I’ve been tattooing for over three decades.

The intensity of it, the sound of the tattoo machine, that first pierce of the needle — it’s almost addictive to me. The adrenaline. The shared vibrations of energy.

But still, I know there are always new ways to innovate the experience. To elevate the client-artist connection.

That’s what this week’s session was all about. Redefining the process. Strengthening that bond. Creating memories to share with the people closest to me.

I’m so humbled to have been a part of it. To have been trusted with such an extensive art piece by a client I consider a close friend and family: Allan Ribucan.

Four days. Two artists. One unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

After what feels like a lifetime of tattooing, this one was something transformative. One that will stick with me long after my hands stop being able to pick up a machine, when my eyes can’t make out the lines of a tattoo.

Thank you, Allan, for making this all happen.

Behind the Scenes: Adapting to Challenges as They Come

People who aren’t a part of the tattoo community don’t realize how almost spiritual the connection can be. How we become an extended family.

This trip was next level.

For this piece, we all flew in from either Maui or Honolulu to meet in Kauai — the sacred “garden island.”

We wanted to have time to not only work on the tattoo, but to take Allan hiking. Go fishing. To really explore the island together throughout the whole trip.

It didn’t quite end up that way.

Life has a way of interfering with your plans. Of reminding you who’s in charge.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. The universe has its way of making everything come together.

Even with all the chaos, it ended up going better than I could have imagined. We all just had to remind ourselves to roll with it. To work hard and trust the process.

When Art Meets Connection

It was so much easier to pour myself into something like this when it’s for someone I know and respect so deeply.

- Allan and I in 2012, back at the old Vegas studio.

Over the years, I’ve really gotten to know him. His life, his story, his goals. When you’re under the needle like that, it has a way of getting you to open up to someone. There’s this shared energy. This trust. It’s like you’re in sync — like the rhythm of the tattoo process flows from one person into the other.

But this time was different. Deeper. It was all of that and more.

It was me, my wife and daughters, Allan, and Christina, all in one shared space overlooking the ocean.

It was emotional for all of us. Having the chance to tattoo him, surrounded by family on a tropical island, knowing that this was a one-of-a-kind moment. Almost all of us wound up in tears at some point during the session and over the span of the trip. It was so meaningful.

With tattoos like this, they’re trusting you with more than just the art that will forever live on their body. They’re trusting you with a piece of their spirit.

It was such a rare experience, unlike anything I’ve ever done with a client before — but something I would love the opportunity to do again. It was such a blessing.

It’s crazy that something this impactful could happen to me so late in my career.

Allan pushed himself so hard to make this all happen. I couldn’t be more thankful.

He knows my time as an artist is limited. I’m getting older, moving in a different direction — especially once the academy opens up. He ended up working it out through financing, saying that it’s worth every penny, knowing he’ll carry the art and the experience with him forever.

The Making of Our Legacy

As a mentor, it’s so rewarding to share this experience with young artists. I know that for Christina, only 24, this will shape her perspective as she continues her journey.

Same for my daughter Reesa, getting to witness and be a part of this as she grows into an artist of her own. It’s so rare to see a piece of your legacy be built in real-time.

Sharing this with them has been such a gift.

Honoring His Hawaiian Heritage

The piece itself ended up being something I’m so proud to be a part of.

Originally, it was supposed to take 8 hours each day over the span of 4 days — about average for a full back tattoo like this.

With the way the timing panned out, we ended up making changes to the plan. We pulled an all-nighter to give us the chance to spend some quality time at the beach that we missed out on in the beginning of the trip.

On the last night of tattooing, we started at noon and didn’t stop until around 4:30 the next morning. A double shift.

Allan sat through it like a rock.

We wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without his strength. The whole process, Allan was a beast.

When we started, he told me he wanted to pay homage to Hawaii, but he trusted me with the design.

I thought to myself, ‘What better way to honor Maui, the island where he was born and raised, than through the legend of Maui the demigod?’

There are so many different ways I could have taken this design — I ended up with over 20 different options when I was brainstorming and sketching out my ideas.

Maui is such a big part of ancient Hawaiian culture; he has such a rich history and significance to the people.

He lassoed the sun to slow its journey across the sky, making the days longer, giving people the time they needed to gather food and develop their communities.

He used a fish hook to fish the Hawaiian islands up from the seafloor, creating the homeland that means so much to Allan. That means so much to me.

But what really stood out to me was this warrior scene — him fighting a supernatural giant eel. The image is a snapshot of the moment of victory, of Maui seizing life from the eel’s chest with his spear.

It symbolizes strength. Triumph. Power.

It captures him as the warrior he is — something I can confidently say Allan can relate to. After everything he’s endured over the course of the trip, after the challenges he’s overcome in his life, he inspires me with his strength, too.

I really wanted this piece to make an impact, to show him how thankful we are for this opportunity.

I wanted him to see that it meant every bit as much to me as it did to him. That he’s family — and at Skin Design, you go all out for family.

I spent hours working on this design, from days before we left until the day of — from that morning until around 4 am before we left.

Christina was able to finish off the outline and stencil process, staying back until around 6 am, so consumed by the details that she hardly had time left to catch her flight.

We filled the space at the bottom of the tattoo with more from the legend —filled it with images of the ocean, waterfalls, the jungle, warriors the eel had eaten before. Details from his own Hawaiian backyard.

He’d grown up hearing those stories, learning the myths from his local island. I’m so honored to help him deepen his connection to his culture.

And getting to learn more about him and strengthen our bond while doing what I love? It was such a surreal, powerful experience.

Sometimes I still can’t believe this is my life.

At the end of the session, Allan was in awe, thanking us for the whole thing.

But the truth is, we owe it all to him.

It’s clients like these that keep me so passionate about what I do. That keep me wanting to come back to the studio, that motivate me as an artist, a friend, and a mentor.

It’s because of clients like Allan.

SDT wouldn’t be who we are without you.

I can’t wait for more sessions like this — to bring more people into the Skin Design family.

Let’s make it happen: https://skindesigntattoos.com/tattoo-consultation/

Let’s gooooooo!