My name is Mark Storm. I'm a graphic / tattoo designer, specialized in Kirituhi and other tribal tatoo designs.
Kiri tuhi is the name for Maori-inspired tattoos that feature Maori motifs but don't have real cultural meaning. Kirituhi literally means "skin art" and is used to differentiate between Maori-style tattoos and Moko
The tattoo designs I create have NO meanings, symbolism or any kind of story. It's my personal graphic expression of designs, inspired by different tribal tatoo styles and is not related to the original "ta moko" or "maori" culture.
On this blog I will show my tattoo sketches and try to explain some of my drawing techniques in small tutorials. So lots of tattoo stuff and I hope you enjoy reading it!
I started on a new design last week, a tribal koifish tattoo mixed with Polynesian/Maoristyle koru shapes.
Here are some pictures to show you the design process. The first photo shows the sketch I did with a pen, just a rough design to see how I could make the koifish and koru patterns flow together:
Below you see the original pencil sketch I designed. The koru shapes are nicely flowing with the koi fish and other surrounding tribal patterns.
Once I finished the pencil drawing of the japanese koifish, the design was traced with black markers.
I recorded the full proces of tracing, shading and coloring and made a Youtube video, so you can see how it was done:
Finally I did some digital mockups, so you can see how the tattoo looks on different bodyparts:
You can order the high resolution design on my website: http://bit.ly/koifishtattoo
I've done a few other projects lately and wanted to show you some.
While looking for a case for my Iphone 4s I stumbled on a Dutch company that prints Iphone cases in 3d.
They had used one of my Maori tattoo designs for one of their mobile phone cases, so I asked if we could work together on a few more Apple and maybe even Samsung cases.
A week later I created 4 designs in Maori style, just like the tattoos I normally do.
Here's the first model I came up with:
Once the final design was approved, I sent the high resolution file to Polychemy.com so they could transform the 2d sketch into a 3d model that would fit on an Iphone:
These cases are printed with a 3d printer in 4 different colors, white, black, red and purple.
Here's the final Iphone model in Maori inspired tattoo style and a video on how it was done:
I get a lot of requests on designing a armband tattoos inspired by the Cesc Fabregas tattoo (which I did a while ago), so I decided to create a few nice Polynesian armbands with a mix of Maori style.
In my previous post you can see my first armband/elbow design, which is the first of a series of 3 or 4 tattoos.
Here's the second tatoo sketch:
Polynesian armband design inspired by the Fabregas elbow tattoo
In the centre of the design you see one half of a tribal mask, with some koru Maori curles. I really like to mix different tribal elements and patterns into one aesthetic tattoo.
My designs don't have specific meanings or stories, it's only a graphic representation, inspired by the beautiful Maori, Samoan and Polynesian shapes.
Once I finished my pencil sketch, I trace it with a black felt-tip marker and a Pilot fineliner.
Below you can see a picture of the traced drawing:
Traced the Polynesian armband tattoo with black marker
After it is scanned in high quality (300 dpi), I optimize it in Photoshop and create a linedrawing so your tattoo artist can use it to transfer the tatoos onto your shoulder/arm.
The design is seamless, which means that it totally surrounds your arm and has no beginning or ending.
To make this visible for you, I created a cylindrical model in Google Sketchup:
Because not all arms are perfectly round, your tattoo artist might need to tweak/adjust the design for you, so it makes a perfect fit.
If you wish to order the high resolution design, simply hit the "Buy now" button.
After payment, I'll send you the high resolution design + a linedrawing for your tattoo artist.
I get a lot of requests on the Cesc Fabregas tattoo I created a while ago, so I decided to create a few new pieces that are inspired by his elbow design.
The armband tattoos have different circumferences and can also be used as legbands.
Here's the first sketch of the first armband tattoo that has a lot of Polynesian elements and Maori koru patterns:
pencil sketch Polynesian armband design
First I sketched the koru curles with a basic b2 pencil and added some rows of Polynesian symbols that you see in the foreground.
There's a tribal polynesian mask in the centre of the piece and also at the sides two half faces are drawn. Once it's totally around the arm, these sides will make one full tribal mask.
The lines of the different shapes were traced, this time with a fineliner, so I could make it really detailed and rich. After erasing the pencil and filling the outlines with a black marker the design looks like this:
traced Polynesian band tattoo
After scanning the drawing, I digitally edited the image and optimized the design.
It's a seamless tattoo, this means that there is no end or beginning of the tattoo, it totally surrounds your arm or leg.
To make this clear to my customers I decided to make a video in Google Sketchup:
The original high resolution design is available for purchase right here.
If you wish to order it, simply hit the "buy now" button and you can pay with Paypal or creditcard.
Once I receive your payment, I'll send you the high resolution tattoo and stencil in .jpg files by e-mail.
I'm back again, with another half sleeve tattoo design in Samoan inspired style.
On Facebook I've had a lot of compliments and comments on my previous design, so I decided to create a series of these drawings in the same style.
Well here's a picture of the first basic lines I drew:
Pencil sketch of a Samoan tribal sleeve tattoo
I start with a circular shape at the top that follows the upper part of the shoulder and then drew a few tapering lines to add some motion. The spearheads are a common pattern in the Samoan style, symbolizing strength and power. There are many kinds of spear- or arrowheads, so I usually combine different ones in one design to keep it as intricate as possible.
Mostly I try to draw a few layers on top of eachother, running above- or through other patterns.
This gives a sense of depth and it makes the design flow.
Here's a second sketch, you can see I traced parts of the drawing with a black marker and fineliner:
Traced a few patterns of the Samoan tatoo
Normally I first draw the full design with a pencil and then start tracing it, but sometimes I get a little impatient and cannot wait to see how it turns out :)
This photo shows the upper part almost traced and finished:
Upper part of the Samoan tribal tattoo
After a lot of sketching, erasing, and redoing the lines, I finally finished this flash design and took some photos with my Canon EOS 400D:
Another picture shows a digital mock-up of a shoulder with the sleeve projected on it. It's not a 100% accurate, but gives you an idea on how it will look once it's tattooed:
I made a Youtube video of the total design process, so you can see a kind of time-lapse on how the design evolves. Please subscribe to my channel if you want to see my latest videos:
And last but not least, you can order this high resolution flash design right here!
