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TattooLOG

References, processes and ideas that guide my tattoo work. It’s a space to give context and clarity to the style and the thinking behind the designs.

 

The Last Airbender

A young hero named Aang on his journey to master all the elements and bring balance to a divided world. …and this his paraglider.

For anyone who hasn’t heard of it, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated series about a young hero named Aang who has to master all four elements to bring balance to the world. It’s a show about harmony and inner strength, and it really connects with a lot of people.

One of my frequent clients, Simon, brought this idea to me. We come from different generations, and to be honest, I hadn’t really known much about Avatar until he mentioned it. He’s trusted me with his tattoos for a while, and this time he wanted something inspired by the show.

But we took a fun twist on it. Instead of just going with the original design, I found this amazing Lego version of Aang and his glider that some kid had built. We used that Lego creation as inspiration, so the tattoo is really a tribute to that playful reinterpretation rather than a direct copy from the cartoon.

And here’s a little technical detail I wanted to share: for this piece, I started incorporating white ink into the composition. When you have a tattoo with a lot of tiny details and small empty spaces, over the years the surrounding ink can sort of spread and fill in those gaps. By adding white, I can create a subtle barrier that helps preserve those little details and keep the design crisp over time. Plus, the white adds a kind of shine that gives the tattoo a unique look.

In the end, this tattoo became a bridge between different generations and forms of creativity—from an animated series to a Lego model to ink on skin. And that’s what I love about this craft: it’s always full of surprises and new layers of meaning. Thanks to Simon for bringing me along for the ride.

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If you're curious to learn more about Avatar: The Last Airbender, here are a few handy links you can check out:

And if you want to explore the Lego side of things, here are a few fun finds:

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