
Please join me as I extend a metaphor.
I approach inkblogging as if I were one of those guys that goes out on the beach with a metal detector.
You find a lot of interesting stuff and, every once in a while, you find treasure.
Earlier this month, I saw a man in front of Madison Square Garden walking south. I was headed in the opposite direction and, despite my general reluctance to post sleeves here (I wonder if I can even do them justice), I stopped and asked him to show me the amazing work on his right arm.
I should also preface this by acknowledging how awesome it is to randomly find work by a tattoo artist who is at the top of his game, and is a recognized talent in the tattoo community.
Benjamin, the guy I stopped, was visiting New York from Denmark to see his artist,
Tim Kern at
Tribulation Tattoo. He was in town to begin work on a new sleeve. Benjamin happily shared his first sleeve:

Benjamin summarized the theme of his arm by stating that life is about choices. The two extrmes are, you can take a life, as represented by the Viking warrior at the top of the shoulder:

This is juxtaposed by the geisha who is taking her own life through
ritual suicide:

The detail of the blood-spattered hand holding the
seppuku blade is fascinating in its stark grisliness:

The sleeve also includes stunning waterfall and pagoda elements on the inside of the arm:

I especially appreciate the beauty and shading of the pagoda:

The color and artistry of this entire sleeve are astonishing and we are honored that Benjamin consented to contributing this work to best-tatto-design.
We thank him and the artist Tim Kern for their work!