If there’s any deity that can make anyone smile, it has to be Budai. This interpretation of the Laughing Buddha is entitled “Body of a God” and was tattooed by Wang (Tattoo Temple).
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I love it when Jackie sends in a story to go along with her tattoos. Here’s the story behind this pair of angel wings.
First off… this is this girl’s FIRST tattoo! Secondly…we did it all in a single 6 hrs session. she was a BEAST! But aside from the bad-assery there is a great story. She had some awesome inspiration to keep her going. She told me that when she was very little she spent most of her time being taken care of by her grandmother. They were very close as you can imagine. She was a very religious woman and always told bed time stories from the bible but was able to make them seem amazing and magical for her little grand daughter. She always called her her “little angel” even after she grew up. Nikki was lucky enough to be at her grandmothers side when she passed away a few months ago. She was very old and had made her peace with the world. Before she passed she told her grand daughter that it was ok and that she was going home to be with the angels. With all this talk of angels and the grief of her loss it seemed pretty clear to Nikki what to do 🙂
Jackie Rabbit works at Star City Tattoo in Roanoke, VA.
Step by step, dot by dot, this image of Buddha is meticulous in it’s beauty. Each dot on its own means little, but when combined with all the others, the image becomes clear.
Tattoo by geRi from Swastika Tattoo in Budapest, Hungary.
There’s so much going on here and all of it works together beautifully.
Tattoo by Sonja, Punktum Tattoo, Germany.
There’s no guesswork when it comes to knowing what this is. It’s a straight up crucifix comprised of iron nails and either vine or wire. The ruggedness of the cross links to the the crucifixion, in which Jesus was beaten and paraded through the streets. While a lot of cross tattoos use similar imagery, this is the first one I’ve seen using this style, and I’ve got to say, Jackie did a great job creating it.
Jackie Rabbit works at Star City Tattoo in Roanoke, VA
Years from now, when historians jot down the annals of tattooing for our generation, the chapter on minimalism is bound to have at least a couple of paragraphs about Hungary’s Gabor Zagyvai. His style is carried into everything he does, as evidenced by this piece he uploaded to the religious and mythological tattoo gallery. Not everyone appreciates the minimalist approach, but to those who do, Gabor is one of the best working minimalist tattooists working today.
Warning: If you are a diabetic, this post may be too much for you to handle. The cuteness factor is dialed up to well past 11.
This wonderful portrait of Kkathrynn’s cat Buddha was done by Kelly Doty, from Off the Map Tattoo in Easthampton, MA. I found it in one of the newer galleries that has been added recently, the pet portrait tattoo gallery.
I could be completely wrong, but I believe that this tattoo is a depiction of a Rahwana mask. Rahwana, or Ravana is a hindu deity with a very contentious background. To some he is an evil deity, yet to others he signifies knowledge. In most depictions he has 10 heads, but he is known to be shown with only one, like the example below. I mentioned yesterday how well Vincent Hocquet can blend in religious imagery into his abstract pieces, and this shows he can tackle these images on their own. It’s hard to see without zooming in the photo, but the vast majority of this piece is done with stippling, a technique that a number of artists have been using when approaching similar subject matters.
Time and time again, Vincent Hocquet’s designs have blown our collective minds. How he manages to weave in spiritual symbols with geometric shapes and abstract art. He is truly a master at what he does. Here he is at work on his friend Rob’s bodysuit, which is turning out beautifully.
