My name is George, and I am rather seriously tattooed. Joel is my partner at Bambu Tattoo and has been my artist for over 7 years. With the exception of a few small years ago pieces around my hips (which we incorporated into other work) he has tattooed about 90% of my body to date. Over 4 years ago he and I began to discuss my sleeves. At that stage I was essentially 100% covered from the t-shirt sleeve line on my arms to just above my knees. For that level of completion, Joel and I were awarded Best Overall Male at the Boston Tattoo Convention in 2004, and then (with reasonably completed sleeves) again in 2006, and again in 2007 with legs underway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the 2004 convention, with my arms below the t-shirt line and my legs from above the knee to foot still virgin, we began to sleeve my arms.

 

I said that I wanted a tattoo equivalent to Chinese thread embroidery of a string dragon and flowers on one sleeve, and a male and female bird of paradise on the other. I wanted all this to be done in UV. My reasons were:

 

1) I am tattooed in bright pastels (no other way to describe it) and UV is quite pastel with vivid elements in normal light, and is simply brilliant under UV light

2) I believe in our Studio and artists, and especially wish to showcase the unique talents of Joel, and I want to catch the attention of others to aid in promoting our business (boy, is this effective)

3) small scale UV tattooing is usually poorly done (quality approaching scratcher status) and I wanted to open the eyes of the public to what is possible

4) large scale UV tattooing is essentially non-existent because people (artists and patrons) can not grasp the concept

5) I thought it would look amazing in regular light and incredible under UV light, and

6) it would be fun.

 

I can now report that the thus-far finished results exceed my initial imagination and expectations. Though a challenge, Joel has mastered this variant of our ancient art of tattooing. As the old-time tattooers used to say Tattooing, as old as time, as modern as tomorrow. Now this IS so.

 

I can also say that just about everything we read about the methods of application and the cautions on the pigment limitations from the suppliers and others is essentially incorrect. Trying to master this unique tattoo pigment by following the included directions or the mis-information generally available from search engines will result in the kind of crap you see whenever UV tattoo pictures are available. That application focus is essentially going around other stuff in outlines, or patches of non-smooth shades. The effect is eye-catching but garish, in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, look at my sleeves. There is over 100 hours of UV tattooing experience represented there. Joel is a true artist and has mastered tattooing, so the magnificence you see is not an accident. Look at the pictures taken in standard vs. UV light. Note that the dragon arm is essentially 100% UV pigment, except for the purple background which looks almost black under UV. The bird of paradise arm is about 95% UV; some standard pigment was used for depth in the weaker visible light colors. How we applied and how we mixed we would rather not reveal the details of. However, anyone can experience and witness the process by setting up an appointment with Joel for their own unique masterpiece.

 

It has been and continues to be more fun than I could have imagined. I get a charge out of showing it and witnessing the amazement of the viewers. At Disney World, with three grandchildren around me, on a laser tag ride I was shot thousands of times when people in other cars thought my arms were targets and I got tagged. I glowed everywhere UV light was present; especially in the aquariums and on many rides. It certainly turned a lot of heads, and children were intrigued.

 

I am often asked about cost. Here is the reality; time is money. Depending upon how elaborate your theme is, how many colors, and how snappy you want the UV side, it can take a few extra moments to about twice as long as the same design in regular colors only. This is primarily due to the pastel nature of the pigment, and the need to do really smooth coloring (which takes longer also). Lastly is the detailing element, which is not normally done with regular pigments, and is the equivalent to pin-striping a car. The piece can have a little or a lot, with the time varying accordingly. So, UV pieces cost more in general. Joel or our other artists can discuss the details of your design and price the appropriate UV extents and effects as part of the piece.

 

We began my lower legs after the 2006 convention, the last remaining visible virgin territory. We are utilizing UV and some regular colors, with a conscious nod to UV wherever it works best.. There is really a lot of area to cover, from just above my knees to the top (and redoing) of my feet and I hope we can  keep our momentum. We are now giving it an almost weekly effort, so the possibility exists. I am older, and I was anxious to cover the varicose veins developing around my ankles. This works beyond my wildest expectations, ugly purple blemishes have been transformed to beautiful scenery.

 

My right leg is essentially a lady in a swan boat, with other ladies added for good measure, and some dragonflies in the mix. My left leg is ladies also, with a stylized rendering of Mariposa by Don Blanding (butterfly coral lady) wrapping the calf. It appears ladies are the most prevalent image I wear, so we figured what the hell.

 

So, there you have it, at least at this stage. My arms are very close to being finished. More detailing here and there remains, but they are just about there. For example, the dragon still needs the spirit cloud coming from the nose and mouth. As I said, we are doing my lower legs with UV, and are about 3/4 done at this stage. And someday, I hope all my other work will have the final missing detailing in UV (we have done a little on my chest as you can see in the shots below).

 

I think it is cool, I have enormous fun showing it all off, and I await the day we are complete!

Following are a few more UV photos. Believe me, photos do not even begin to do justice to the visual experience seeing this art live affords. Come in to our Providence Studio and ask to see the real deal live, I would love to show you!

Glowrious George

 

I am going for 2 Bodysuits; one in the normal visible light spectrum and one in the UV or Blacklight spectrum.

 

Please allow me to share part of this experience with you. George

RIGHT A photo taken before beginning my arm sleeves. This is the photo taken after winning Best Overall Male in 2004.

 

FAR RIGHT A photo of my back, after the majority of arm sleeve work was completed.

Yes, I am a little bit of an art snob when it comes to tattooing. And although I craved UV and the possibilities it afforded, I needed to ensure my UV work was visually of the same quality as the rest of my body. The work above my knees is regular pigment, my arms and legs from knees down are UV pigments. As the picture to the right attests, I think we are succeeding!

 

The photo sequence below shows regular light fading out and UV or Blacklight fading in over 4 shots.

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