One Piece Tattoos
Orlando Tattoo Artist Makes Ink fit for a pirate king
Artist Note:
One Piece is a much more recent love of mine - like many, I was intimidated by the number of episodes. But when I did finally start watching - I was immediately hooked, and then I totally understood the hype and why it has such a massive following. One Piece has a sort of whimsy that stays cute amidst exploding into insanity and destruction, all while using the power of friendship. When it comes to One Piece Tattoos, what I especially love is how personal the client's character choice is. I love to really focus in on the meaning behind that choice - freedom, loyalty, ambition - and translate it into a really cool tattoo for that client to wear proudly. I want my One Piece tattoos to feel intentional and true to the story and the character's lore.
-Ren
About the Artist:
Ren is an Orlando, Florida anime tattoo artist specializing in large-scale custom colorwork, dynamic character tattoos, and multi-session projects. Based at XsadfamX in Orlando, Ren brings her own love for anime to every One Piece tattoo. Ink Collectors from across the USA and abroad seek her out for her specific style, and Florida locals frequently book with her to continue ongoing projects.
Follow Ren's social media accounts to see more recent works - check them out!
When you're ready to book a custom and dynamic idea, visit the booking form to get started!
Tattooing a Custom Luffy: Why Original Designs Matter to a Pirate King
How many times have you seen the same exact Luffy tattoo? It could be a screenshot, a manga panel, a grab from Oda's original illustrations - whatever - but what makes those tattoos special? Nothing but the branding. Reference-traced tattoos can be beautifully executed, but I am personally drawn to creating custom compositions with a distinct point of view - designs that feel built for the client, the placement, and story behind the character. Sure copy-paste can be done very well with crisp linework and solid color, but now you're part of the 'Luffy stretching his ween' club instead of the, 'holy shit, is that tattoo real?' club
The artist should be applying their expertise to the skin beyond the basic foundations of tattooing - that's what makes an artist: the vision. Or rather, in the case of One Piece: the dream. This is what sets a tattoo artist apart from a tattooer. And don't get me wrong - there are artists that use screenshots or manga panels and turn them into something entirely unique just because they have such a powerful style! But that's the point - they stand out so much you don't recognize that's a screenshot of a scene because the artist can make it into something unique. That still takes knowledge and skill.
As for myself - I can't help but draw everything from scratch. It's how I've always functioned. I can't expedite my process by mish-mashing photos, panels, and frames to Frankenstein a new tattoo. I have to sketch it out, flesh it out, and render it. It's what works for me and my process. It keeps the design fresh in mind, and then later during the tattoo session, it's fresh in my hand because of all the sketching and composing I did for it. Artists each have their own process - you just have to decide which artist best suits your wants! With me, you get a Ren Behan original - a one-of-one, and even if someone online tried to copy, steal, or replicate it, you're still the only person who can claim that original design as yours.
What Goes into Composing a Luffy Tattoo or Zoro Tattoo?
It always starts with the client's tattoo inquiry. What drives them to choose a character? Is it Luffy's astounding battle against Kaido? Or was it Zoro's commitment to his craft, the three-sword style? This is the start - the client's want. Within that want, is a vision! They can simply tell me what form they want of Luffy, or go deeper and explain what moment Luffy gave them chills, tears, or joy. This is the essence I want to bring into the composition - this will create the mood of the whole piece.
This Luffy tattoo is a great example of the client's inspiration and how I put mood into the design. While some may criticize that Luffy should be wearing his straw hat, others may find their vision's blurred (who has the onions!?) It's not canonical, but it has meaning. This client requested we replace Luffy's straw hat with Ace's hat. Here is where a custom One Piece tattoo can be more meaningful.
There were two reasons for this decision:
This is a forearm tattoo, and in my style, I generally limit a forearm composition to two characters - one character on each side. Each side of the forearm can take one to one-and-a-half full-day sessions to complete depending on the design and other factors. I always recommend going big; the tattoo will stand up against the test of time much better than forcing too much into such a tight space. With the other side of the forearm being planned for another character, Ace wasn't going to fit.
This is a family tattoo. The side opposite to Luffy is Garp - a character representing the client's grandfather. However, he still wanted to also represent his own brother within the forearm sleeve as a whole, and so Ace's hat was placed atop Luffy's head.
While designing Luffy in Ace's hat, I focused on that cocky smile that he shared with Ace - displaying the confidence that he was going to 'gomu gomu no' someone into next Tuesday. The result was a dynamic, and colorfully striking custom Luffy tattoo that my client can take with him everywhere.
The same can be said for the Garp tattoo! My client's grandfather represented an integral part of his and his brother's lives - and ultimately, he was the first side we completed of this forearm sleeve.
The most challenging - but truly rewarding - part of Garp's design was finding a way to fit Garp's body mass and his Galaxy Impact attack into a forearm space. Forearms can be incredibly tricky when it comes to dynamic custom anime tattoos - you can barely fit more than a face and hand. So making Garp both dynamic and striking from a distance took patience and an understanding for foreshortening. Out of the many One Piece tattoos I've had the honor of doing, this One Piece forearm sleeve is still among my favorites.
Of course, while the application of the fresh tattoo is always important, it's not nearly as important as how the tattoo heals.
Check out my healed tattoos portfolio to see more great heals!
One Piece and Pokémon Tattoos - Custom Anime Mashup Designs
My first One Piece x Pokemon Tattoo was a precious Smolive and Franky Tattoo. I hadn't ever combined the two shows before, but somehow the combo just makes sense! The original styles of each just blend and work too well together - pair that with my own style and you get a really fun anime mashup tattoo!
This piece is on top of a thigh, and the client requested that we finish in one session since he was traveling (typically, thighs need anywhere between two to four sessions to fill the space). Though it's not nearly as big as I typically go for the space, we were able to complete it in one 8 hour session. It's simpler in composition, but nonetheless dynamic. Similar to the Luffy and Garp tattoos, this piece is a family piece representing a father and a daughter.
This Franky design had the same challenge that Garp gave me - how do we fit such a massive character in a small-medium portrait anime tattoo? Especially since the client wanted to get part of Franky's shoulder included. That's where that understanding of foreshortening and perspective plays an important role in the design process.
My favorite thing about this piece outside of the pure joy exuding from the mood of the design, is the hearts - these were designed directly from the client's daughter's drawings.
A few months later, my client sent me the healed result!
This is another reason why I prefer working full custom and from scratch. Doing so allows me to custom design both the One Piece characters and Pokémon into a cohesive tattoo where the styles blend seamlessly. Creating the illusion that they were part of the same series is another way I can take inspiration from the style of both shows but apply them in my own.
Of course, another way to do this is to characterize the Pokémon! And this concept worked best for a Bartolomeo cuddling a Luffy Aipom tattoo. My client brought me this idea, and I couldn't believe how much sense it made! Who wouldn't be surprised at Bartolomeo having a pushie of Luffy? And to make it an Aipom brings a whole new level of fanatic cuteness.
Unlike the forearm, the upper arm has much more space to play with composition. In this piece, we were able to fit another character into the design and achieve more detail. The depth of the shadows and illumination of the crisp lighting brings the eye directly to their happy faces. Throw in some reflective blue barriers to frame all that color and you have an upper arm piece that screams "I'm the straw hat's biggest fan" from across the room.
Upper arms can take 2.5-3 all-day sessions to complete. In the photo above, we completed the linework in the first session, colored Bartolomeo in the second, and finished the Luffy Aipom and elbow in the last session. So in this photo, the linework and Bartolomeo are fully healed, and the color on Luffy and the elbow is fresh.
Oh! And below them is a fully healed Sanji tattoo on the forearm! You can check out the fresh photo above in the portfolio. With this piece, we chose Sanji's Ifrit Jambe - using the blue flames and tones to create intensity in the shadows. My favorite part was blending the tones of the yellow shadows in his hair into the blue flares without turning it green - and of course his face, cause what a serious expression!
Anime tattoo sleeves can be an excellent way to commit to your favorite fandom.
One Piece Filler Tattoos: Custom Zoro Tattoo for an Awkward Space
We've talked about tattooing One Piece characters on spaces like the forearm or upper arm, but what about more awkward spaces, or nooks and crannies near other tattoos? What about doing something that is essentially a filler piece?
Let me introduce you to King of Hell, Zoro! This client is a fellow tattoo artist, and she had a space left on her shin that needed filling - and who better than the Pirate Hunter to do the job. She beasted the whole session on that shin, and the result is this remarkably colorful and epic Zoro tattoo.
The best thing about this Zoro tattoo is the movement and colorwork! I really wanted to capture the intensity of his attack against King in this piece, and use the flowing aura and sweeping linework to imitate his fast-paced attack. The surrounding tattoos don't diminish its impact, and the tattoo above it will blend more seamlessly during our future session when I rework it. This tattoo is a great example of utilizing movement to steal attention.
Book a One Piece Tattoo with Me!
Ready to make that Jinbe or Doflamingo tattoo happen? Bring it my way - together we will brainstorm an idea that will be worth bragging about and cherishing for the years to come. One Piece tattoos are timeless - the impact this series has had on fans is immortal, making it the perfect anime tattoo to display a Straw Hat fan's love and support. Visit my booking form so we can connect and make art together!
One Piece Tattoos FAQ
Can you design a full One Piece sleeve? What is the process?
The first step in the process is to reach out and brainstorm! Together, we will discuss your vision for your One Piece sleeve and come up with the best layout to display your favorite characters. Sleeves are multi-session large projects that are completed over time. In some cases, people opt to do back-to-back sessions to knock out as much as possible. However, for the body to have the best healing experience, I always recommend spacing sessions out by 1-2 months at a time. These large projects can take between 6-8 sessions to complete.
Ultimately, I specialize in what is essentially large-scale storytelling. It's the illustrator in me! Whether you want a Straw Hat, Marine, or even an Emperor or Warlord - I design the composition as a cohesive flow that follows the natural movement of your arm or leg (or even a backpiece!). I more often than not have a general full concept in my head for the entire piece and I design a section at a time as we go. However, for some projects, I'll design the whole sleeve before we begin.
How much does a One Piece Tattoo cost?
Because I design every tattoo from scratch and fully custom for you, the number of sessions we need will vary depending on a number of factors: placement and its proportions, your pain tolerance, the complexity of the design, and the style. I work in all-day and half-day flat rates, and because of my 8+ years of experience tattooing, I have a pretty solid idea of how much time a tattoo will take me. For a quote, please fill out the booking form with your idea, character choice, and placement - we'll discuss a game plan, and when you're ready, lock in!
Do I need to provide the exact reference or manga panel?
Not necessarily. But you are welcomed to send them my way to help me better understand your vision! However, please keep in mind I never directly copy references - I only use them to solidify my own understanding of what you may be seeking. The reference provides the mood or direction, then I sketch and render a completely unique vision for the piece! This ensures your One Piece tattoo is that one-of-a-kind art you won't see on everybody else.
Does a full color tattoo hold up over time?
You betcha! My job is to apply it efficiently, and your job is to take charge of the aftercare and the long-term skin care. This ensures it will last a lifetime. Consistent aftercare and long-term skin care help color tattoos look their best. Healing properly, avoiding unnecessary picking or friction, and protecting tattoos from frequent sun exposure can all help preserve clarity and vibrancy over long periods of time.
For my part to play - my process focuses on the foundations of fine art and tattooing, which means using strong contrasts against saturated color that is built for long-term clarity and vibrancy. You can check out my healed anime tattoos section to see how my colorwork ages and settles into the skin.
How can I travel to Orlando, Florida for a One Piece tattoo?
I frequently work with clients who travel from across Florida, the US, and even from abroad to get custom anime tattoos. Since many of my projects are large-scale, we can discuss scheduling and timelines, and consider back-to-back sessions if you are traveling from afar so we can maximize your trip out as much as possible.
For travel logistics and advice, check out my Orlando Tattoo Travel Guide - I had a handful of my frequent traveler clients help me build it specifically for when they come out to see me at xsadfamx!
How far in advance should I book?
My books generally fill up for 6-10 months at a time. I announce booking periods for when I'm accepting inquiries to lock in for later in the same year or into the next year depending on timing. You can check my booking form page for details, and when you're ready, reach out so we can make art together!
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