Tattoo: Worlds Within

Here we have an echo of sleeping Vishnu and a visual record of a time of personal recuperation.  The black and white piece was Originally posted on Wind of the Gods, but I refurbished it with fresh color for the Asheville Tattoo Festival.  Hmph - I just noticed a Mayan glyph quality to this image. I may have to explore this square construction more.

Tattoo: Krampus as Mescalito

Originally drawn for a Featured Creature post, here were have an image of Krampus transformed into the consciousness expanding Mescalito.  When I started adding color to this piece, I began with red skin.  I didn't care for that direction and wasn't sure where to head next, but when I accidentally inverted the red layer to green in Photoshop it set me on the right path.  I'm very satisfied with the intensity of the finished image here and will probably be creating more Mescalito images soon.  :-)

New Abstract: Descend to Begin

The path to truth always begins with a descent. Beneath the world of illusion, an underworld lurks.  The doorway can take many forms, a pit trapdoor, a dark stairwell, or a even a mouth, but always it leads away from the mundane, the known, the assumed.

Tattoo: Skull worm

Strange Factories Trailer

Strange Factories from Foolish People and Weaponized.

Tattoo: Valknut

I was attracted to drawing the the Valknut initially because of the design aspects, but I've always had an interest in Norse imagery and mythology.  I also enjoy celtic knotwork so that was how I approached this piece.  However, looking at some of the history of this symbol, I may do another piece of the Valknut as the Borromean rings.

From the Archives: Vampire

Several portrait sketches for a vampire character from a comic book fiction I was working on in the early 90's.  At the time I was very much into the giant hair.  Here though I see the beginning of some of my later more chiaroscuro visuals.

{Graphite}

Tattoo: Batman Throwing Star

Here's a tattoo I created for a friend last year.  He wanted to reproduce one of Batman's throwing stars from the Christian Bale Batman movies.  He wasn't sure about the size he wanted the finished image to be, so I created it in Adobe illustrator for lossless scaling.

Featured Creature: Devil's Square, Scratch

Excerpt from Liam Hofstadter's report for the Department of Extranormal Phenomena (DEP), Superhuman and Supernatural Threats in the New Millennium:

"Of the super villain quartet known as the Devil's Square, the pygmy creature Scratch is considered the most physically dangerous.  Often seen collared and escorted on a chain by his group, this creature's numerous escapes give clear reason for his restraint.    Despite his small stature, Scratch is lethally violent and has caused hundreds of casualties during his few encounters with humans.

Tattoo: Man in the Moon

Drawn in 2001, here is a man in the moon image refurbished and toned for a tattoo design.  This piece was Originally posted on Trail of Breadcrumbs.  I removed the background for a cleaner more easily reproducible image.  When I was adding tones, I had initially given the image a cast of color, but upon reflection I chose to use only the black and white tones.  With only the black and white tones, if anyone wanted to add color later a variety of color choices could be made.  With each of the Tattoo images I am posting this week, I'm including the original line drawing so that tones or color can be addressed separately from line work in the tattoo process, if necessary.

Zombie Bites New Abstract: The Horse of Time

Across vast deserts of time, the message comes.

Zombie Bites New Abstract: Griffin and the Rebirth of Self

In the library of experiences, we see the first signs of movement as the protective cocoon begins to split.  The complex and continual process of re-imagining the self reaches a critical stage.  Through the separating membranes of the chrysalis we observe a mysterious figure.  Shedding the vestiges of the old identity, soon the new self will emerge.

2nd Annual Asheville Tattoo Festival, March 14-17

Later next week, the city of Asheville, North Carolina will be celebrating it's Second Annual Tattoo Festival.  Check out their website for a full listing of the festivities and information on the cool guests coming.