Some folks go ahead and call it an underboob tattoo. Like the mighty lower back tattoo, aptly nicknamed the tramp stamp, this tattoo has a nickname: The Chandelier. Way to class it up ladies! This little banger was done by Deuce a couple months ago.
If Will’s said it once, he’s said it a thousand times: If I could only ever do on type of tattoo for the rest of my life, it would be skulls. At Lighthouse Tattoo, we love a good head job (that’s what we call skull’s here, get yer mind outta tha gutter!) and we’re always game to tackle them. in fact, we did a little research and found out that a skull is the most likely kind of tattoo to be served as a walk-in (infinity symbols were least likely, go figure). This bad boy is super dark because it’s fresh and the client’s skin got pretty red, but once it’s healed it’s going to be a doozy!
If you like skull tattoos and need one in a pinch, Lighthouse Tattoo is the place for you! Open seven days a week from noon to 10pm, you can schedule an appointment by visiting the shop; filling out the form on this website RE: Set an Appointment; or calling at 615 784-4500 between the hours of noon and 10pm central time! We hope to hear from you soon!
It’s come to our attention over the last month that there has been an uptick in trash talk about us. One young lady went into another shop to purchase jewelry and upon finding out who did her piercing, was told that it was done wrong, that she would need to take it out; let it heal; an have it re-pierced by them, all for a fee. She came by to let us see it and nothing was wrong with the piercing (we have photos), they apparently just didn’t have the jewelry she wanted. After purchasing her jewelry and having it switched out, she left happy.
Another incident occurred when a woman, who had already paid for her tattoo in full (a couple of small tattoos actually) said ‘a friend’ of hers who works in a shop in Nashville told her she was being ‘price gouged’. First of all, how do you price gouge someone for a luxury item like a tattoo? Secondly, the two small tattoos took about an hour an twenty minutes to perform and cost $140, consistent with our $100 per hour rate on tattoos that don’t fall into our 5-hour ‘special’ category. She came into the shop asking why it was going to cost so much and almost found herself being asked to leave for her trouble.
Two things: Simply put, if you are quoted a price at a tattoo shop that is too high for your tastes, leave. You can always find someone cheaper and Lighthouse Tattoo is NOT in the business of price matching. Which brings us to our second point: While you can always find someone cheaper, BETTER is another story. Which explains all the trash talk.
You know why you never see Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, talking about how slow everyone else is? He doesn’t complain about the fit of his shoes; the weather; the propensity for cheating; he just runs faster that everyone else, smiles, and takes his gold medals home. You see, Usain Bolt doesn’t need to talk trash about his competition to make himself feel better, because he IS better, and he knows it. We feel the same way.
Now, please don’t get our confidence confused with cockiness. We have a good relationship with the artists at Bright Ideas, they do great work, and we don’t want people going in there saying that we’re talking about them, we’re not. Like I said, we consider those folks our friends, we like what they do. We also maintain a neutral position about that other shop in town, Tri-Star Tattoos. We also expect them to say that they’re the best, if you don’t honestly believe that, or aren’t working diligently to obtain that goal, you are definitely in the wrong line of work. We don’t know them, but we certainly don’t have a problem with them, and neither of these shops appear to be the ones who are trash talking. So good on them, y’all are invited to our Halloween party on the 16th BTW!
The next time you go into a shop and they start saying bad things about their competition, ask them to show you what they’re talking about, and not just more trash talk, ask to see photos of the work they’ve done. We’re going to bet another shop won’t be willing to show you our work, because they know you’ll leave and come here. That’s the facts.
Besides, who wants to be around all that negativity in the first place?
If you want the best tattoos Lebanon and Middle Tennessee have to offer, at a fair price, with excellent customer service, a fun, clean atmosphere, and none of the BS that is so rife in this industry, you definitely want to put Lighthouse Tattoo on your list of places to visit.
This brightly-bedazzled wall-crawler was freshly inked on our very own Matt Steele by our very own Will Wood (yes, Will still does color, contrary to popular belief!)
Comics collectors and aficionados the world over have loved Spider-Man for decades. One of the biggest properties in the Marvel Universe, Mr. Parker’s mantra of ‘With great power comes great responsibilities’ rings true with so many of his fans. His human vulnerability (he can’t fly and he isn’t bulletproof); his motivation (the death of his beloved Uncle Ben); his loving support system (Aunt May and MJ, sometimes Flash, sometimes J. Jonah Jameson); and his awesome rogues gallery of villains (including Venom; Doctor Octopus; The Lizard; Mysterio; Morbius; Electro; and sometimes J. Jonah Jameson) serve as a compelling serial storyline that has lasted for, yes, decades.
So, if you or a friend love comics like we do, swing by Lighthouse Tattoo for you next Spectacular tattoo! Excelsior!
Here’s the healed result of a single session with Will: A perfectly healed, realistic human eye on a bicep! This baby is so large it absolutely screams at you from across the room. This is the first session of a sleeve that includes a couple of cover-ups, proof that there’s hope yet for many of those who carry work they aren’t (or are no longer) happy with!
Lighthouse Tattoo will be hosting our annual Halloween party tonight. As such, we will be closing at 5pm. For our partygoers, the parking lot will also be closed, please park across the street. We’ve found it’s much more convenient and safer than trying to cram into the lot first. We will also have burn barrels in the parking lot to warm up our smokers and we will not be held liable for any damages to vehicles that are parked in the lot because some knucklehead can’t follow simple instructions. Thank you.
Will has tattooed three generations of Donnellys now. Marty, Shane, and now Ryan. They’re all fiercely proud of their Native American Heritage, with Marty going so far as to get an indigenous people’s Mount Rushmore backpiece. Will met Marty and Shane during the second year of his 17 year career, so that would have made Ryan about 10 years old. Man, time flies.
As we gear up for the fall and all things pumpkin spice (you can say you hate it all you want, we do not agree!) We thought it appropriate to post a little bit of spring in the form of this traditional American-style hummingbird tattoo by Matt Steele. Matt’s work has blossomed strongly over the last year under the tutelage of his (in)famous mentor, our very own Will Wood. Will has long been regarded as one of the very best tattoo artists in middle Tennessee, if not the entire South Eastern United States, and that assertion is further reinforced in the work of the apprentices he has brought to bear, like young Matt here. We expect big things from Matt and we strongly recommend getting an appointment with him soon, before his books are too full!
Mama Voorhees’ little boy has been the king of hack and slash killer flicks for longer than a good number of those reading this have been alive. Things to learn from the Friday the 13th series of films: Don’t smoke weed in the woods while having premarital sex with your fellow camp counselor; running from your fears won’t save you, you’ll just die tired; and if a 7-foot-tall mute in a hockey mask is headed your way, you better be right with your higher power!
So this October 16th we’re celebrating all things fright with a soiree all our own. Lighthouse Tattoo is having a Halloween party and all the camp counselors will be here! We’re trying to avoid getting Covid though, so please get vaccinated, where a mask, or otherwise use discretion with regard to the company you keep from now until then!
Saturday, October 16th, 8pm, at Lighthouse Tattoo. Park across the street.
We really weren’t sure whether or not to reprise our famous Halloween party this year, so we put the question to a vote and due entirely to popular demand, Lighthouse Tattoo will be hosting our annual Halloween Party on Saturday, October 16th, starting at 8pm.
The flier we put on Facebook says you have to be vaccinated, but you don’t, we just ask that you use some common sense. We hear Halloween masks are a great Covid blocker!
Come on down, dress up, bring a friend, everyone’s invited! We ask that you park across the street from the shop, as our parking lot is woefully inadequate for such an event. See you all soon!
Blackwork tattoo is identifiable through it’s strong lines and high contrast black shading, as opposed to realism, with its lack of lines and smoother transition through more values. If you like the powerful imagery and stark contrast of these durable images, blackwork is the way to go for you! It’s certainly become one of the fastest growing trends in tattoo over the last couple of years, and Matt Steele is the go-to guy for your blackwork needs! Call 615 784-4500 to schedule your appointment with him today!
Bill the Butcher is the famously vicious patriot and xenophobe from the film The Gangs of New York. Beautifully and horrifically captured by none other than the uniquely talented Daniel Day-Lewis, Bill was a racist gang leader who found respect only in men with a penchant for violence as developed as his own. The character is darkly charismatic, with his disdain for ‘lukewarm’ followers or fair-weather friends speaking to our own desire for loyalty or relationships that lack passion or intensity. Sometimes we all crave the fantasy of someone so deeply committed they would be willing to give their life for a cause. Even if that cause was a trivial as us.
No, Bill the Butcher is not a man who lacks passion, or conviction for that matter, going ‘all-in’ in every scene, the threat of explosive violence a constant source of tension. His death comes as a cleansing of sorts, a respected old friend re-introduced by a worthy adversary perhaps.
What a villain such as this can teach us is that while passion is admirable and what we are initially drawn to, that zealotry can be the ruin of the cause and the person. A contagion we can’t afford to spread. The riots of Jan. 6th and the riots after the murder of George Floyd are excellent examples of regular people being driven to unscrupulous ends by the impassioned plea for ‘rightness’ in a world that is never so black and white. That succumbing to violence should be seen as degrading to the reasoned mind is lost on the self-righteous. That the ever-present threat of an eager movement to engulf the rational majority in a maelstrom of misinformation and overwhelming emotion is the painting that is Bill the Butcher. Staring back at us as we stare at him, both longing for the other to yield enough to solve the problem, both refusing to do so rather than ‘lose’.
A quick little turbo skull.
Don’t ask. WIP.
This is the result of the first session on a Cowardly Lion portrait by our resident realism artist Will. Sometimes clients get done with the tattoo before he does and that’s okay! This piece represents about 5 hours so far, with another hour and a half needed to finish it. It’s sandwiched between the Scarecrow and Tin Man. This leg sleeve also includes Dorothy; The Wicked Witch of the West; The Wizard; a flying monkey; and will include the addition of Glinda the Good Witch as well as some background.
This Tattoo is also on Will’s Wife Crystal, so it bears an especially important place in his portfolio!
One of the most popular requests we get at Lighthouse Tattoo is the covering of old tattoos. The art of the coverup is a delicate one and can go wrong in many ways, so it is deeply important to find an artist who is knowledgeable and well versed in performing these tattoos. Here is step-by-step process for how to get a coverup that will effectively erase your tattoo from sight (and not need to be covered up, itself).
Deciding to cover your tattoo
This can also be called the “moment of clarity”. It happens at different times for everyone, sometimes even years before a coverup appointment is made! Basically, you look at your tattoo, realize you absolutely do not like it, and begin troubleshooting where to go from there. The only options to pick from, realistically, are to cover the tattoo or get it lasered off. It is not uncommon to require laser treatment on a tattoo before you even cover it!
2. Deciding what to cover it with
This one can be a toughie. Some subject matters work much better as coverups than others, so some flexibility is required on behalf of the client here. Typically, we recommend organic, non-portrait imagery so that light sources may be played with, proportions skewed, and colors catered to cover what is already there. It’s a good idea to look up other coverups online and see which tattoos you like so you have a few ideas before you consult with an artist. (Subject matters we recommend for covering other pieces are: birds, flowers, snakes, dragons, fish, or other naturally occurring imagery, done in a boldly outlined, brightly-colored style.)
3. Finding an artist
Find out how many tattoo shops there are in your area and LOOK AT PORTFOLIOS! You will want to pick an artist based on their quality of work, so you’ll have to do some leg work ahead of time. This can include looking online at an artist’s portfolio/Instagram account, looking at tattoos your buddies have gotten from local artists, and even physically going to a shop and talking to a tattooer about your piece. You may have to travel a bit to get your piece done by the artist you want.
4. Consultation
Once you have found an artist whose work you like, you’ll probably want to talk with them ahead of time about your tattoo and what you want to do with it. This is where the artist tells you if your ideas for the coverup will be effective or not, offer alternative design suggestions, and tell you a figure for how much money the tattoo will cost. Coverups tend to be more expensive than the tattoo being covered because they require much more work on the front end and in the tattoo chair. Being prepared for this ensures that you will not have to sacrifice quality for financial security.
5. Getting the coverup
This is the easy part! You basically just have to sit/lay there while the artist does all the hard work. You may have to sit for multiple long sessions before the coverup looks complete, so always bring snacks, drinks, and something to entertain yourself!
6. Your new life
Huzzah, the old tattoo is gone!!! You’ve made it through the arduous journey of living with a bad tattoo and then fixing it! You’ve likely ended up with a piece of work that you’ll be proud to show off instead of one that you cringe when people ask about. You should be proud.
FAQs and Problems We Run Into
Why does it cost so much?
The industry standard for tattoo artists to charge is around $100/hour. This covers supplies, time tattooing you, and the time drawing the piece ahead of time. A whole lot goes into doing this job, and we like to compensate our artists for their hard work. For coverups, they require more time, effort, and drawing, so they tend to cost more than your average tattoo.
Why can’t I cover this tattoo with a portrait?
The long and short of it is that with all the tweaking and readjusting of your image you have to do when performing a coverup, a portrait would end up looking ridiculous. The human brain is trained to recognize a face wherever one could be. This is why when you look at whorls in a wooden door or at a funny shaped cloud, you see faces more often than not. This same mechanism helps us to recognize when a face looks malformed or wrong. A portrait is not idea for a coverup because it would be SUPER noticeable that the face is altered somehow, and your friends would never let you hear the end of it.
If you can’t do the tattoo for me today, I’ll just go somewhere else and let them do it.
This mentality could be part of the reason people end up needing coverups in the first place. Whether an artist has time slots open for clients or not, getting a same-day coverup is unlikely. The amount of preparation that goes into covering a tattoo is nothing to turn your nose at, and it often requires extracurricular working hours from the artist. You’ll want time for a consultation ahead of time, as well, so you can make sure you like the drawing you’ve been shown and make changes ahead of time. Expecting this amount of work to be done in a single day is unrealistic. If someone says they can do such an involved piece mere hours after you’ve requested it, you may want to look at the other work they’re turning out. Rushing the process is no way to get a good tattoo!
The original tattoo was $50, why is it so much money to cover it?
Coverups generally need to be at least 3x the size of the original tattoo to be effective. This provides you with enough surface area to introduce a new focal point to the piece, effectively “distracting” viewers from noticing it is a coverup. Coverups require color gradients, shadows, highlights, and color schemes that can take much longer than your original tattoo. Tattooers charge according to how long a piece takes. If it takes hours, you’ll be charged accordingly.
Can’t you just black it out?
We can. But we won’t. That is going to look ridiculous and lazy, and we don’t want our reputation to include any of those words.
We hope this was a helpful read! Coverups can be overwhelming to consider getting without a little preliminary information, and we like to help make the tattoo process as smooth as possible. We are extremely big on discretion here, and we think you should be, too! Tattoos are one of the most permanent decisions you can ever make, and you want to make the right choice. Even if you didn’t the first time.
If you are looking for a coverup in the Nashville area, check us out! Lighthouse Tattoo is home to wonderful artists, and we even have an artist who specializes in trickier coverups. If you wanna come ask us about your tattoo, swing on by! We’re located at 328 North Cumberland Street in beautiful Lebanon, Tennessee, and are open Sunday-Saturday, 12:00-10:00.
Lighthouse Tattoo is going on vacation! We will be gone from September 4th to September 15th. During this time the shop will be manned by a skeleton crew. We will do our best to answer phone calls, to schedule appointments, and answer questions, as well as performing piercings. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
Here’s a nice blue jay tattoo on Summer. This is a portion of her last session, the other part being a poppy flower on her forearm. As this sleeve gets completed we will be posting more pics, so stay logged in to lighthousetattoo.net for updates!
Our new buddy Jack started a Villain sleeve with the Heath Ledger Joker piece. A wonderful way to begin a fleshly ode to endearing bad guys. Ledger’s Joker was undeniably maniacal, though many found his logic with regard to how we decide the value of human life a damning mirror to look in:
‘If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan". But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds. Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.’
This statement rings with a haunting truth to many, especially during a pandemic and after the very public murder of George Floyd by police. It’s certainly aged well. A sentiment for the Bukowski crowd, for sure, something to keep you up at night if you didn’t already know it. THERE IS NO EQUITY-the Joker screams as he tries to give back to the little guy by blowing things up. It would almost be funny if the same thing wasn’t happing on an almost weekly basis by various would-be Jokers in real life.
We don’t have the answers and it’s the power of the Joker to reveal this truth to us in the most unsettling of ways. He is Chaos to the Batman’s Order, entropy in a flailing, made-up, arbitrary system. A wild card in a game without any real rules and we love him for it. For this makes him truly terrifying. Enjoy!
Matthew McConaughey’s dad is right- Don’t half-ass it, whatever it is! Anything worth doing is worth doing right and that is why Lighthouse Tattoo has become so wildly popular-we do things right. We don’t cut corners, we don’t mince words. You get the best work at a fair price, a 90-day free touch-up policy, and customer service that is second to none (as long as you’re not a knucklehead).
All the hype is great, but the point is that the difference between getting the best tattoo work and something that’s substandard isn’t immediately recognizable by the vast majority of the general public (which includes you). You don’t want to half-ass that next tattoo and that means taking a little time to comparison shop. We strongly recommend side-by-side comparisons of our work next to, well, anyone else’s for that matter, in order to help you make an informed decision about where you can find the best quality.
Of course, for a significant percentage of tattoo shoppers, price is a large factor. We would also like to strongly encourage you to think about this: The price difference between the worst artist working out of a shop in the greater Nashville area and the award-winning work being turned out at Lighthouse Tattoo is less than 100%. For instance, if you were to pay $200 for some hatchet-job in a chop shop, you could probably have gotten something beautiful and unique for $400 or less at Lighthouse Tattoo. (Here’s another doozy- those numbers are pretty accurate for most shops, if you shop around a bit, you can probably find someone much better for not a lot more money. Regardless of the city or even country you’re in!) And don’t get us started on the self-taught, amateur, shit-heels we call ‘scratchers’, the money people think they’re saving with these knuckleheads is later spent on cover-ups and laser tattoo removal.
So, whether you decide to come to Lighthouse Tattoo or go somewhere else, just be sure you don’t half-ass your decision making process and undercut yourself for the rest of your life in the process! We think that even though the wait may be a bit longer and the price may be a bit higher, the lifelong happiness of a job well done is worth the work involved! We’ll see you at Lighthouse Tattoo to schedule your next appointment soon!
