Valkyrie

Jeffrey is a big dude. Like World’s Strongest man big or NFL linebacker big, ‘guy who could take out the whole bar if he got mad’ big. BIG big, so please understand that this upper arm tattoo of a Valkyrie that he got isn’t quite finished, as this single-day session would almost completely cover a smaller person’s BACK.

Okay, maybe he’s not THAT big, but this Valkyrie is definitely one for the storybooks. We’ve been doing quite a few of these Norse mythology/history-inspired pieces over the last couple of years really and it’s not hard to see why. The emotion and energy in the pieces adds a more dramatic element than just the well-applied art. The mix of those two major components make a piece like this all the more compelling, a real conversation piece.

Something like this on a fella the size of Jeffrey? It’ll make you give him a little extra space, which he definitely needs!

Wolverine

Marvel Comics has given us a slew of lovable and unique heroes throughout the years, and Wolverine is certainly no exception. First debuted in 1974 alongside the Hulk, he’s been ripping and tearing through our hearts for decades. He’s a personal favorite of ours, as he shares a sentiment we tend to admire. “I'm the best there is at what I do.”

Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy: or rather, what Harry Potter could have been. Living with the Dursleys, no one could really have blamed him. I mean, who is Draco Malfoy but the Dudley Dursley of Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Think about it. You take a child and put them in the worst-case scenario for development and what else would you expect?

But there’s something different about Harry Potter, isn’t there? A courage, definitely; and talent, yes, plenty of that. But there’s something else that contributed to Harry’s success that matters more than these two things, important though they may be to his success. What is that’s you ask? His Friends.

Some may be seen as merely allies: Minerva McGonagall; Severus Snape, but what is an ally if not a friend? Others are easy, brave Ron; the ever-capable Hermione Granger; and the stalwart winter soldier himself, the sword of Godric Gryffindor-wielding Neville Longbottom. Still others come from an unexpected place, the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, sweet and strong. And let us not forget the formidable Albus Dumbledore. Still, there are others, many others. Sirius Black; Remus Lupin; the entire Weasley clan for that matter, and more.

It seems it takes more than talent and hard work to succeed and overcome the challenges of life. It would appear that the relationships you choose will likely have more of an impact on your future than you could ever know, so please, choose wisely. At Lighthouse Tattoo we feel that way about choosing your tattoo artist as well.

Draco and Dudley seemed to learn the error of their ways as they matured, after having incurred a significant amount of regret and then foolishly doubling down before coming to terms with their mistakes. While the lessons learned will never be forgotten and it’s good they were learned at all, the pain of that wisdom gained will live with them forever. Don’t be a Draco or Dudley. Give Lighthouse Tattoo a chance to show you what the best in tattooing in Middle Tennessee has to offer, you don’t want to have to learn it the hard way!

Who's the Whippersnapper Now?

Seasons change, sure, but people don’t. Take Harrison Ford for instance. The first Indiana Jones film came out in 1981, and just last year we got The Dial of Destiny. I don’t know if anyone is counting (you would’ve run out of hands a while ago), but that’s 42 years of keeping up with the Joneses. And that’s not all folks, if Indiana Jones doesn’t do it for you, how about Han Solo? Or blade runner Rick Deckard? The point is, this man represents a slew of outstanding characters that we’ve all grown to love, and he’s still going. In honor of his contribution to the world of film, Will is offering a discounted rate on any and all Harrison Ford related tattoos, whether you’re looking for a wookie’s best friend or a giant boulder’s worst nightmare. Give us a call, or click that “set an appointment” tab and we’ll get you on the books.

Catwoman

What do Michelle Pfeiffer; Halle Berry; and Zoe Kravitz all have in common? Well, quite a lot actually, but one of them is Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. This (unfinished, cell phone photo) color portrait of Catwoman was started the other day by our resident realism artist Will Wood.

Some are unaware that Will does color realism at a very high level, alongside the black and grey portrait work in his portfolio, it’s quite stunning to see the two styles juxtaposed, and so close to home too, all without the sting of high Nashville pricing. Stay logged in to lighthousetattoo.net to see updates on this and other color realism pieces, like this Batman villain sleeve-in-progress!

Cedric Diggory

Robert Pattinson has led a charmed life. His early work as Cedric Diggory was so many people’s first look at the handsome and talented young star who would go on to achieve real superstardom as Edward Cullen in the Twilight series of films and eventually the Dark knight himself as the Batman. And for those of you who haven’t seen him opposite Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse, well, we may be a little partial to that one.

Here’s young Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, along with a healed Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy. In case you haven’t heard, we at Lighthouse Tattoo are big softies for Harry Potter, with these particular pieces being worn by our very own Faye, as applied by artist Will Wood. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

Jesus is the Reason for the Season, something the hustle and bustle of life sometimes causes us to forget. Please take the time to realize what’s most important this Christmas: You are made in the image of the one true God, who gave his only begotten Son to die on the cross for your sins so that you may have eternal life in Heaven, and that Jesus loves you. Merry Christmas!

It Ain't Easy Being Green

Kermit had it right all along. In honor of the recent success of the new movie Wicked, Will is offering a discount on all Wicked-related realism tattoos, for a limited time.

Elpheba, Glinda, Fiero, maybe even the Wizard of Oz himself (who doesn’t love them some Jeff Goldblum?), interested in a color or black and grey portrait of these characters, Let us know and we’ll get you all set up! All tattoo wills be done at our earliest booking opportunity which will be after the 1st of the year. You can schedule a consultation by clicking the ‘set an appointment’ tab on this website, just please allow up to 48 hours for a response, we get a lot of inquiries for this sort of thing!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

So here’s the deal: Lighthouse Tattoo as a mailbox that gets direct service to the North Pole. No bullshit. What’s that mean for you? Well, if you get your child to write a letter to Santa and drop it off in our mailbox to the North Pole Express (located inside the shop, not our regular mailbox, asshole) we will guarantee that your child will receive a letter BACK, HANDWRITTEN BY SANTA HIMSELF! In order for this to happen we need the following things: A letter from the child to Santa; we also need notes from the parents to include the correct spelling of the child’s name and the address the letter from Santa should be sent to. Notes can include instructions like ‘brush you teeth, ‘clean your room’, ‘stop picking on your baby brother/sister’, stuff like that. Santa will NOT promise to deliver any toys or grant any wishes that the parent’s notes don’t specifically confirm and the letters will be very general and formulaic, but they will include the child’s name and they will be very cool handwritten letters from the Fat Man himself. A great keepsake delivered by our proud United States Postal Service.

For the sake of prompt delivery, we have a tight deadline of December 15th to get those letters in, so please don’t hesitate! and Merry Christmas!!!

Jesus is Awesome!

Jesus came to Lighthouse Tattoo from Jacksonville Florida to get his first tattoo by our founder Will Wood. The process of setting that appointment began by his visit to this website and clicking the ‘Set an Appointment’ tab; filling out the form; and leaving a $100 nonrefundable deposit. It culminated in a two-day marathon session, the first day yielding this Greek statue piece, as part of his Greek mythology sleeve. On the second day, we did the Medusa and faun pieces. The kid’s a stud.

The good news (other than that other Good News) is you too can reap the benefits of this process with the click of a button or by simply picking up the phone and calling Lighthouse Tattoo at 615 784-4500, seven days a week, during our normal business hours of noon to 10pm. We accept credit cards, so you can even schedule over the phone if you’d like. After doing so, you can simply send your reference photos to our email at info@lighthousetattoo.net. Just include your name, a contact phone number and the name of the artist, date, and time of your appointment. We’ll take it from there.

And ol’ Jesus here? He’s coming by tomorrow to get his sleeve finished, so we’ll be posting some healed pics of this work soon, as well as the new additions! Stayed logged in to lighthousetattoo.net for frequent updates!

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

‘Tis the Season, after all. Elvira, the busty mascot of the macabre and subject matter of choice for drag queens for decades, goes hand-in-cleavage with Halloween. A wry wit and penchant for self-aware humor, she’s like the perfect combination of Cher and Dolly Parton (which may explain drag queens’ love for her), mixed in with a little Bela Lugosi for luck.

Either way, we love her. This portrait of Elvira was performed by Will Wood in a single session on a client who came down from Indiana. It seems Will’s reputation precedes him.

If you would like to get one of these award-winning portraits from Will, just click the ‘Set an Appointment’ tab on this website and we’ll reach out to you ASAP. A little food for thought though, Will is currently booking for the 1st quarter of 2025, which, once tax refund season kicks in, is our busiest time of year, so if you want to get in anytime within the next 6 months, you’ll want to schedule something now!

It's Almost CrimeTime!

That creepy little kid from the original Stephen King Pet Sematary movie still gives me the willies. The latest addition to Mike’s Stephen King tribute leg sleeve, you can just see the top of IT’s head peaking out from under the murderous little chap. Who’s ready for Halloween!?!

Dean's Diva!

This depiction of a Viking woman on Dean’s inner bicep is part of a sweet sleeve started by our own Dave Fux and completed by Will while Dave was our with an injury. An exquisite piece, we’ll be posting the healed photos soon.

Comic Books are Awesome

Billions of dollars in Marvel movies can’t be wrong. We love the physics-defying powers of superheroes and the cut-and-dry world of hero/villain and that the hero always wins in the end. It just feels right to us. That sense of justice is ingrained into as children. We learn it playing tee ball, soccer, or any activity that socializes us in a competitive environment. We learn that the rules matter because without them, there’s no point in playing.

In a world without rules, winning becomes meaningless. Taking home the prize becomes the only goal and the value of competition, the point of which should be to push oneself to become better, elevating the entire field, gets perverted into a melee for a prize without honor. We see it almost daily on the news. Transgender athletes, abortion rights, the presidential race, DEI, it’s all quite the can of worms, isn’t it?

When winning becomes more important than being the best, we all lose. Comics tried to teach us at in the early days. The ideal of victory in battle as being a moral victory has been a theme of history. Not that the ends justify the means, but that the victor in the end was the result of superior morality. Superman didn’t beat Lex Luthor just because he was more powerful, he did because he HAD to, because he was right. Because Luthor was EVIL. and good had to beat evil, right?

Right?

We love comics because they make everything so simple. Good vs evil, right vs, wrong. And the good guys always win in the end. We love them because of the nostalgia of our youth, because once you’re grown up, you realize the world doesn’t work that way. You realize that sometimes, lots of times, the bad guys get exactly what they want and there’s no one to hold them accountable. Shitty bosses on power trips; angry Karens trying to ruin your life to feel mighty and fill a void in themselves; THE GOVERNMENT. lol.

In a world where it seems like the rules don’t matter because people are more interested in moving the goalposts to suit their own ends, passion for the simplistic world of comic books is easy math. Comics are awesome because they reinforce the ideal that it will all work out in the end, to keep the faith during the difficult times and that it will all be worth it, nor matter how tough the climb. In the current age, we need a Tony Stark and a Steve Rogers to look to just to keep from being driven insane by an insane world.