by the image, email Tyrant. He got an earful when I did the hammerhead shark stickers, from some nut claiming it made me less vegan. No sharks or boars were hurt in the drawing of the stickers.
And here's a crab with Japanese flames.

Peony Flower

It was a very quiet day today at Immortal Tattoos. Everyone seems to be busy shopping due to the festive season around the corner. So, I carried on doing my own things around the shop, basically lazing around.

Just then, I had a lovely lady walk in today, wanting a Peony on her hip. She wanted to have it in black and grey but I talked her out of it and have it coloured instead.

The Peony is a flower with a history of cultivation and veneration that goes back thousands of years. In Japan and China, the peony is a floral symbol with meaning on par with the Chrysanthemum, the Lotus and the Cherry Blossom The Peony is regarded as a symbol of wealth.

As a tattoo design, the peony symbolizes wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. According to Japanese tattooing tradition, peonies also symbolize daring, risk taking and the gambler's or Samurai's devil-may-care approach to life. A gambler's next bet may be his last, a true Samurai according to the Code of Bushido, or The Way of the Warrior, lives each day as if it may be his last.

The peony is a potent symbol of beauty, of the fragility and fleeting nature of existence and the knowledge that acquiring great rewards comes only by taking great risks.

Love those birds.

Here's an Ibis I did this past Friday. It's only two days old in this picture, so it's still a little pink and healing looking, and some of the lightest areas will still soften up some. It was a memorial piece for Davis' father, as the Ibis is a native marsh bird admired in his home state of Florida.
"It is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits, giving warning that danger is imminent. As the storm passes the Ibis is the first to reappear, a sign that clear skies are approaching."