Tattoo Simplicity: 2012

Iphone 5 case with Maori tattoo style design

Hi!

I've done a few other projects lately and wanted to show you some.

While looking for a case for my Iphone 4s I stumbled on a Dutch company that prints Iphone cases in 3d.
They had used one of my Maori tattoo designs for one of their mobile phone cases, so I asked if we could work together on a few more Apple and maybe even Samsung cases.
A week later I created 4 designs in Maori style, just like the tattoos I normally do.
Here's the first model I came up with:

Once the final design was approved, I sent the high resolution file to Polychemy.com so they could transform the 2d sketch into a 3d model that would fit on an Iphone:

These cases are printed with a 3d printer in 4 different colors, white, black, red and purple.

Here's the final Iphone model in Maori inspired tattoo style and a video on how it was done:

Iphone cover with Maori tattoo design

So if you have an Iphone 4, 4s or 5, you can order this case right now, please visit the Polychemy website:
http://www.polychemy.com/collections/mobile-cases/products/iphone-4-5-polynesian-case

Any questions on these covers, don't hesitate and send me a message!

You can visit my Facebook page for more tattoo designs and other tribal projects:

Kind regards, Mark Storm

Cesc Fabregas inspired tribal armband / elbow tattoo design

Hi,

I get a lot of requests on designing a armband tattoos inspired by the Cesc Fabregas tattoo (which I did a while ago), so I decided to create a few nice Polynesian armbands with a mix of Maori style.

In my previous post you can see my first armband/elbow design, which is the first of a series of 3 or 4 tattoos.

Here's the second tatoo sketch:

Polynesian armband design inspired by the Fabregas elbow tattoo

In the centre of the design you see one half of a tribal mask, with some koru Maori curles. I really like to mix different tribal elements and patterns into one aesthetic tattoo.
My designs don't have specific meanings or stories, it's only a graphic representation, inspired by the beautiful Maori, Samoan and Polynesian shapes.

Once I finished my pencil sketch, I trace it with a black felt-tip marker and a Pilot fineliner.

Below you can see a picture of the traced drawing:

Traced the Polynesian armband tattoo with black marker

After it is scanned in high quality (300 dpi), I optimize it in Photoshop and create a linedrawing so your tattoo artist can use it to transfer the tatoos onto your shoulder/arm.

The design is seamless, which means that it totally surrounds your arm and has no beginning or ending.

To make this visible for you, I created a cylindrical model in Google Sketchup:

Because not all arms are perfectly round, your tattoo artist might need to tweak/adjust the design for you, so it makes a perfect fit.

If you wish to order the high resolution design, simply hit the "Buy now" button.

After payment, I'll send you the high resolution design + a linedrawing for your tattoo artist.

Title: Tribal tattoo 201

Size: 30 x 12,5 cm (11,5 x 4,5 inches)

(can be scaled to fit your arm)

Price: 35,70 euro (48 USD)

Polynesian / Maori armband tattoo (Fabregas inspired designs)

Hi,

I get a lot of requests on the Cesc Fabregas tattoo I created a while ago, so I decided to create a few new pieces that are inspired by his elbow design.

The armband tattoos have different circumferences and can also be used as legbands.

Here's the first sketch of the first armband tattoo that has a lot of Polynesian elements and Maori koru patterns:

pencil sketch Polynesian armband design

First I sketched the koru curles with a basic b2 pencil and added some rows of Polynesian symbols that you see in the foreground.
There's a tribal polynesian mask in the centre of the piece and also at the sides two half faces are drawn. Once it's totally around the arm, these sides will make one full tribal mask.

The lines of the different shapes were traced, this time with a fineliner, so I could make it really detailed and rich. After erasing the pencil and filling the outlines with a black marker the design looks like this:

traced Polynesian band tattoo

After scanning the drawing, I digitally edited the image and optimized the design.
It's a seamless tattoo, this means that there is no end or beginning of the tattoo, it totally surrounds your arm or leg.
To make this clear to my customers I decided to make a video in Google Sketchup:

The original high resolution design is available for purchase right here.

If you wish to order it, simply hit the "buy now" button and you can pay with Paypal or creditcard.
Once I receive your payment, I'll send you the high resolution tattoo and stencil in .jpg files by e-mail.

Drawing a halfsleeve Samoan tattoo design

Hello,

I'm back again, with another half sleeve tattoo design in Samoan inspired style.
On Facebook I've had a lot of compliments and comments on my previous design, so I decided to create a series of these drawings in the same style.

Well here's a picture of the first basic lines I drew:

Pencil sketch of a Samoan tribal sleeve tattoo

I start with a circular shape at the top that follows the upper part of the shoulder and then drew a few tapering lines to add some motion. The spearheads are a common pattern in the Samoan style, symbolizing strength and power. There are many kinds of spear- or arrowheads, so I usually combine different ones in one design to keep it as intricate as possible.

Mostly I try to draw a few layers on top of eachother, running above- or through other patterns.

This gives a sense of depth and it makes the design flow.

Here's a second sketch, you can see I traced parts of the drawing with a black marker and fineliner:

Tribal Samoan sleeve tattoo designs for sale

Traced a few patterns of the Samoan tatoo

Normally I first draw the full design with a pencil and then start tracing it, but sometimes I get a little impatient and cannot wait to see how it turns out :)

This photo shows the upper part almost traced and finished:

Samoan flash for sale high quality designs

Upper part of the Samoan tribal tattoo

After a lot of sketching, erasing, and redoing the lines, I finally finished this flash design and took some photos with my Canon EOS 400D:

Pictures of Samoan tattoo drawings and sketches

Another picture shows a digital mock-up of a shoulder with the sleeve projected on it. It's not a 100% accurate, but gives you an idea on how it will look once it's tattooed:

I made a Youtube video of the total design process, so you can see a kind of time-lapse on how the design evolves. Please subscribe to my channel if you want to see my latest videos:

And last but not least, you can order this high resolution flash design right here!

Detailed patterns in a Samoan tattoo design

Meet Batman's Furry Sidekicks: the Bat Dogs!

Batman is a DC Comics character that was created in the late 1930s by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. Batman is also referred to as 'The Caped Crusader' and 'The Dark Knight'. Although Batman has many human companions, he doesn't have any pets. If Batman ever did decide to keep pets, what would his dogs look like?

Bat Dogs in The 'Bark' Night
Combining their excellent sense of smell, loyalty and dog breath with the flying and hearing powers of bats, bat dogs make excellent slobbering sidekicks. Using their bark as sonar, bat dogs can follow their nemesis (usually Cat Woman) through busy streets, either on the ground or from the air. Dogs make excellent superhero sidekicks, as they are very loyal and are generally of a good height to bite baddies in the bum.

[source]

Bat Dogs Defeat Kitty Criminals

Batdogs have one nemesis, the cat. before becoming bat dogs, many ordinary dogs were often outsmarted by these hissing creatures that could climb out of reach. But now, endowed with the powers of bat flight, batdogs can follow their feline enemies no matter how high they climb.

[source]

Batdogs make a Halloween Appearance

Not all Batdogs wear their uniforms year-round. Some only don their costumes at Halloween, using the festivities and dress up traditions of Halloween to disguise their true natures as Bat Dogs. This way, they can hide in plain sight and still show allegiance to Batman and Robin.

[source]

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Samoan inspired tattoo, shoulder sleeve design

Hi,

At the moment I'm working on a series of new designs for my galleries, to replace some 'old' tattoos.
I'm really inspired by the intricate Samoan patterns which have a lot of repetitive shapes and symbols and bold tattoos.

I started with a new tatoo, a halfsleeve tribal with some Samoan and Maori influences and shapes.

First I drew a basic layout of the tatoo to make it fit to the shoulder and upper arm.
Then I draw a few crossing lines, a bit tapered to give it a sense of depth.
On the left side of the tatou I added a koru fern, a national symbol of New-Zealand, aka "Aotearoa", and created a line of spearheads. I traced it with a black marker and a steady hand ofcourse ;)

To get a sharp and crisp look, I use a lot of triangular shapes with a high contrast between the black and white patterns. The heavy black lines are drawn to divide the tattoo into smaller section, so it's not one "greyish" mass:

When the Samoan tattoo was finished, I made a few nice pictures with my Canon 400D DSLR, which has a nice depth of field, the blurry fades:

To show you the full design process, I made video that is some sort of time-lapes, where you can see it from pencil sketch to high resolution design:

This digital mock-up shows how the tattoo will look on your shoulder. It's not a 100% accurate, but gives you an idea:

The final design can be purchased from my blog, simply hit the 'buy now' button below and you'll be forwarded to the Paypal website. Use your creditcard or Paypal account for the payment and as soon as I receive it, I'll send you two high resolution images of this tattoo.

The first is the full design with all patterns and black shapes.

The second is a linedrawing, so your tattoo artist can transfer the tatoo onto your body.

"Precious" Tattoos from The Lord of the Rings

This article has moved to RattaTattoo.com
Read "Precious" Tattoos from The Lord of the Rings on RattaTattoo

Funny Pictures of Dogs Shaking off Water

Dogs make hilarious subjects for photographs. Unlike humans, they are unhindered by shyness, modesty or fear of embarrassment. Dogs enjoy life from moment to moment, turning every activity into a fun pastime. One thing that dogs love to do is have a good shake, to rid their coat of water or simply to loosen up their fur and skin. The pictures below show what happens when a photographer captures a single moment of a dog's shake.

Davidson's Dogs Do the Shake
Carli Davidson is an award-winning photographer who creates artistic images of wild and domestic animals. Her pet photography is among the most appealing in the world, as her images perfectly capture an animal's ability to live in the moment. Some of her most popular art works are photographs of dogs shaking off water.
Davidson has worked with animals for years in animal shelters, zoos and nature reserves. Her experience with all sorts of animals, from chimpanzees to rats, allows her to communicate with the animals that she uses as subjects in her photographs. Davidson says that she spends large amounts of time rolling around on the floor with the animals, encouraging them to "open up" to the camera. As a result of this interaction, the pictures show animals who look relaxed and comfortable, able to simply be cats and dogs doing what comes naturally to them.
Carli Davidson's pictures of dogs shaking off water have a humorous appeal to them. Dogs can be quite goofy and silly at times, and these pictures capture this doggy essence perfectly. Davidson uses a variety of dog breeds as subjects. Dogs with long hair such as border collies and Labradors shake off water in a way that creates a spiraling spray of water droplets. Dogs with short hair but loose skin such as bull dogs and bloodhounds create less spray but the skin on their faces twist into funny expressions, perfect subject matter for funny dog pictures.

Above: A funny picture of a border collie shaking, by photographer Carli Davidson. The sheep dog's long hair creates a wonderful swirl around the centre of the picture, drawing the viewer's eye to the focal point; the dog's eyes. [source]

Above: This funny picture shows a bloodhound shaking off water. The dog's loose skin flops and flaps, creating a series of hilarious facial expressions for Carli Davidson to photograph. [source]

Above: A boxer dog shakes off water, sending his lips and ears flying to create a hilarious pet portrait. Perhaps dogs need to degauss too. [source]

A Comedy of Dogs and Water

Most dogs love water. They love to jump in and out of waves at the beach, swim in lakes and dams and run through rivers. And after all that running and jumping, dogs love to shake off the water. When viewed by the naked human eye, a dog's shaking seems to be a blur of movement concealed by a spray of water droplets. With the help of a high-speed camera, we can see exactly what's going on underneath all that spray; a funny comedy combo of dog and water.

Above: A golden Labrador retriever shakes off water after a swim in a river. The directions of the water droplets show how the dog shakes its head from side to side. [source]

Above: Pulling faces, blowing raspberries and shaking off water. This funny border collie is a multitasking sheep dog. [source]

Above: A beagle shakes off water after a bath, stretching one side of her face and squashing the other. Beagles are often used in comedy shots of animals because they have a lighthearted and fun personality. [source]

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Jesse Smith creates Cartoon Graffiti Tattoos

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Fantastically Funny Photoshop Image Manipulations

Digital art programs like Photoshop can be used as a tool to create art in dozens of different styles. One of the art styles that Photoshop is most famous for is image manipulation. This is when a Photoshop artist takes one or more photographs and edits them in Photoshop to create a new image.

A Photoshop Perspective
Creating funny Photoshop images isn't as easy as it looks. Photoshop artists need to be familiar with the program, have artistic talent and skill and have a keen eye for detail. There are many tricks that artists use to create funny Photoshop pictures, but the favorite among art lovers is the trick of creating an image of something that looks real, but can't possibly be real.

Above: A Photoshop artist has manipulated the size of the doctor so that he seems to be small enough to fit inside the lioness's mouth. Both of the figures are taken from real photographs, so the finished Photoshop art work looks like a real situation. [source]

Above: A funny Photoshop caricature by Rodney Pike. Pike is a master Photoshop artist who creates caricatures from real photographs, making hilarious portraits that seem real. [source]

Above: Photoshop animal hybrids are some of the funniest digital art images around. This Photoshop artist has created a Tiger Squirrel, combining two creatures that are very different; one is about as dangerous as a packet of peanuts while the other can tear a person to pieces. Creating a Photoshop creature hybrid out of two animals results in a humorous character that is at odds with itself. [source]

Creating a Funny Picture in Photoshop

Every funny Photoshop image starts with a funny idea. Sometimes a digital artist will be inspired by an image, a joke or another artists' work. Image manipulation programs like Photoshop allow artists to suspend reality and create humorous images that wouldn't have been possible a few decades ago. Creating a quality image manipulation in Photoshop takes time, effort and skill. The more time that is spent perfecting the image, the better the finished result is.

Above: This funny Photoshop head swap shows a man's head and a toddler's arms. The difference in age is what creates the humor in this image. The Photoshop artist who created this image was smart - the arms don't join the body anywhere in the image, making the illusion easier to create. [source]

Above: A human food hybrid, created by merging two images, one of a child and another of a pear. [source]

Above: Harry Potter, digitally aged in Photoshop. The beard is probably taken from another photograph and overlaid onto the image of Harry Potter. [source]

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Sea Sculptures of the Underwater Museum

Around the world are a few unusual sculpture museums. In order to gain entry to the museums, you must first put on your swimming gear and grab a snorkel or dive tank. This is because the museums are under the sea.

Art Works or Artificial Reefs?
The creator of the underwater museums, Jason de Caires Taylor, designs his sculptures with the intention of forming artificial reefs for sea life. The statues are made with PH neutral casting cement, which means that they will not poison the water or the fish, and will not degrade quickly in sea water. Taylor places his underwater museums in areas where reefs have been destroyed by storms, creating new homes for corals, fish and other sea life.
The statues of Taylor's underwater museums serve two purposes; to attract tourists and art lovers to the area and to create a home for fish, sea weed and other reef life. Many of the sculptures have holes drilled into the cement, creating nooks and crannies for fish and crustaceans to create a home for themselves. Over time, the statues get covered with sea weed and molluscs. Taylor has recorded this "evolution" of his artworks with photographs, enjoying the fact that although he may be finished with the artwork, nature continues to add its own art works to the statues.

Above: Jason de Caires Taylor's "Vicissitudes" in Grenada, West Indies. This sculptural art work shows a group of people standing in a circle holding hands. The figures face outwards from the circle, creating the sensation that they are protecting something within the circle. The underwater statues are life-sized, having been cast from the bodies of real people. [source]

Above: A swimmer discovers one of Taylor's underwater sculptures in Grenada. The beauty of these art works is that the experience of discovery is different for each person. Because the statues are evolving and slowly becoming part of the reef, what one person sees today might be very different from what someone else might see next month. [source]

Above: These three photographs show, from left, an old man from Cancun, Mexico, who was the model for the underwater sculpture shown in the middle photograph. The photograph on the right shows the underwater statue after a few years, covered with seaweed, providing an excellent home for reef life. [source]

Above: Taylor's statues on land, waiting to be submerged in the sea. When posed like this, the groups of statues begin to resemble a coral reef. Taylor's underwater museum is so far one of the most unique reef conservation methods that man has attempted. [source]

A Sculptured Society Living Under the Sea
The underwater museum in Cancun, Mexico was created in 2009 when Taylor installed several life size statues near the Manchones reef. There are now over 450 submerged sculptures in the region. These underwater statues are based on regular people living in and around Cancun, Mexico. The figures are sculpted to show them doing day-to-day activities such as riding a bicycle or watching TV. The underwater statues have a surreal nature about them; they seem to be average people frozen for eternity below the sea, standing silently as they are visited by tourists and art enthusiasts.

Above: "Anthropocene" in Cancun, Mexico. This large sculpture shows a man curled up on the bonnet of a VW Beetle. The sculpture has several holes drilled into the windows that allow fish to enter the hollow interior of the statue. The reef was partially destroyed by storms, so the sculptures were created as a place for fish and other sea creatures to live. [source]

Above: "Inertia" in Punta Nizuc, Mexico. This sculptural art work shows an obese man watching TV with a plate of fast food on his lap. Like the VW Beetle sculpture, the TV set has holes drilled into it, which allow fish to enter the hollow interior of the sculpture. [source]

Above: A collection of statues in the underwater museum. Crowds of statues like this make excellent artificial reefs, attracting fish and plant life that make the art works into their homes. This picture was taken shortly after the statues were installed, before the seaweed and limpets start to add their own creative touch to the art. [source]

Above: Over time, coral begins to grow over the statues, transforming the underwater sculptures into living art works. These art works are constantly changing as the reef continues to absorb the statues, making the art a part of the reef environment. [source]

Above: Each statue gets its own natural decoration as the reef grows over it. The different types of corals, sponges and sea weeds add pattern and texture to these living art works. [source]

Taylor's underwater museums are a truly beautiful combination of art and conservation. The artificial reefs made of human statues give people an inspiring experience while offering natural reef life a safe home. Visit Taylor's website for more information on his underwater museums.

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