Work in progress tattoos

All the tattoos on here are currently ongoing work that require multiple sittings. Most Japanese tattoos take more than one day sitting as we first tattoo the lines, then shading in another tattoo session.

Japanese Kitsune black and grey shading!

It was fun to begin shading the black and grey background on the Japanese kitsune tattoo today. My client Alan travel to Leeds from Wakefield area. I will always try to get as much done as possible when my client travel from a distance. he sat amazingly considering the amount of shading we had to get through. The Japanese sumi ink look red normally when first shaded due to the ink been so thin. When heals comes out a nice smooth grey.

black and grey dragon tattoo in progress

We have had our second tattoo session, shading in the dragon on my client's full sleeve tattoo. During this session, we focused on including intricate details that enhance the overall design and flow of the sleeve. We first added and completed a tiger in a more Chinese tattoo style as oppose a traditional Japanese look. This fusion of styles allows for a unique expression of cultural artistry, reflecting personal meaning for the client. A Chinese style differs from the way it's shaded, using lighter tones than Japanese and not as much of a solid background. Chinese tattoos often incorporate elements of nature and mythology, creating a storytelling aspect that is visually captivating. Have a look here at more of the Chinese style tattoo work. This gallery showcases the richness of the designs and how they are intricately woven into the storytelling of each piece. We will have arond 1-2 more tattoo sessions to complete the dragon and finish the background. These sessions are important in ensuring that every element is harmoniously integrated into the overall artwork. I want to make sure this tattoo flows and connects well with the tiger and foo dog that we already added before.. It's essential that each symbol and creature complements the others, creating a cohesive narrative across the entire sleeve.

Dragon tattoo sleeve in background shading

We finished the lines on this dragon tattoo and started some background shading in marks sleeve. i free-handed all of this piece so i could really make use of the shapes of the dragon's body, making sure it fits my client's arm. Our next tattoo session will be focusing on shading the background before we move on to the dragon. We will be going for colour in this piece. We haven't fully decided yet but leaning towards either a red or green dragon! This is also my client's first big tattoo , and with most Japanese style tattoos it's a patience process with the client trusting the work going on 🙂

Storm dragon tattoo in progress

We've completed all the background on my client's full dragon and samurai mask Japanese sleeve. I really appreciate doing this tattoo as my clients comes from Scotland to Leeds each weekend to get tattooed. We will be going full black and grey with this Japanese sleeve, when i come to shade in the dragon i want to make sure it stands out from the background as we have used a grey tone in most of the clouds. I love how every time i progress with a Japanese tattoo, I'm constantly learning new things, making me hungry to learn and absorb so much more.

Japanese crane and koi fish background completed!

Having now finished the background shading on my client's Japanese crane and koi fish tattoo sleeve, we can now move onto the main subjects. We originally had only planned for the crane as a half sleeve, but my client then wanted to add a Koi fish on the lower area. The crane design is actually from one of my art pieces which can be found in my design section, i wanted to use this design for a while and now having a chance to use it was amazing! Our next tattoo session we will be shading the Koi fish and hopefully move onto some cherry blossoms also. Im super excited for when we tattoo the crane also, they are fun to shade!

japanese hanny mask sleeve tattoo

This is client's first Japanese tattoo, he sat amazing for his first long session as we had a lot of lines to get through. We recently added a geisha onto the lower arm, which i will also upload! Seeing the whole piece coming together with the geisha and hannya mask tattoo really makes it worth all the effort into the drawing and design stage. We will be shading the Japanese waves and wind bars in our next tattoo session, I will be going mostly dark with my background and only a few medium greys for the waves. Keep checking my Instagram for recently updates on my tattooing!

Rising dragon leg tattoo

We had two sessions on lining the full dragon, we have also recently finished the background on this piece which i will upload 🙂 Our next tattoo sitting will be shading in the dragon and starting to add depth and detail before colour. This was my client's first tattoo and had been looking for a dragon tattoo over a few years and finally decided to go for it in the end! I'm mainly free handing all my tattoos now so i can give as much flow as possible into my work. I really want to move forward with this tattoo approach.

dragon back tattoo

I did a guest spot at a tattoo studio in London called Sacred Gold recently, I had a client who wanted to get a back tattoo from myself, We first lined the tattoo and i visited the shop again to complete the Japanese dragon tattoo. I've learned overtime how valuable travelling and tattoo comes hand in hand with each other. This trade has many open doors if you make the effort to go through them, no one will come knocking on your door giving you advice on how a tattoo should be done. Im still learning about the flow of Japanese tattoos and how they still today look flawless.

Jade green dragon almost complete!

I started Kenny's dragon tattoo middle of this year, and he's been so consisted with his sessions, we are almost at completion stage with his dragon tattoo! He's healed great and sits amazing for each tattoo session, making the sessions nice and smooth. We have just the head and the sakura blossoms left to tattoo. He was adamant the dragon looked big and striking! I will look forward to finishing his tattoo and taking some nice pictures 🙂

Japanese mask and peony sleeve

We are almost at completion with Joe's Japanese hannya mask and peony themed sleeve. We kept the Japanese hannya mask and skull black and grey whilst using simple colours into the peony flowers, making them contrast well. I only have the elbow area and some of the hannya mask left to finish, then the sleeve will be completed. I did want to get the hannya ask completed in our last sittings, but Joe was feeling the pain too much, sometimes it's not worth putting your client through so much pain, just wait and let it heal is the best way. Another Japanese sleeve I'm excited to finish and take some nice images!

The ultimate japanese tale

We have around one hour or so left in this Japanese kirin tattoo. Chris wanted to go full black and grey with this piece. We had drawn a few Japanese kirin positions until Chris was happy with the overall look for the creature. This been his first tattoo also, we really took our time with the planning and composition of the tattoo. This is my first full completed Kirin, and it's turned out great, Chris sits really well for each tattoo session. We will be extending this into a full sleeve also in January.

Japanese octopus tattoo

Japanese octopus sleeve almost completed, we just need to add colour onto the suckers of the tentacles. I'm really grateful for my client sticking out the sittings we have done so far, they have been long and painful for him in some sittings. We will be using a dark and light purple tones in the Japanese octopus tattoo, which will contrast well with the orange. I really enjoyed the flow of the tattoo with how the Japanese wind bars flow well allowing the waves curve more.

Full japanese hannya mask completed!

Fully completed Japanese sleeve today on my client Joe. Most of Joe's tattoos are traditional, but he wanted his left arm to be a full Japanese sleeve. I love using a mix of black and grey shading into Japanese but keeping the traditional elements in there. We wanted some little colour also in the Japanese sleeve, so we used red into the peony flower. Each tattoo sitting was great with Joe super chilled and laid back like myself, so the tattoo sessions went smooth. Hopefully see him again in Leeds soon!