The Illustrated Man, Part 19: Green Lantern

I actually did this piece the same day I did the 'STR8 EDGE' tattoo on my knuckles. It's located on my left middle finger (as if you couldn't already tell that). Basically, I wanted to do a Green Lantern ring on my hand, as I've always been a big Green Lantern fan. Unfortunately, the color never took to my skin well due to the location of the tattoo. At some point, I will probably have my artist Chase Martines (Brave New World Tattoo, Denver, CO) take a look at it and see what he can do about getting the color to stick. Piece by Shaun Reed Tattoos, Olympia, WA.

The Illustrated Man, Part 8: Knightquest

After getting the Joker done, I figured I needed to get the other half of the equation: Batman. I'm a big Batman fan, and it just seemed natural to have both the mortal enemies tattooed on me in some fashion. However, I didn't want to do the traditional emblem, as that's what everyone does. Instead, I chose the logo for the Azrael version of Batman. This took place during the Knightquest story arc, and since the role of Batman was being played by another person, another logo was made to go along with the story. One difference between the logo and this tattoo (on my left pec), was the original was pale yellow and black. To make it pop a little more, Dave at Tiki Tattoo (Lacey, WA)-the artist for this piece-used a brighter yellow and added orange to the border (Funny side story-this tattoo was paid for with a $100.00 bill I found on the floor in the electronics department at Wal-Mart, where I worked at the time). After nearly ten years, the black in the tattoo had faded quite a bit, and part of the orange had almost faded completely, so I had it touched up 2 days ago at my current shop. Touch-up work courtesy of Chase Martines at Brave New World Tattoo, Denver, CO.

The Illustrated Man, Part 7: The Joker

The Joker is perhaps my favorite villain in all of comic books, and Mark Hamill's interpretation of the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series/The Adventures of Batman & Robin is phenomenal. So phenomenal that no one is associated more closely with the character than Hamill. I decided it was this was the version of the Joker I wanted to use for my seventh tattoo. I happened to have a deck of playing cards themed after the television series, so I took the deck with me to Tiki Tattoo (Lacey, WA) and used on of the Joker cards in the deck for the inspiration, including making it look like a playing card. An artist named Jim (who was helping out at the shop that day, but owned his own in Seattle; I wish I knew the name of it) drew something up for me. He changed the lettering of the word "Joker" to something more custom, and added some detail to the Joker's eyes to make him look more menacing and psychotic. Although this was one of the most painful tattoos I've ever received (on my right calf), I was incredibly happy with how it turned out. I've even had people tell me it's the coolest Joker tattoo they've ever seen.

The Illustrated Man, Part 5: Spawn/Chapel

Again, I'm still somewhat of a comic book fan, and much like the Punisher, Spawn has always been one of my favorite characters. Ever since I picked up my first issue (number 18) and looked at Spawn shoot an army official square in the eye, Spawn has always been a badass to me. What better way to commemorate that badassery with a tattoo? This tattoo is on the back of my left shoulder, and features half of Spawn's face, as well as half of one of Spawn's greatest rivals, the prostitute-fucking murderous bounty hunter with a skull mask melted onto his face (courtesy of Spawn) known as Chapel. This piece was actually taken from the cover of a Spawn issue (number 12), and was done courtesy of Marco Hernandez at Lit Fuse Tattoo (formerly of Tiki Tattoo, which is where the piece was done at), Olympia, WA.

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.