The Illustrated Man, Parts 14 and 15

This post will actually feature two tattoos, partially because they are basically a set, and partially because I got them done in the same day during the same appointment. As you probably know by now, I'm a huge video game fan. Video games have been a huge part of my life since the NES first hit homes in 1985, and I've never looked back. To this day, I still play a ton of video games. When I went in for my then-next tattoo, I wanted something related to video games to show my love for the amazing hobby/art form (and yes, it IS an art form). Based on that, I figured, what better to get tattooed on me than the game that started my entire obsession? The game in question was the original Super Mario Bros. on NES. Games related to the Mario Bros. have been around longer than I have, and to this day they are still the cornerstone of the entire Nintendo franchise. I have always loved most of these games in some way, so I decided to have the iconic Mario and Luigi tattooed on my wrists (Mario on the right, Luigi on the left). This set of tattoos courtesy of Shawn at Phantom Tattoo in Centralia, WA.

The Illustrated Man, Part 12: Big D

Unlike most of my tattoos, this one actually has a story. Not much of a story mind you, but a story nonetheless. Sometime in middle school, a friend of mine (not sure which one at this point) out of nowhere called me "Big D". There wasn't any rhyme or reason for it; just one of those nicknames you give a friend in school at random. Somehow, this nickname caught on, and by the end of 8th grade, all of my friends were calling me "Big D" all the time. Fast forward a few years, after high school and once I was in the real world, and people were still calling me that. Even friends who I didn't go to school with would refer to me as such. By late 2006, I still had the nickname and was so used to people calling me Big D that it didn't even phase me anymore. So, I decided to go with my mom to Tiki Tattoo in Lacey, WA and get it tattooed on me (She also got tattooed with me that day, as she is also a tattoo fan and has half a dozen or so pieces herself. On a side note, if you're a bodybuilding fan, check out GerriDavis.com to see her official website). From there, I chose the colors black and yellow for the design, as it is my all-time favorite color combination. The end result is what you see in the picture, located on the back of my neck. Courtesy of Brad at Tiki Tattoo.

The Illustrated Man, Part 2: Old School Hero

This is the second tattoo I've gotten, also by Danny at the now-defunct Lucky Dog Tattoo in Centralia, WA. The phrase really doesn't mean anything. It was a nickname Steve Corino used during the dying days of ECW, and I just always liked the sound of it. It is basically a half-armband on my right arm. I got this one a few months after I got my first one.

The Illustrated Man, Part 1: The Punisher

I haven't been posting much lately, so I decided I would start posting a picture of each tattoo I have over time. Today, I'll be starting with my very first tattoo, that I received on my 18th birthday just about 10 years ago.

This tattoo was a birthday present for my 18th from my mom (I also got my tongue pierced that day, so I couldn't talk AND had a sore left shoulder. 'Twas a great day). It was originally done by Danny at Lucky Dog Tattoo in Centralia, WA (Lucky Dog has since closed down). I got it because I used to be a huge comic fan back in the day. I still like comics, but haven't been able to keep up on them in roughly 10-15 years. Anyway, I went with The Punisher because he's always been one of my favorite comic characters. However, I wanted something besides the standard white and black skull used in the comics, so Danny came up with coloring it black and using red for the eyes and nose holes. While working, Danny thought it would be cool to make the top into flames rather than all black, giving it even more of a custom look, and I agreed.

After nearly 10 years, the tattoo had begun to fade considerably. So, when I went in to get my sleeve done (which I will post in pieces later on), my current artist-and the best damn artist in Denver, in my book-wanted to freshen it up to go with the bulk of the sleeve. This photo was taken that day, and the difference was pretty noticeable if you ever saw the tattoo prior. Touch-up work done by Chase Martines at Brave New World Tattoo. Although Chase is the only artist I use in Colorado, the other artists at the shop-Enrique, Hailey and Eric (the owner)-are all excellent as well.