An owl and a Portrait

Here's a pair of recent tattoos. First, a fairly traditional owl, he's a little cuter than I would have like and I really would have liked to fill the eyes, make 'em glow yellow or some shit. However, the client... well she was quite particular (but a pleasant girl)with the look she was going for and it is what it is.

Since I'm somewhat on the subject I would like to take a few sentences to reflect and ponder what goes on in some peoples heads. When you hire a plumber do you tell him how to fix your toilet? A mechanic how to repair your vehicle? Do you tell a hooker how to provide her particular services? As a tattooer I don't make a living giving clients bad tattoos, I'm not secretly plotting in the dark hours of the night ways I can fuck up your tattoo. On the contrary, I have all intentions of supplying you, the client, with the finest piece of art I can give you. I don't want to hear the friend you brought along or your insecure, over protective boyfriend/girlfriend with the Ed Hardy shirt and Affliction jeans thinks that this should be blue or that should be like this. Have them do the fucking tattoo. I have in a few circumstances discussed this with the occasional client who's requests and desires fall on the far side of lunacy. There's a common denominator between all who behave in such away and that it they all say one or all of the following:
"It's my body, I have to live with it, it's permanent".

 Well that's some enlightening shit right there. I've been tattooing all these years and you say it's permanent, are you sure? It's your body? I thought it was your monosyllabic boyfriend's over there with the fine eye for fashion. Yes I know it's your body and that the ink I'm inserting into your flesh is indelible but you see I'm trying to prevent a disaster from occurring on your flesh with my name attached to it.

So ladies and gentlemen what I'm trying to say here is- give your tattooer creative freedom. In the end you'll have something great instead of average or worse.

Now with that tirade aside, here's the second tattoo.

I don't enjoy portraits, they're entirely to stressful. Nine times out of ten they're of a loved one who passed away and meant a great deal to the individual. I do traditional tattoos, bold thick outlines heavy shading, splash of color here and there. A proper portrait consists of zero lines and very delicate shading, the antithesis of how I work. I'm not sure how I ended doing this tattoo but I'm kinda glad I did. It's of the clients Grandfather who passed away fairly recently and they were close, etc... Im not insensitive but spare me the backstory, you're not on L.A. Ink, give me your arm and be still my friend.