Hi, I'm Jason.
I have been tattooing since the 90's so I have a ton of experience to help you through the process of creating a tattoo that you will be proud to wear for the rest of your life.
One thing I have learned is that not all tattoos hold up to the test of time. Some styles or execution of those styles can result in a faded or distorted looking tattoo that just doesn't look good anymore.
Another issue is choosing a design that is a short lived trend that will eventually become embarrassing when it goes out of style. Believe me I have seen so many come and go.
This is why I specialize in Japanese style tattooing. The style is designed to retain it's integrity throughout the life of the individual wearing it and has gone virtually unchanged for almost 200 years.
Japanese Tattooing
Will it hold?
Having the subject in color and the background in black creates a separation that makes the tattoo pop because you can immediately see all the elements of the design.
Not to say that all black and gray tattoos can't be high contrast and readable, but we have all seen tattoos that require close inspection to figure out what it is that you are looking at.
Cover-ups
It's all about the background
Japan in the 1800's tattooed criminals as a deterrent; using black marks on the face hands and arms. Can you see where this is going?
The Irezumi style with heavy black backgrounds are perfect for covering unwanted tattoos.
Speaking of the background, this style is designed to be expanded. When a person starts with let's say a half sleeve, the artist will end the edge of the sleeve in a way that already has in the design a plan to be continued.
In the mid 1800's some of the early tattooers called "Hori", began designing picture tattoos based on images found in woodblock prints; depicting heroes, mythical creatures and animals.
Typically this style of tattooing has the subjects (characters, animals, flowers) in color while the background elements (rocks, water, wind, clouds) are in black and gray.
Impact
_edited_edited.png)
