Ever since I was little I joked about getting my birthmarks numbered–that I was one big connect-the-dots tattoo that made a “me”.

This tattoo is part of “The Stalking and Murdering of a Childhood Giraffe Project” (full explanation of the art project is HERE.) It’s an extremely visible invisible tattoo and Dave C. Wallin (Tattoo Culture, Williamsburg, NY - more) did an AMAZING job considering how small the numbers had to be. Pretty sure I’m not the first person in the universe to come up with this idea (ROO: Nope, you may have been the first though!), but I’ve yet to see another connect-the-dots tattoo.

The design was based on a really geometric giraffe drawing I once saw (if anyone can find the name of the original artist I would be super appreciative!), but I modified it to have spots and be even more box-like. I love this tattoo so much.. which makes it hard to walk down the street without staring at my own calf.

– Colleen AF Venable.

Photos by dollomite and many thanks to Brandon for the red-hot tip!

“I always feel so lucky to be a living canvas for such amazing artistry and then to have it captured so beautifully! I just wanted to share the names behind the work with people who would appreciate it..

Photos by Briscoe Savoy, leg tattoos by Dave C. Wallin of Tattoo Culture in Brooklyn, NY and the torso work by Needles at East Side Ink in Manhattan.

Jeremy recently had this tattoo done by Dave Wallin at Tattoo Culture in Brooklyn, NY. He explains,

There were several characteristics I wanted for my first real piece. Mostly, I was looking for an interesting way to put text on my skin, specifically the phrase “fear not,” which has been an aspirational motto for me even in my darker hours. I decided to try it in negative space. For the background I came up with leaves as something organic and asymmetrical, and vaguely chaotic. Plus I thought it looked cool. Design-wise, I wanted something flat, with no illusion of depth, and I really wanted no black ink or outlines. I was told that this would result in spreading over time, and I said that was fine with me. If the tattoo decomposes into mulch, so much the better!