Carl Hallowell Blog | Traditional Japanese Irezumi & Tebori Tattoos

Walk-In Tattoo

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On January 22, 2015

Tribal Tattoo This customer came in with a misplaced cross and tribal tattoo that was not too well done. He dreamed of a tribal half sleeve but didn’t know how to go about getting it done. I covered the old cross and tribal with a new design; next, I added on down the arm with […]

Japanese Tiger & Cherry Blossom Tattoo

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On December 15, 2014

Tora & Sakura Sleeve Tattoo Designs Working that elbow, pounding in the color. Dipping and working, dipping and working. From one color to the next. Instead of swinging a pickaxe, guiding the machine, as it taps out design after design. Instead of shoveling snow at home, I’m shoveling in color inch by inch at my […]

Japanese Tiger

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On December 12, 2014

Tattoo Background Complete At the inception of my website, I was excited to post in-progress tattoos. It really helps to illustrate the progress one must make towards attaining their goal. It also represents the amount of work a tattooer can get done in a session. It is also a badge of honor for those who […]

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On December 5, 2014

Detroit The Motor City Rob returns for his second black and gray tattoo sleeve from me, we talked last night about how it was funny that it all started off with one tattoo on the inside of his other forearm. That tattoo? A single needle “DETROIT” done in Old English that we did as a […]

Traditional Tattoo Flash

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On November 14, 2014

Five Masks of the World – Part Two Today’s bad tattoos are the ones that are too good. Drawn with every bell and whistle imaginable without any correct details. These tattoos are drawn with a realism more suited for comics, the symbolic representation of tattoo art is betrayed; rendered in a personal style that is […]

Traditional Japanese Sleeve

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On November 8, 2014

Gods of Thunder It is not my intent on this website to attempt to inform the reader on the esoteric idols of traditional Japanese tattooing; to understand, you must already know. This kind of arcane knowledge comes at a higher premium, it shouldn’t be coughed up carelessly. The ones that need to know will find […]

Traditional Tattoo Sleeve

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On November 5, 2014

American Traditional Tattoo Sleeve – Do It Again All Jeff’s traditional tattoo sleeve needs to do now is heal. I spoke before about Jeff’s work ethic when it comes to his tattoos- “get it done.” When you look down your arm and see that your sleeve is finished it is an incredibly proud feeling that […]

Everything a Tattoo Should Be

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On October 24, 2014

Compact Colour Combo Back when I first started getting tattooed there was a little storefront space in a shopping strip down on Georgia Street. By word of mouth only, we knew that this was Romero’s Tattoo Studio. You didn’t see his work on the waitresses or musicians around town. The 10 or 12 heavily tattooed […]

Chinese Hero & Demon Tattoo

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On October 9, 2014

Chinese Hero and Demon, 11×14 watercolor A tattoo artist paints flash to give his customers an idea of tattoos he might like to do. These are a part of a larger whole that I want to accomplish, “Five masks of the world”. I love white paper, stand-alone tattoos on otherwise bare skin; these portraits, or […]

Traditional Japanese Tiger Tattoo

Posted by Carl Hallowell
On September 27, 2014

Tiger, Rocks, Water, Clouds, and Flowers This outline stage tattoo went on one of our local musicians whose music is a mixture of Country, Soul, and Rock. All those hours of sitting behind the drum set and his guitars have made this one tough sonofabitch. We were able to outline the whole 3/4 length of […]