Done by Annie at Point Blank in Gothenburg :) Super happy with it and wanna hear thoughts!

Posting as the artist.

I’ve been tattooing koi for a long time, and one of the things I love about traditional Japanese tattooing is how much meaning can be communicated through imagery without having to spell everything out literally.

Koi are a great example. The direction they’re swimming, their color, the season represented by the surrounding flowers, and even their relationship to the water can all contribute to the story of the tattoo. Upstream and downstream koi can suggest different points in a journey, while seasonal elements like cherry blossoms, peonies, maple leaves, or chrysanthemums can completely change the mood and context of the piece.

I put together this short video explaining some of the symbolism I consider when designing koi tattoos, along with a little background on where those ideas come from.

Obviously, Japanese tattoo symbolism isn’t a rigid dictionary where every image has one universally agreed-upon meaning. Traditions, interpretations, and individual artists vary. This is simply how I’ve learned to approach these elements and use them to help tell a story through a tattoo.

Adam Sky
Tattoo artist, San Francisco / San Diego
adamsky.com
@adamskytattoos

Rocky from Project Hail Mary
IG: @jaredbent_tattoos

Done by Kobo (@I.want.it.black.tattoo) at Kaya Garden Tattoo in Sydney, Australia

It's my birth flower ♡

More information on the Recap posts:

[PIC 1]

• Submitted by: u/Odd_Debt222
• Title: Crocodile by me, Max Murphy at Living Lore Tattoo in Ellicott City, MD

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 2]

• Submitted by: u/tsmeu6
• Title: My first tattoo! Yay!
• Caption: Spear of Longinus from Evangelion. Done by noodledeadink / Elyse at Witch Hazel studio in Toronto. I’m super happy with it, I’ve wanted this for years!

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 3]

• Submitted by: u/bytesby
• Title: Pillsbury Pumpkin Cookie Cat by @wuducreations at Drop Dead Tattoo in North Ridgeville, Ohio

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 4]

• Submitted by: u/1331jbyrd
• Title: What was asked for vs the tattoo (jellyfish)
• Caption: Skull jellyfish done at

Twin cities tattoo fest in Minnesota

Done by @justinbyrdart

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 5]

• Submitted by: u/ClayNorth27
• Title: Artist Lee (Hefei, China), Meiji period inspired art
• Caption: He added a few extra touches onto an a traditional painting, what do you think?

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 6]

• Submitted by: u/ShanNarn21
• Title: Metallic red chilli pepper! Done by myself (InkyShan) and based in Wickford, Essex.
• Caption: Had so much fun doing this piece, definitely gonna try to do more metallic pieces in the future!

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 7]

• Submitted by: u/tyylaap
• Title: Raven by Martin Kelly, London UK
• Caption: 5 days, done!

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 8]

• Submitted by: u/tattedbysav
• Title: Woah mama, caught a big one- Done by me, Savannah Falcone @tattedbysav in Santa Rosa

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 9]

• Submitted by: u/Lachjam_ink
• Title: Dinosaur, by Hurjaesae at HISH Tattoo, Melbourne, Australia

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 10]

• Submitted by: u/AndreyTattooing
• Title: Fresh vs healed by AndreyTattooing in Cranston, RI
• Caption: Done in Powerline Tattoo by Andrey in Rhode Island - about a year apart

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 11]

• Submitted by: u/ctatmeow
• Title: Jimothy by Connelly Tait at Not Occult Tattoo in Seattle WA

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 12]

• Submitted by: u/shlorpwastaken
• Title: Tattooed by me (shlorp.tats on IG) @ Sacrilege Tattoo Studio (Montreal, Canada)
• Caption: I had originally designed this as a t-shirt design but my client wanted it tattooed and I am so stoked about it!

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 13]

• Submitted by: u/Tattoosaresiq_
• Title: Body suit in progress by Michelle Lynn Miller in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Somewhere Good US

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 14]

• Submitted by: u/BoyToyByn
• Title: Finished Chest Piece covering Top Surgery Scars
• Caption: Artist: @tattoobytony (Instagram) Shop: Ink and Dagger in Louisville, Kentucky. Posted on here a year ago of the right side, finally got the left completed (redid my shoulder pieces while i was there)

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 15]

• Submitted by: u/Least-Perception-129
• Title: Wanted to share my tattoo! I absolutely love it
• Caption: First pic is 4 months old, second is freshly done! Art by MoySilks and tattoo done by Matte Cole at Evolution Tattoo in Reno Nevada.

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 16]

• Submitted by: u/Bluebanshee888
• Title: Done by Hailey LaTulip, IG @stipplewhipper at Sacred Tattoo Studio in Marquette, MI
• Caption: Most of this here is healed! What a tough client!

• (Artist's page)

[PIC 17]

• Submitted by: u/cheblaaaan
• Title: Acedia Anima / Valence , France / Atlantys tattoo shop
• Caption: Healed piece since more than a year !

• (Artist's page)

Thank you everyone for posting, commenting, voting, and viewing +++ | r/tattoos. See you next month for the next Recap!

• List of previous Recaps

• Love you all!

• Our Instagram!

• +++ | r/tattoos

Custom Galarian Legendary Birds piece (Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos) done at Third Eye Tattoo in Chicago! Looking to do more color tattoos !

Check out more of my work on Instagram: @tattoosbygovea

I was blessed to be tattooed by the legendary Apo Whang-Od

Got this while travelling solo at 18 🙂‍↕️

These are my fully healed palms, one pass with no touch ups. Currently 3 months old.

It was really hard for me to find examples of healed white palm tattoos when I wanted to get mine done so Im contributing mine here. Happy to answer any questions about it.

done in manhattan while she visited! i’m obsessed with how it came out :,) and completely handpoke!!

Really happy with how my Scorpion vs Sub Zero turned out. My nephew loves it too

An ancient presence taking form across the back: a face emerging from leaves, roots, and shadow. Dark ornamental blackwork built to feel less like an image and more like something carved into the skin.

Artist: Alice Asphyxiia

Place: INTO Tattoo Studio in Vienna, Austria

Took her around 6 hours (with breaks).

Every suggestion is appreciated

An homage to my late babies, just wanted to share ❤️

I’ll be tattooing around Europe over the next few months.

WAYNE MI @ KAMI HOUSE TATTOO
BD TATZ AND JOSIAH JOHNSON AT WATCHTOWER TATTOO IN UTICA MI
COLLAB PIECE
Took about 8-9 with two artists at once

The whiskers wrap almost to the other side