Josh; Left Calf; Devil Reaper Lady

So, Josh calls Sizer and requests "something traditional". Those of you familiar with this term, and if not—stay tuned, know just how large of a scope that this term covers. If one were to tell Sizer that he wants something traditional without any direction then you may end up with a drawing that the artist loves, but you of course wonder, "Is that a punch-line?" As such was his first piece affectionately named by the artist as No Horse-shit Sherlock.

This is the portion of the weekly blog that I will normally be interviewing the customer about the "why" of the desired piece. However, Josh had no story. Lacking a "story" of why he was getting this tattoo creates a challenge for me. When one thinks of tattoo patron and their art, one expects a story. You know, something like this:

I'm getting this parrot on my shoulder because my Dad always wanted a tattoo and he loved pirates...and he was eaten by sharks...while swigging rum from a hip flask bought in our nation's capital and listening to "Margaritaville" in the Caribbean...can we put a monocle on it? I like monocles, and Dad always picked Colonel Mustard when we played Clue.

Alas, no such story exists. So, in light of this, we talked about various tattoo styles and their roots.

Just what does traditional mean?

"Traditional is defined as a two dimensional drawing with heavy shading and well-defined lines and uses various stock imagery and symbols (roses, sparrows, skulls, etc.)." New-school is defined as traditional's opposite wherein the artists broke away from the "traditional" iconography and used three dimensional images, a lack of shading, and, for lack of a better term, lazier or less defined lines.

"And Japanese traditional?"

"It's where it all comes from. During World War II, and well ever since the West was expanding towards the East the sailors would get tattoos." Sailor Jerry Collins and those guys created "western traditional" using the same style but curtailing the iconography from the East (dragons, koi, etc.) to that which has meaning to the patrons. Just type 'Sailor Jerrry' in a Google image search (here's a link for you: here.)

"This piece would be described as..."

"Neo-traditional."

"Neo-traditional?"

Neo-traditional is the bridging of the new school and the traditional. It breaks from traditional in that it does not constrain itself to the classic iconography, but it still maintains the 2-d, well-defined lines, and heavy shading art style.

As we look at the piece, it's easy to see the traditional elements.

From i hear they're permanent

This is the actual drawing that Sizer drew for Josh's approval. Notice the various elements that create a feeling that this tattoo could be considered several tattoos in one. Roses, a scythe, flames, a skull, hot chick with horns—all of these could be tattoos that a patron could, has, and will ask for on any given day of the week. "Yeah, as I drew this I asked myself how many scythes I've drawn in the past. That's the biggest challenge sometimes, how am I going to draw the same thing and make it original as if it's something I've never drawn before. And, that's what makes some of the masters so great; every time they tattoo the same piece it looks fresh and original as if it was created for that particular client."

Interestingly enough, this is well illustrated on the client's right fore-arm: sparrows and roses done by Oliver Peck. The piece's imagery is nothing new: traditional sparrows on a grouping of roses with muted blues, reds, and greens that 'pop' due to the excellent shading of the piece. Despite the fact that you can find a piece like this one on so many different people, the piece summons a sense of constancy and beauty both in its iconography and form which makes it not only a piece worth admiring, but a piece which can be proudly worn on one's sleeve.

Which brings us back to our customers left calf: Josh stares at his new tattoo in the mirror and studies all of the angles that he couldn't see when looking down from the chair. Sizer asks if he's pleased.

From i hear they're permanent

"Oh, wow man." Notice the vibrant orange flames set apart by the red roses. As your eyes drift from the top of the sickle through it's sleek curve down to the strong, yet not overbearing roses. The direction of the orange flames raises our eyes back to the figures head: a beautiful woman, with a strong jaw whose cold stare harkens back to the femme fatales of the film noir genre. She looks up with shame. Her mouth is pursed in astonishment for either her deeds or her nature.

Notice how the heavy shading of the roses make the slight hints of purple and red 'pop' off the skin.

This is the portion wherein I take the figure in the piece and create some kind of fictional universe and an event in which they occur. It's not that Devil Reaper Lady does not deserve a story. I just feel ashamed every time I try.

Join us next week when my Crawfish will finally take shape on my right calf.