alright, so i looked them up. they are all amazing artists!

mike devries stuff is SO detailed, probably even more so than i want for my tattoo. 😉 he’s very talented. and i love cecil porter’s use of color! i have a friend who paints that way. puts color in unexpected places, and it works so well. joshua carlton’s way of inking light into a portrait is amazing!

i saw nickko hurtado’s site but can’t find where he is located – do you know?

EDIT: i think though, that even though these are very good and realistic, i don’t want them to be so comic book arty. if that makes sense.

there is a style i’m interested in. it’s where there is not much, if any outline. it’s realistic, but soft, and not too detailed. here is an example. does anyone know someone who tattoos in that style?

gsouder ~ well, the main tatoo i will be getting is of a lion. it will be black and grey. i really like realism, but not so detailed as the artists mentioned above. they are very talented, but because they are SO detailed, it seems almost a little less realistic to me, if that makes sense. i like some elements to be detailed, but the overall feel to look soft. don’t pay attention to the colors, but here are some more examples of the type of style i’m looking for:

i don’t think the above is even an actual tattoo, but still..

escapee – oh, i definitely won’t settle, i have been planning/deciding on my tatoos for over 5 years, and still haven’t settled! i may just have to stop being so particular and go get some flash at random. just kidding. 😉

thanks yodaddy..i think tom renshaw is the most talented out of the suggestions so far.

anyone else have ideas? i’m still looking for someone with that particular style.

this forum has been really helpful. searching google just for “tattoo artists”, wasn’t helping me much.

thanks!

painterly. thanks rockysmom. that narrows it down further. i wonder if i should make a new thread then?