I finally have gotten around to getting some decent photos of the finished Japanese Phoenix tattoo up on the site (thanks to Mikayla’s incredible photography skills). My last sitting with Ron was sometime mid November and he finished up all the color work, highlights and final touch-up work. It truly came out to be a great piece to be proud of and a great reminder for me. Enjoy the photos.
(Session Time: ~2 hours | Total Time: ~6 hours)

View all the Japanese Phoenix Tattoo photos here also.

Yesterday I finally got back to Lucky Devil Tattoo for another sitting with Ron. Part of me was hoping to get this wrapped up and have the phoenix done. The other half didn’t want to sit through that much pain. During a discussion with Ron before we got started, we finalized a color palette for the phoenix and the dogwood blossoms around it.  We both thought it would be best to choose a cooler color palette to balance the warm color palette the encompasses the koi fish. This will make the phoenix stand apart from what the rest of the piece is doing.

Shortly after that discussion, Ron was ready to go. “First” he said, “We’ll start with some shading”. This will help define the Japanese Phoenix’s body and give it dimension. The shading only took about 45 minutes, as their isn’t much shading to do around the phoenix as much as their was to shade on the phoenix.

After a short back-stretching break, we started in on the color work. The pain was little more intense than I expected, seeing as how he just got done laying in the black shading…and now going over it again with color. The color palette for this phoenix is going to be a series of greens (that will then fade into greenish-yellows to highlight). The dogwood blossoms will be white (with a subtle hint of blue) with a different tone of green for the leaves that will help them pop.

After a couple of hours of laying in the same position and having him work on my leg, I pretty much had enough for the day. We sort of laughed at the situation and made light of calling it a day. “I could grin and bare it” I told him. “But why” he came back with. “There’s really no reason”. That’s too true.

I’ll get some photos up as soon as the swelling goes down and the heeling is done (probably in 10 days or so). If I showed photos now, you really wouldn’t be impressed because the green is dark right now. After the heeling is done, the green will pop so much better. My next session will be sometime in November. At that time, I pretty confident we’ll get this wrapped up.
(Session Time: ~2 hours | Total Time So Far: ~4 hours)

A couple of months ago, I went back to Lucky Devil Tattoo and met with Ron about the possibility of getting some more work done. I was looking into having a phoenix flow in and around the open spot right above the existing koi tattoo he completed for me last year. In addition to the phoenix, I wanted to have some dogwood blossoms floating down, just like the existing cherry blossoms are falling on top of the koi.

After a short discussion, he wrapped some tracing paper around my leg and quickly sketched out the boundaries of the existing koi tattoo. We talked a while about some of the detail I was looking for in the phoenix and dogwood blossoms. A few minutes later, I setup my first appointment and walked out the door.

Saturday, May 3, 2008
I had my first sitting today. The illustration Ron came up with was outstanding. After Ron finished getting the artwork ready, I went back and we began. About 2 hours later, the outline of the Japanese phoenix and dogwood blossoms was complete.
(Session Time: ~2 hours)

The next session will probably be in August or September. At that time Ron said he would work on shading and some color. A third and final session (maybe around January?) will be needed to complete the coloring and touch-ups.

View all photos of the japanese phoenix tattoo outline.

Today’s session was very gratifying. After a couple of hours, Ron finally finished up my traditional Japanese koi fish tattoo. The entire tattoo goes from my ankle to just below my knee, with a space left on the back of my calf for future work. The tattoo includes two koi fish (one gold, one red), two peonies (one pink, one purple) and plenty of cherry blossoms worked around the splashing water.
(Session Time: ~2 hours | Total Time: ~9 hours)

View all photos of the finished koi fish tattoo.

Just a few hours before my appointment. I’m a bit anxious to get the entire traditional Japanese koi fish tattoo done, but I know it just takes time and this type of work can’t be rushed. Today’s work will be adding color. Today I want to get the two koi colored in and some of the cherry blossoms but Ron my have other ideas. We’ll see. I’ll get some photos up here in the next day or two.

Updated: Ron focused on coloring the koi. Now that the initial healing is over, the color is really vibrant and beautiful. Check out some of the photos below. My next (and final) session will be in late March. Coloring in the peonis and a little touch-up work will finish this piece off.
(Session Time: ~2 hours)

Updated: Session 4 (the final session) details are now available for all to view. Enjoy!

After a week, I’ve finally gotten around to getting some photos taken. Check out the progress of my traditional japanese koi tattoo.

Today’s session was good. We worked on the black shading of the waves. It has really given some depth to the water. It doesn’t look like much was done, but three solid hours of sitting says otherwise.

This sitting didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the outline. Apparently the single needle concentrates the penetration in a single area, unlike the shading needle he used on me this time. The shading needle he used is comprised of 7 single needles (staggered and grouped together). More needles sounds like more pain, but it’s quite the opposite.

I will have two more sittings to complete this. The next sitting will probably be in mid January. Ron says we can work on color then. I’m hoping to get one koi/flower colored in and leave the remainder for the last session. I can’t wait to see the final product. It’s looking amazing (even though these photo give the work no justice).
(Session Time: ~2 hours)

After alot of anticipation my day had come. I walked in to Lucky Devil Tattoo and Ron had the koi designs ready, along with the peonies and cherry blossoms. After placing the stencils on my leg, he freehanded the splashing waves to make the water flow organically and connect one koi to the other. And then…he began. For the next two and a half hours I went through many stages of pain. But in the end, it turned out to be remarkable.My next session will be sometime in October and will include shading and maybe some color. Below are a few photos from several angles, however, the real thing is much better.
(Session Time: ~3hours)

A Little History

To give a little history about myself and tattoos I will start back when I was about 16. In fact maybe before I was 16. I can’t place a date, year or time, but since I was younger I have been facinated by tattoos. I have always stared at them and wondered about their significance.

I remember once when I was maybe around 12 I asked my Poppy why he didn’t have any tattoos (seeing as he spent time in the Navy as a young man). He told me he had no use for them and didn’t want to become a human billboard. And although I take his wisdom to heart as much as possible, that piece of advice didn’t have much of an affect on me.

Fast forward to when I was 18. Ah…18…a magic age where your life instantly changes and you wake-up an adult (yeah, right). It was around this time that I realized I would be getting tattooed soon. Just as soon as I figured out what to get. Six months later I took a trip to Denver to visit my friend Michael. And among the many activities we took part in, getting some ink was just one of them. It was at this point I became hooked. Within the next year and a half I aquired two more.

In 1998 my life forever changed…and I became a father. And in mid-1999 another life-altering event, I became a husband. My desire for more ink was obviously pushed to the back burner for much more important and meaningful reasons.

Fast Forward To The Present

For a year (or more) now, Juli and I have had the idea of getting tattoos as anniversay gifts for one another. So this year I was determined. Sometime around my birthday I started researching more about tattoos, designs, concepts, imagery, colors, styles, artists, etc… About a week later I went to Lucky Devil Tattoo and talked with Ron Dolecek about my concept. Two days later I had an appointment setup.