Mission complete. Dome piece for my pare @jeffquintano . Absolutely grateful to have shared this experience with you, and I canāt tell you enough, but it was such a privilege to do this tattoo for you. Itās never easy tattooing another tattoo artist, at least for me - I always get nervous. So thank you for not only choosing and trusting me, but also for your strength and endurance throughout the process.
šø: @kay.shootz@jgabrielart
Humbled and Honored. Im beyond grateful to be able to do a piece like this, not only on a good friend but also on someone who I admire. 5 years ago I asked Jordan if he would let me tattoo his chest. I told him to think about it and said if he didnāt want to, he can just tell me no. But if he decides to commit, Its going to be big and bold. He thought about it, said āyes, lets do it!ā And just to make sure, I made him sit with the idea for a few months. I didnāt know how much I was going to fall in love with this piece. I didnāt realize it was going to be one of my favorite tattoos. If there ever is a perfect scenario where things just effortlessly fall into place, this would be it. Everything felt reciprocated. The trust, the representation, and the time and patience it took for everything to be completed. This piece re-ignited my passion for tattooing. Iāve been tattooing for 12 years and when It comes to tribal tattoos, Iāve witness multiple waves in this community. I remember when tribal tattoos were barely worn or seen. They had to be explained to those who never seen the style before - Share the culture, educate about meanings and explain how not one piece can be duplicated. Of course, then it became popular and with that came a lot of opinions on who should be wearing what and how it should be done, and who should tattoo it. I almost wanted to stop tattooing tribal. I always wondered where this lifestyle would lead me and worried if I would even land on the spectrum of creditable tattoo artists. Am I diluting the culture? Or am I helping it grow? All I know is that I do my best to be as conscious as I can. Thank you to my teacher @orlycukui and extended teachers (@soulsignaturetattoohawaii@soulsignaturetattoo@_tobytorres_ and all the OG HB artists before me), who helped lay the groundwork for me. Gave me the knowledge and understanding of how we should carry ourselves in this industry.
#filipina #tribaltattoo #filipinotattoo
What can I say, I love my nephews! Ever since they watched Moana, theyāve been asking me to make them necklaces. They always brought it up because they saw me wearing my Hei Toki and kept asking for one of their own. One time, they even asked my mom if they could have her necklace when sheās gone lol. I thought it was just a phase, but they never let it go. Gotta give them credit for being persistent. Honestly, these were super fun to make but Im gonna stick to tattooing for a while, a lot of love gets poured into making these š«
In this era of fine line tattoos, thereās something beautiful about a woman who still chooses to wear bold.
Ladies, it aināt hard to tellā¦ you carry that bold so well š®āšØšš¾āØ
