Just a little bit.

I don't change my mind very often. 

I usually react poorly to change. 

I have habits and schedules and comfort zones, 

and they only get more ingrained as I get older.

But here's a flip-flop I can admit to. 

I used to be so opposed to adding touches of color to black and grey tattoos, 

but at some point I changed my mind, 

and now I love it. 

Not for every tattoo, 

(and not ever "just some blue in the eye"),

but for all the pieces that show just how much I tattoo like a girl,

a couple flowers or a ribbon or something in color 

adds an extra little bit that I'm pretty into. 

I was happy to do some finishing touches on this today.

Most of it is healed.

Healed and all nice-like.

Thanks to Amber for sending healed photos of her backpiece. 

I started the tattoo a year ago, 

and did some final touches last month when I was at Off the Map. 

Foxes and poppies?

I could do stuff like this every day.

Every. Day. 

(the celtic knotwork was already there)

She also sent a photo of her healed panda tattoo.

So then... I got greedy, 

and asked Amanda for a healed photo of her corresponding cat portrait. 

And she, too, delivered. 

Thanks guys, you're the best. 

Cute animals, framed:

Shawn Hebrank tattoos like an old lady.

Rachel was very open with this tattoo,

and only requested a bird for a half sleeve.

We did this pheasant all in one session, 

and she did awesome.

I think it was maybe 5 hours total.

I appreciate everyone's patience lately, 

I've been working on changing a lot about the way I work,

and it's been a bumpy transition.

I'd like to focus on some larger pieces, 

illustrative styled and mostly nature themed,

either weird or creepy or beautiful or dark, 

or a combination of all four.

I'm straying away from the sillier, more cartoonish tattoos I used to do.

I'm not saying I'll never do those again,

but I'm hoping to do more work like this from now on.

Maybe I'm growing up a bit?

Now that I'm in my thirties i'm finally maturing a little?

We'll see.

Until then, 

if you'd like to chat about getting some work along these lines, 

please email me.

shawnhebrank@gmail.com

 

Answered.

Here's a healed photo of Stacey's chestpiece.
I was excited to do an (almost) still life style illustration of the antlers and flowers,
and I liked doing the antlers black and grey with the flowers in color.
I'd like to remind everyone how much I love doing chestpieces,
so if yours is empty, think about it.

Getting it ALL done.

For real, though,
I've been busy lately.
I've been starting two new big projects
for every one that I finish.
This is some of the week's pieces:

This train was done in two sessions,
and this is half healed, half fresh (and hurty-looking).

Alli got her dog portrait finished, 

and the upper-thigh-butt-crease-area hated me. 

Look how hurty-swollen it got. 

3/4 healed, 1/4 new and red. 

I meant to take a better photo today at work, 

but I forgot, 

and so did she, 

so this one goes up for now. 

I started this owl-octopus morph thing holding a sacred pear today. 

It's a big ass half sleeve, 

and I'm pretty stoked on it. 

Heidi has sky-rocketed to the top of the favorites list. 

She not only knocked out the French pigeon in one shot a couple weeks ago, 

but she came back in to finish the Smokey the Bear tattoo 

on her other thigh this week. 

Two big tattoos in a month. 

I'm impressed. 

She also gave me a fancy music stand to hold my ipad. 

And she told me to get professional 

and use a watermark on my photos 

for when people use them on places like Pinterest . 

Thus, the new watermark.

Thanks, Heidi!

This photo has the healed pigeon, 

and the half healed, half new Smokey. 

I have one day off, 

(from tattooing only)

and then I'm back at it for another 6 days. 

Luckily, I have hired a super part time assistant. 

I'm going to get it all done, finally. 

All of it. 

C'est fini!

Heidi recently came to me for matching thigh tattoos;

one of Smokey the Bear/Alaska Pride, 

and one of a French pigeon. 

Today we started AND finished the pigeon one. 

It's not a small tattoo, 

and it took us over 6 hours. 

But let me tell you, 

she didn't move, complain, or ask for a break even once. 

One of the toughest

(and most amusing!)

clients I've ever had the pleasure of tattooing. 

And in case you were wondering, 

the baguette was my favorite part to work on. 

Dead birds are sexy, 

but French pigeons aren't too bad, either.