UnkeyMonkey -the art, music, and thoughts of Michael DeMatty

My friend Ruben, impressed with what i had done on my leg, decided to put his back in my hands. A back piece is not a decision made lightly, but he knew exactly what he wanted. As a show of Mexican pride, he decided he wanted the center part of the Aztec calendar. We decided to proceed in such a way that it could be added to in stages, to eventually become the whole Aztec calendar, or at least most of it. Since the design is so finely detailed, we did 2 sessions so far, one for the outline, and one for the shading. The shading took 4 hours. I made 2 purchases in the process; a new light so i can see what i’m doing, and a new bottle of black ink. The light is a compact fluorescent daylight floor lamp from Homo Depot for $60, from Hampton Bay company, made especially for artists, crafters, or reading. It’s the same light the pros use. It’s incredible! The ink is Intenze brand.

Probably the longest part of doing the outline was finding the center of his back and placing the stencil. The red mark you see in the first photo is marker, not blood.

Outline.

My new tattooing light.

Shading begins.

Done for now. I’ll refine the shading next time.

Interesting facts: The actual Aztec Calendar, or “Sun Stone,” is 12 feet tall and was carved in 1479, (pre Columbus.) It is housed in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. I can’t wait to see it someday.

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