GALLERY > Tattoos

bear tattoo by dave wah at stay humble tattoo company in baltimore maryland
Victor's bear tattoo
2013







Victor has some really unique ideas and I feel really fortunate I get to be the one to do his tattoos. This bear tattoo is the just one of the many upcoming projects I have with him. This style is something I've been working on for quite some time, and it's always fun to do work like this. If tattoos were literature, I feel like traditional or neo-traditional tattoo styles would be like writing poetry, while realistic tattoos would be like writing non-fiction. Both have their challenges and can be done artistically, but the process and formats are completely different. With realistic tattoos I am basically processing information from an existing subject and transferring it in an accurate way. With traditional tattoos I have to fight the urge to do too much, I need to show restraint and keep only the essential elements in order to portray the subject in an artistic way. I noticed the similarity to literature, a good non-fiction novel tells an existing story accurately with tons of detail and some exaggerations to enhance the reader's experience. Poetry delivers the writer's idea/message/story/theme with far fewer words, yet each word that is used has great importance. Hope this didn't sound too analytical or confusing, just something I was thinking about while I was doing this tattoo. Either way, tattooing is friggin' hard to do no matter what style it's done in. I feel like I'm making progress every day though.

"Stay Humble Tattoo Company is located in Baltimore Maryland and is dedicated to being the best tattoo shop possible. Thank you for taking the time to view our tattoos, we look forward to working with you in the future. Unique tattoos for unique people."