I am blessed to have a career in which it is my job to make people look and feel cooler after our time together. Sometimes the hardest part is teaching people about what I think would make inspiring, impactful tattoos. This page is for my ideas and artwork that I think would be a blast to tattoo, but they are all just sketches, we can change them a bit.
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Find an artist you like and let them do their thing.
Less is more…. Bigger is better… . What I mean to say is, the worst thing that can go into any tattoo is “and”. After 20+ years of doing this I really have learned to lean on a few pillars when I advise clients. I really recommend planning for the final look. In my world, often this means sleeves and backpieces, which generally means larger tattoos, completed 1-3 days at a time, where the subject matter is maximized across the body part.
Tattoos age and need room to grow with you. Small and random tattoos read as “impulsive” or “poor planner” to those who know, and they limit your options for bigger work when you are ready. Also, no one is going to get close enough to read that tiny stuff. Additionally, if you want to look good across the room (which we all do) the more we can focus on the important parts and how they flow across your unique anatomy, the better it will look. Coincidentally this will look better, further into the future, from farther away, and get done faster as well (which technically means it will hurt less). This generally means focusing on things we can enlarge rather than things we have to shrink down.
Working 6-8 hours at a time, we get a lot done at once. If travel is involved then multi-day sessions really cut down on the travel costs. On the personal side, you will have a unique and intense experience. You will also walk away with some artwork that is completely your own and with you forever, possibly even a new outlook on a few things.
My personal preference is to learn about what you do, what is your motivation to be tattooed and what sort of symbolism we can wrap into the story you want to tell or the image of yourself that you want to present.
Let’s get together and talk about some ideas, or browse these ideas that are already on the table! Some I have started work on and some are still just ideas, but generally things get worked on when they have a deadline. So get in touch and lets set some dates!
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As a tattooer, Japanese and Chinese themes are part of my background. I am also extremely interested in obscure mythology, biblical and historical lore across all cultures. Anything I can delve into and learn about while I spend a day or two to sculpt it out and work on the overall piece. I get very interested in these stories and subject matter. Bonus points and service for twisted stories!
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Little known fact: while most of my clients grew up on Pokémon, that’s what was playing on syndication, all day every day, while I was living in the ole “gated community” and my classmates were in college.
I have an odd affection for these shows. While traditional anime is not really my style, it does offer me a unique opportunity to add my own twist and style to some of these motifs
I’ve recently seen some 3d artists do some really wild things (LIKE THIS GUY) and would love an opportunity to throw my hat in the ring.
Follow me on IG to see it when I make it happen, or tell me your favorite character with your own twist to it and we will bring it to life together!
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I’m really into making things that never existed before. Whether you have a fantastical creature or monster or some wild type of landscape. I really want to explore surrealism and working with ideas and feelings more than subject matter that already exists. If this sounds like something for you, let’s talk about options. Think of things like, your sign as a person, Alice as the Cheshire Cat, Jesus-Mary—Holy Spirit as Baby-Ape-Alien. Maybe your kid loves Spider-Man and you want to see their caricatured portrait on a spiders body. Let’s get weird.
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I have this bear that I sculpted with antlers…. We’re gonna call it a Beer. I can turn it into a zombie or I can make a fun little beer family scene!
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I have all the material and tools I need to make some sexy robots. If you are into futurism and looking at sexy girls, let me know and we can make a perfect little Thot-Bot for you! If you have a person in mind I can even turn that person into the base model and design from there!
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This is sort of in line with the fantasy and mythology stuff, but I am additionally interested in making my own versions of all the classic famous monsters at well. I have a Nosferatu and a Frankenstein that were really test projects, but am into making more and making them up too!
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I really love bio-mech and especially the more organic stuff. I design around the space available so let me see what you’ve got and I will take it from there! We will look at some books and images together to more clearly define your style, from there I will draw on you. At this point we will decide if we are ready to start the tattoo straightaway or if I should pull the marks off of you with transfer paper so that I can more effectively paint on the computer.
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After avoiding blackwork for years, I have come to love the look and simplicity. Really at the heart of all tattooing is contrast and this is sort of the prefect way to explore the balance between positive and negative shapes. Take a look at some of the patterns I have made and some of the ideas I have for covering larger areas on the related link below.
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I have been in love with surrealism ever since I can remember. I found the Dali piece “Swans Reflecting Elephants” going through a Kansas City Farmers Market in 7th grade. It’s probably the whole reason that I got into realism in the first place. My dad was very firm that abstract was not art and realism was a must, and I found this to be a really interesting blend.
Now that I have the tools to make surrealist scenes in a way that I can save my own objects, materials and motifs so that I can use them in multiple ways I am anxious to start bringing it to the skin. From twisted and torn faces to melted mermaids to the 7 deadly sins, I’m ready to get creepy and weird with it.
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I stuck with realism for so long that I don’t often get asked for much else. The thing is, I did put a lot of work into being pretty well-rounded. It’s definitely a shame to let it go to waste. Let's mash up some ideas. Big bonus to contrasting ideas; this could be Grandma's portrait with a grandbaby's drawing and a photo of Grandpa's car all juxtaposed together. It could be part new school and part black and grey realism with weird color outlines. In any event, it needs to be abrupt, loud, and extremely easy to read with lots of contrast. Consult with me today to see what we can do.
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I have gone back and forth about certain properties and my willingness to tattoo them for the last 15 years. Finally I have the tools to recreate some characters and then pose and shoot them. Long story short this means you can get a tattoo of just about ANY character from any angle regardless of what the internet, or even what the film provides. and I already am working on The Nightmare before Christmas Characters for an upcoming client. If you loved the movie, lets make something completely your own! I REALLY want to do Oogie Boogie and Sally posed in the Jaba and Leia scene from Star wars.
it’s not flash, its something different
It has always been a challenge for me to balance life when I take into account the homework needed for tattooing. In the last couple of years I have started using 3d to augment this balance. One of the ways I have learned to leverage this for tattooing is to make Architype designs from which I can collect many of my own reference images. By keeping my focus on large scale work, and using modern design techniques, I can bring my life back into balance. It takes me a little longer to create an original, but that original can then be colored, manipulated and moved around for endless output with incredible detail. The projects on this page are just that. Ideas. If you see something that gets the gears turning, let me know. If you have an idea and you would like to see me bring it to life, I’m always looking for experiments and always have an opinion.
Unique clients require custom design.
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Neo-Japanese
Learning to sculpt, I decided to tackle one of the subjects that has always been a challenge to draw for me. Asian Dragons. This is just my first but click on through to see how it would work as a tattoo sleeve or even a backpiece.
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Monster Portraits
I always want to tattoo more horror and monster stuff but felt like most of the iconic images had been done so much that I wanted to handle it a different way. Enter 3D Sculpting and high resolution- high—contrast photo shoots of your favorite Monsters!
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Oni Demon
I was wanting to study some Japanese demons and at the same time realized that I could make sketches of my sculpts directly in zbrush. This allows me to create more effectively for myself and clients from a static position using symmetry and then later turn it in space to fit the body. Being that the tattoo comes from just a single image, this additionally allows me freedom from having to re-create the same subject matter multiple times. Better for me, better for you! Hit me up if you are into Neo-Japanese or any other Mythology!
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Character Design
Listen… this is the way… So this guy is obviously not very “tattooey” however he does showcase the power of zbrush, substance painter and marmoset toolbag together to produce reference material that is completely unique. Click through to see some of my other creations!
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BEER
I was getting bored of the traditional animal portraits so I nested some skulls inside and plan to zombify them. Check out this Bear/deer… BEER for short
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Morphs and Warps
From Skulls to Architecture, I am now able to combine different elements to fill any open body space on and then warp it all into shape. Tell me your dream hunt and we’ll make it personal!
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Blackwork/Geometric
I love exploring the positive/negative balance and flow on the body. This is obviously in stark contrast to my more representational work but I do love the simplicity and really enjoy the design process and the ability to drill down and focus on getting one thing perfect. want to see some of the designs and patterns I’ve come up with? Click through. Want to see how it would look on YOU? Hit me up for that too!
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Surrealism
This is probably the thing I am most excited to explore with all of the new tools I have been learning. Whether it is a dream, nightmare or a wild fantasy. Let’s bring your dreams to life, I love a challenge!
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Portraiture
Portraits have been my favorite subject matter since I started in art. From Connections to memories, we are uniquely built to be a part of a community and faces are one of the things our brain can most easily recognize. From the classic high contrast look to caricature to sculpture, I really love the stories and history involved. Come see where I am taking my portrait work now.
What to Expect
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If you made it to this page, you are in the right place. Once you fill out this form I will have everything I need to know to take on your project. From there I will be in touch text or a call to chat for a bit and set up a consultation. At that point I will take in all of your ideas and thoughts and I will digest all of that and add to the mix my thoughts on placement, flow, subject matter and symbolism. At this point I will hope to have convinced you of my ability to partner with you on your project.
If you wish to continue, you will be asked to give a deposit equal to a half day and this will be credited on your final appointment. We will get to a point where the tattoo is mostly done but I will want to come back and check out how everything has healed and is settling in. It’s the finishing touches and the bells and whistles. That is what your deposit pays for provided we have no last minute re-scheduling during the remainder of the tattoo. Last minute cancellations will be subject to losing their deposit. Because I book a single client daily, a missed appointment is huge on my end. In this way I hopefully encourage you to make your appointments or be in clear communication and I will not be left with nothing for the day.
From there you will receive a link to book any appointments you want.
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Once I have a chance to review, I will accept or deny your project (if you were directed here from a tattoo that I denied on the shop page, that’s how you got here). During this process, once you have paid your deposit, we will be in touch any time I work on your project. Most likely I will share a Pinterest board with you or will give you access to mine and ask you to make a board of your own from there. On top of visual reference material, I will also share relevant thumbnails and sketches during the process (which you may not understand at first but will come to life before your eyes). You will receive questions and updates while I work on your piece. Generally, unless otherwise discussed, the artwork happens near the tattoo date and not the consultation date, however that varies by project. I use many different methods at this stage, from marker on skin all the way up to 3d render. I will inform you as to my thought process. I will show up to first appointment with multiple options or angles for you to choose from or re-design which I will take care of on site. This day we will be slow to get started as we will be working to get everything just right. I will then print the design in a way that we can stencil it on your body and draw any missing information that we need. Once we have the artwork nailed down and the stencil committed to the skin, it’s all down hill from there!… Well, for me anyway.
This process gives me a solid month to process your ideas and convince you of any grand ideas I have for you.
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I generally land on site exactly on time, no need for you to be early. That is when the meeting starts, not the procedure. I do like to take time getting started to make sure we get everything just right. You are encouraged to dress comfortably in clothing that offers access to the area to be tattooed. Arrive well fed, non-caffeinated and ready to chill for the day. You may benefit from headphones, sun glasses and full batteries.
When we start the tattoo, you may take breaks as needed and are encouraged to bring headphones and entertainment to maintain your focus, although we will have music and movies going for a pretty mellow and calm experience. During the tattoo you are more than welcome to take a break to stretch once each hour, and we can order a meal of your choice for a mid-procedure boost.
Your comfort level will dictate the length of time and the intensity at which we will be able to work. Therefore I encourage you to speak up and get comfortable whenever possible during the process.
Please eat well before your tattoo. This will help to keep you from getting sick.
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My current pricing is $2000 daily. I take deposits equal to a half-day. We will get to a point where you may consider me to be done. This deposit ill cover your last day of tattooing and follow-up unless there are last minute cancellations, after which a new deposit will need to be made.
There will be little flexibility in pricing except for my home studio in Missoula, MT.
I charge a flat rate with no sales tax added in Montana. That said, CC processing fees will be added to the invoice. Cash is preferred, appreciated and considered to be the tip when paid in full in cash.
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Technically, you shouldn’t need a touch up. After the final day we use to complete your tattoo we will get together one last time. This is where the lines will get super crispy and I will have time to follow up on every little inch of your work. If we can get through it without disturbing the skin too much then we will have a photo day. If there is too much redness, we may reschedule. In any event your deposit ensures I will walk you through the whole process including a follow up and photos of which you will also get copies.
