As you can see below, in my last session we started to fill in my left arm. The lines around a few of the rocks were thickened, and some of the water on my forearm and elbow was shaded. Also, a small rock was filled in on the bottom of my bicep.

Wow, I can't believe it's been three months since I posted any pictures. Unfortunately, I haven't had much new work done in that time. I've been forced to cancel more appointments due to being broke. And I'm afraid it's not going to get better anytime soon - at the end of December I'm getting laid off from my job. I'm sure I'll find a way to finish the tattoo but..it may take longer than I expect.

At any rate, here are some pics of the completed left side outline.















I believe at my next appointment we'll start shading in my left arm.

As Cameron pointed out, there's a new book out entitled "Underway is the only way" by Horitka with an interview with Horizakura. I'm very curious to see a copy, especially since a picture of my tatoo is in it, but I've heard the first edition is already sold out. There should be a second edition out in Spring '09.

Here's a link to a story on the NYTimes website about the increasing frequency of tattoos in places that were traditionally considered "no go zones" - places like hands, face and neck.
The outline on my left side is done! I'll post pics in a week or so when it is healed.

Woah, it's been almost a month and a half since my last post. I haven't had an appointment in a while due to scheduling conflicts and being broke (my girlfriend and my bike are eating up the little free cash I have.) But, I do have an appointment tomorrow so I'll be posting an update soon. I'm anxious to get the outline finished and start on the shading!

Sorry for the delay between posts. I had to cancel a few appointments so I'm a little behind schedule. Also, lately I've been a little preoccupied with my new toy. These pictures are of work done about a month ago. You'll notice the outline on my right are is basically finished, and we also did a bit more on my torso area around the koi there. I think the next session will be the last outlining session - after which I'll post some pictures of the entire completed outline on right side.

As someone pointed out in the comments of my last post, there's a documentary out on Japanese tattoo which features Horitoshi. I watched the internet trailer, and it left me a little underwhelmed. I guess I was put off by the fact that the trailer seemed to be more about Mario Barth than it was about Japanese tattoo. But I guess a guy who Inc.com says is looking to build the "Starbucks of tattoo parlors" is no stranger to a little self-promotion. At any rate, I'll probably end up buying it anyway since coverage of Horitoshi is hard to come by, especially in English.

This picture is of work done a few weeks ago on my left arm. As you can see, there's a large koi swimming up my bicep, with a few rocks and leaves near the bottom edge. This appointment took a little longer than usual since Shinji didn't have a drawing for the koi prepared, but I was still surprised how quickly he was able to sketch it. I came in and he took a few measurements, and about 30 minutes later the sketch of the koi was complete and Shinji was ready to start tattooing. I'm glad my tattoo is starting to have some symmetry, it always bothered me to have one half of my body completely bare and the other half completely covered. I figure I have about 2 more outlining sessions and the entire outline will be complete.

Here's a picture of the most recent work. The bottom edge of the outline is the bottom border of the tattoo, just above my knee. The top edge of this outline is about 4 inches below my left nipple. I'm pleased that we were able to get a decent amount of ground covered during the first outline session. Can't wait for the next appointment!

Here's a picture of the last of the touch-up work done a few weeks ago. You'll note the head of the large koi in the center of my back is now shaded a bit darker, making it consistent with the shading on the more recent koi. I also had the red ink in my backside redone (ouch).

This past Sunday I had an appointment and we began to outline my left side. While that work is too fresh for me to post pictures of, I do have something else - a picture of the tattoo in progress. Strange, over the years I've never managed to get a photograph which illustrates any of the preliminary arrangements; this is the first one. What you see here is a premlinary sketch drawn on your favorite human canvas and narrator. The detailed koi on the bottom was transfered onto me from a predrawn sketch in preparation for the tattoo. The rest of it was drawn on me freehand. First the outside boundaries of the tattoo shape are marked, using a line drawn down the center of my torso as a reference. Then, broad shapes are drawn using a light green marker. You may be able to make out crashing waves and rocks on my chest/torso, as well as the head and fin of a koi on my upper left arm. Next, the final detailed outline is drawn on with a black brush-tip marker. This is then tattooed over. I'll post pictures of the completed outline soon.

Quick update: Here's a picture from my last session, about a month ago. It was strictly touch-up work on my back, mostly redoing many of the sections in red which never really took well the first time around. Also, small scales were added to the lip of the large koi where before it was just a solid block of color. Shinji thought this would help minimize the appearance of the old tattoo underneath it. I have an appointment today, and I believe there will be a bit more touch-up work, but I am hopeful we will start to outline the left side of my body.

My right side is finally done. During my last session we finished off the color inside the koi on my ribs. At my next session we will be doing some touch-up work on my back, for the most part trying to fix a few areas where the red did not take. Although it will be a pleasant change from getting my torso tattooed, the back is no picnic, especially the second time around.
Speaking of my back, I was able to get a copy of the February '08 issue of Skin and Ink. When Shinji told me they had a "big" picture of me, I didn't think he meant a full page picture! Now I can proudly say I've had a full page nude photo of me in a Larry Flint publication. I also like that my sweet tribal armband is forever immortalized there. Doh!
In other news, on Friday I went to check out some art at Saved Tattoo here in Brooklyn and had the pleasure of meeting John Reardon. He immediately recognized my sleeve as Horizakura's work and came over to chat with me. After a few minutes of trying to compare Horizakura tattoos (John's upper left arm was done by him) without taking off more clothes than would be appropriate in public, John said "You know..I think there is a picture of you in my book!" He pulled out a copy of his Complete Idiots Guide to Getting a Tattoo and sure enough, there I was in the section on Japanese tattoo! John was nice enough to give me a copy of his book, I'd recommend checking it out if you are thinking about getting a tattoo but don't really know where to start.
Yesterday someone asked me, "Isn't it a little weird to find out you are in a book or magazine? Shouldn't they be asking your permission?" Actually, I'm OK with it. It's not a picture of me really, it's a picture of Horizakura's art work. He should be able to display it wherever he likes. I wouldn't even have a picture of it published outside of this website without asking him first.

I just found out that Skin and Ink Magazine did an article on Horizakura in their February issue. I hear there's even a picture of me in there. Unfortunately, I could not find a copy. After hours of hitting the stores with no success, I decided to order a copy online and I'll have to wait a few weeks before I see it. Anyway, pick it up if you're a fan of his work.

Well, I thought we were going to add color during the last session. We did some more grey shading instead. But today, we're definitely adding color..I think. I just want to finish this spot. I'm really tired of getting tattooed there. It's so uncomfortable that after an hour I'm ready to stop for the day.

A few weeks ago we did some black shading in the koi on my ribs, here's a pic. I have an appointment today, I imagine we'll be adding color. I really want to start outlining the other side, and I'm so close now. Also, check out Inked Inc. This site focusing on tattooed professionals has been around for a while, but it's new to me.

Howdy folks. Here are some pictures from 1/23/08. The only thing left to shade in now is the koi in the right-center of my torso. We started it yesterday, and it's a tough spot. Shinji told me that speaking with a few others, they agree it's the worst to sit through. So naturally, my appointment last night was no fun. But I'm very excited to begin outlining the left side of my body. You'll notice the last session was just coloring in odds and ends all over the place. It's a little annoying to have fresh work in many different spots, but luckily I usually heal fairly quickly. Don't know if you can tell, but the green in the leaf near my right hip sort of bled into the gray underneath it. I've got sensitive skin and that's a spot that is particularly so. I've seen it happen in other spots but this is larger and since this is a bright color it's a little more noticable. We may need to go in and do some touch-up over the gray later.

Also, I saw this article in the NYTimes today you might be interested in. It discusses the recent popularity of temporary tattoos. I've certainly seen a lot of these lately. I really got a laugh out of the Miami Ink brand cloth "sleeves" I saw people wearing on Halloween, too funny.