Homer Jay Simpson, beloved fictional father of the Simpson family. He was created by Matt Groening and named after his own father, Homer Groening.
Homer and his love of donuts done by Alex Strangler done in Venice, CA.Hyper realistic Homer from Treehouse of Horror episode recreating Stephen King’s The Shining. Done by Josh Herman at Blackwood Tattoo, Denver.Homer and Krusty! Done by Matthew Hockaday.Chromatic shift, trippy Homer done by Winston (the whale).
Homer was born in 1956, and has been making the world laugh with his wacky antics since his t.v. debut in 1989.
Homer and a nice frothy Duff beer. Done by Anna Plienko.Homer as Santa Claus, strangling Bart. Done by Jasmine Keats done at Shogun Tats tattoo and piercing studio.Creepy ghost Homer done by Michela Bottin.Picasso inspired Homer portrait done by Zane Donnellan at STR Tattoo and Art Studio, Wyong, NSW, Australia.
Homer can often be seen either at home with his family, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie; at work with Mr. Burns, and Smithers, or at Moe’s tavern with his pals Moe, Barney, Carl, and Lenny.
Homer and Plopper sharing a carrot. Done by Ariana Tormenta.Young Homer in his grunge band, Sadgasm. Done by Jed Squire Desbrow at Vintage Inx.Super creepy Duff beer/Homer portrait done by Rodrigo Bittencourt de Azeredo.
Along with Moe’s tavern, some of Homer’s hangouts include Apu’s Kwik-E Mart, and Krusty Burger.
Tattooed Homer and Marge done by Atena Bazofia.Neon Homer as Mr. Sparkle, his Japanese soap mascot. Done by Jon Sproul at Clandestine Rabbit Tattoo in LA, CA.Snuggly Homer in bed done by Chanel (sassybury).
Homer is most well known for his love of beer and donuts, and his job at the powerplant. BUT, Homer has also been a musician, an astronaut, a truck driver, actor, mobster, carny, coach, farmer, and so much more!
Fancy Homer portrait done at Black Bones Custom Tattoos in the UK.A Flanderised Homer from another Treehouse of Horror, done by Joshua Davis at Wicked Inklination.Dot/linework zombie Homer done by Sebastian Camargo at Chronic Ink in Toronto.
As a tattoo, Homer is mainly done in a new school design, as he is a cartoon character. He can also be seen in neo traditional, American traditional, realistic, linework, hyper realistic, and blackwork.
Homer and his pink donut done by Erin Davies at La Belle Tattoo Studio in Melbourne, Australia.New school giant headed Homer done by Kelly Doty at Helheim Gallery, in Salem MA.Matching Marge and Homer linework portraits done by Thomas Bates at Five Keys Tattoo Studio, Norwich.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (better known as Alice in Wonderland) was written in 1865 by Charles Dodgson (under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll).
Black and grey Caterpillar (Alan Rickman) done by Omar Orozco.Bright back piece done by Brian Reaid at Ace of Spades Tattoo in Asheville NC.Bright pastel coloured Tim Burton sleeve done by Jules Boho, an Austrian based traveling artist.Matching Alice and the White Rabbit in a delicate black and grey design. Done by Abbo Florez.
The story follows a young girl, Alice, who falls down a hole into a fantastical land full of bizarre characters and situations.
Watercolor Cheshire done by Aleksandra Katsan in Kiev, Ukraine.Linework version of Disney’s Alice done by Bryan at Nirvana Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Scotland.Dark and sinister looking Mad Hatter done by Kristen Goetz.Cheshire in Mad Hatters Hat done by Ricardo Gomez at Soledad Tattoo.
There are also films based on the book, with the most popular being Disney’s animated version from 1951.
Realistic and stylized version of the Red Queen. Done by Alex Moro done in London, UK.“Drink me” done by Efthimis Vrettos in Athens, Greece.Stylized White Rabbit in a teacup done by Luca Testadiferro in Jesi Italy.Sleeping Alice done by Lello Sannino in Italy.
More recent films Alice in wonderland (directed by Tim Burton) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (directed by James Bobin) are also produced by Disney, but take on a much darker theme.
Hyper realistic White Rabbit and his pocket watch done by Ben Kaye at Ship Shape Tattoo, New Zealand.Black and grey Disney’s Mad Hatter done by Fabio Onorini Fronte Del Porto tattoo , in Rome.Neo traditional portrait of Alice done by Mugs Costa in Australia.Blackwork Mad hatter and teacup done by Sigbjørn in Copenhagen.Sketchwork/watercolour Cheshire done by Tania Catclaw.
People in the 1960’s-80’s speculated about what the story was “really” about. Many people thought that it was really a psychedelic trip. Due in large part to the frequent usage of drugs such as LSD and magic mushrooms at this time. Experts usually disagree with this theory though, as Charles isn’t thought to have been a user of recreational drugs.
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland sleeve done by Brent O’Leary at Blue Collar Tattoo in Plainfield IL.Linework version of the Walrus and the carpenter with their tasty clams. Done by Gina Gila at Riverwest Tattoo Company Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Brilliant black and grey version of the Mad Hatter done by Nick Imms at The Church Tattoo.Queen of Hearts and White Rabbit, also done by Nick Imms.And a third done by Nick Imms.
Popular characters include the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, Red Queen (Queen of Hearts), the March Hare, White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, and many more.
A partial watercolor style March Hare and a lovely cup of tea done by Bruno Corvalan Mission Ink in San Francisco.Neo traditional Red Queen done by Jack Goks at Cloak and Dagger Tattoo in London, UK.Brilliant neo traditional White Rabbit hand piece done by Oash Rodriguez.Hatter’s hat, pocket watch, and painted rose done by Steve LaMantia at Ever After Gallery, Spring Hill, FL.
The Lord of the Rings, written by J.R.R Tolkien is one of (if not the) most iconic fantasy stories ever written. The story was written as a sequel to another novel of his, The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings was written in stages between 1937 and 1949.
Magnificent realistic back piece featuring Gandalf, Gollum, the ring, and the eye of Sauron. Done by Jesse Rix in Keene, NH.Hyper realistic portrait of Gimli done by Ben Kaye at Ship Shape Tattoo in New Zealand.Solid neo traditional hobbit hole done by Heath Clifford at Fat Ink Tattoo.Elrond portrait done by Kristian Kimonides at Leviathan Tattoo Gallery in Melbourne, Australia.American traditional Witch King done by Onnie O’Leary.
Tolkien fought in WW1, and this was extremely influential in his shaping of Middle Earth. As an example, WW1 was fought not by heroes, but by civilians. This reflects the hobbits who are quite literally the “little people”, who then step up to fight a war that they had not asked to be a part of.
Black and grey portrait of Aragorn, featuring Gimli and Legolas. Done by Fong Vang at Inkarnate Tattoos in North Saint Paul, Mn.Terrifying portrait of Gollum and his precious. Done by Carles Bonafe.Terrifying and realistic portrait of a nazgul. Done by Iliya Astafiev Chelny city, Russia.Broken shards of Narsil. Done by Lauren Gibler done in Canton OH.Graphic black and grey sleeve featuring Gandalf fighting the balrog on the bridge of Kazan Dum. Done by Róbert A Borbás done at Rooklet Ink, Hungary.
The films were directed by Peter Jackson, starting with The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. They were filmed back to back on location in New Zealand, making for fantastic landscapes and scenery.
Hyper realistic colour portraits of Sam, Frodo, and the ring. Done by Alex Rattray at Empire Ink in Edinburgh.A very green ent done by Cody Young at Emerald Tattoo.Black and grey Gandalf amidst a geometric background done by Izhar Rott Owner of Manifacto Amsterdam Tattoos.Blackwork Barad Dur (dark tower) done by Lauren Melina done in Perth, Australia.There and back again, inspiration taken from The Hobbit book cover. Done by Samantha at I love Mom Tattoo Studio in Dovercourt Village, Toronto.
Some of the most popular characters include Gandalf, Frodo, Gimli, Legolas, Gollum (Smeagol), Sam, Aragorn, Elrond, Saruman, Witch king, and Sauron. Fantastic creatures include the ents, the balrog, and the nazgul. Popular items include the swords sting, and the shards of Narsil, as well as the Witch King’s flail, and quaint hobbit holes. Of course we also can’t forget the ring itself, which makes a stellar tattoo, especially when paired with a portrait.
Sting and flowers done by Alexandra Skarsgård in London.Black and grey Gandalf portrait done by Dan Mawdsley at Pop Culture Tattoos in Melbourne, Australia.Linework version of an ent. Done by Jerome Chapman.Hyper realistic Gollum done by Maksims Zotovs.Hyper realistic matching portraits of Saruman (and the eye of Sauron) and Gandalf. Done by Tony Sklepic done in Edmonton, Alberta.
Lord of the Rings tattoos are often done in a photo realistic or hyper realistic style, as well as black and grey, dotwork, linework, American traditional, and neo traditional.
Black and grey Legolas done by Khail Tattooer at Young bloods Tattoo in Perth, Australia.Witch King hand and Morgul blade done by Dave Swambo at Stronghold Tattoo in Cardiff, Wales.Bright and bold hobbit hole done by Jess White in Sacramento, CA.Gorgeous portrait of Frodo and the ring done by Nick Imms at the Church Tattoo.American traditional Witch King and flail. Done by Travis Stanley at Ink City Tattoo in Bonney Lake, WA Capitol City.
Gakkin is a (mainly) blackwork and freehand artist working out of Amsterdam after first working in Kyoto.
Blackwork raven across the back of the neck.Large octopus sleeve and chest piece.Bodysuit featuring birds, flowers, wind, and clouds.Huge snake torso piece.
His pieces are all large scale. Full sleeves, large torso pieces, back pieces, and bodysuits.
Gruesome namakubi (severed head), with hair that flows into an almost cloudlike state.Massive crane back piece with clouds, waves, and koi.Negative space stomach hannya as part of a full bodysuit of mainly solid black.Red flowers on heavy black leg sleeve, with white spider web.
He collaborates often now with another Japanese blackwork artist, Nissaco. The two work well together, and their pieces flow seamlessly into each other.
Bright flowers within a dark backdrop.Chrysanthemum with Japanese noh mask.Back of a bodysuit featuring negative space geometric designs.Beautiful blackwork moon and cloud back piece.
His work is largely inspired by nature. Everything from wind, water, flowers, mountains, the sun, and the moon, and animals.
Large brushstroke style.Geometric, blackwork sleeve.Large chrysanthemum as part of a sleeve.
Gakkin also takes direct inspiration from ancient Japanese painters, adding his own interpretations.
Waves and wind in these nature sleeves.Part of a bodysuit featuring wind and waves.Bright red flowers on heavy black.
Though he mainly works with black, he does also add splashes of red to draw the eye. In an interview with Tattoo Life, he said about working with black “I believe that black is the most important color in tattooing. Every ancient tattooing culture – Maori, Japanese, and Polynesian – considers it as such. It just works better than any other color on the skin.” (www.tattoolife.com)
kuchisake-onna ghost, from stories dating back to the Edo period.Tsuchigumo, the Japanese spider demon.Collaboration piece done with Nissaco at the London tattoo convention 2017.
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