Sometimes They Come Back

Remember that old Stephen King movie ‘Sometimes They Come Back’? Well neither do we, but it’s true! As the case may be, two of our long-lost artists have returned to Lighthouse Tattoo simply because they missed you. That’s right folks! For your tattooing pleasure, artists Hannah and Linzi are back! We’ll be updating their portfolios (among other things) on this site in the immediate future. Welcome back you two!

Centurion Cover-Up Tattoo

Why can’t we remember to take BEFORE pictures of these cover-up tattoos? We’ll try to do better. Anywho… This Roman soldier-themed cover-up of a tribal armband fucking GOES. Have some trash you need to get rid of? Can’t find anyone to touch it? Want to reclaim your confidence and thus your life? Give Lighthouse Tattoo a call and we’ll see what we can do for you!

Realistic Elephant Tattoo

Pachyderm perfection performed by Amanda Gibbs. It seems a lifelong passion and dogged pursuit of art lends itself favorably to being a great tattoo artist. As you can see, young Amanda is well on her way. Be sure to schedule an appointment with her now, before she blows up! (Disclaimer: Amanda Gibbs in not now, nor has ever been comprised entirely or partially of explosive materials. So chill.)

Do You Like Dogs?

Some say you’re either a dog or a cat person and while we don’t subscribe to that, it’s easy to see what this fella likes, his doggos. These particular pooch portraits were performed by our very own Amanda Gibbs.

Session Sale Ending

For months now, we’ve worked hard to keep prices down, limiting our 5 hour session rate to $300. This was only possible as long as we were able to maintain a high volume of clients, as the biggest obstacle to making money in the tattoo business is NOT doing tattoos. Unfortunately, as happens every year around this time, it appears that people are spending their money on other things, so we have to end our sale.

Starting November 2nd, the artists at Lighthouse Tattoo will return to their normal session rate of $500 for 5 hours. This is still a great value at less than the typical rate for a lot of shops and it will allow us to keep the lights on even if we’re not as busy during the winter months.

Now, let us be clear, we’re letting you know this because it’s still possible to prevent the rate change. If business picks up and increased volume allows us to offset a reduced rate, we’ll continue the deal. So take advantage of this sale while you still can and maybe we’ll be able to keep it going!

Hercules

Hercules wearing the head of the Nemean Lion. Greek and Roman mythology has always been popular tattoo fare. The richest of the stories and the history, as well as our exposure to it as young children (how old were you when you heard your first Hercules story?) as well as the visuals it conjures, lends it well to this ancient artform.

Cover-ups Are An Art All Their Own

Far too many people have tattoos they can’t stand anymore. It’s the single biggest threat to the longevity of the tattoo business-tattoo regret. We opened Lighthouse Tattoo as a way to bring good, affordable tattooing to Middle Tennessee. In doing that, we brought even more tattoo shops into town once they realized a market for the business was sustainable. We’re very proud of that fact. Unfortunately, we have been inundated with requests from clients to get old or substandard work covered up.

Cover-ups require a skill set that’s different from the typical tattoo process. Knowing what will work and being able to execute a good finished product; being willing to say ‘no’ when a client makes an uninformed and poor request; and being willing to take the necessary time to creates a good cover-up are all traits we foster here at Lighthouse Tattoo.

This cover-up was performed by Amanda and everyone was well pleased with the result. If you need something covered up or reworked, Lighthouse Tattoo is open seven days a week, from noon to 10pm.

Halloween Party!!!

On Saturday, October 18th, starting at 8pm, Lighthouse Tattoo will be hosting our annual Halloween Party! Those of you who know, know. For those of you who haven’t had the privilege of attending: This free event is open to the public (so bring friends); is BYOB (do your dope at home or in the car, wherever, just not here, please and thank you); is a costume party replete with costume contests and prizes (check out the flier); and is likely the most fun thing you’ll do all day.

Hell Awaits

This third installment of a Heaven/Hell/Salvation backpiece offers a vision on what’s waiting in Hell. This large piece was rendered in a single 7,5 hour sitting by resident realism artist Will Wood, who is widely regarded as the best in the business, at least in middle Tennessee. To see more of his work or possibly schedule an appointment with him, simply click on his name under the Artists tab on this website or the Set an Appointment tab and mention his name.

Jason Voorhees Can't Swim

Come on dude. You’re telling me one of the greatest silent psychos of all time was created because no one in 1980 figured you needed a safety declaration that little Jason here wasn’t a strong swimmer? Those were different times for sure. Well, here’s one for helicopter parenting.

Jason, really only evil because he seems to have such a problem with cheap drugs and free sex, has been a registered Republican since his introduction in the 1980 Friday the 13th film. But we didn’t really fall in love with him until part 3, when he got that hockey mask. Jason’s come a long way since then, as have the rest of us. He went to Manhattan, then space, fought Freddy, and even stopped killing the black guy first. But the poor bastard never did learn how to swim.

Michael Myers

Silent psychos are one of the things that make horror movies great. They add a sense of mystery to a recipe so straightforward- run, hide. But why? What made this psycho so psycho? Maybe we’ll never know. To the best of our knowledge, Michael Myers comes second only to Leatherface in the genre of franchise horror silent psycho killers. Try saying that three times fast.

In honor of our upcoming Halloween Party on October 18th, we thought we’d share a few horror-inspired pieces with you. Enjoy!

Cast Down

Will Wood is simply one of the very best tattoo artists in the Southeastern United States. With over 20 years of experience, his black and grey realism is regarded, even by his haters, as world class. This tattoo would be a great example of that skill, except it wasn’t done by Will.

Amanda Gibbs has been apprenticing at Lighthouse Tattoo for about 2 years now. Between her own lifelong passion for pursuing visual art and Will’s undeniable expertise in the medium of tattoo, this depiction of the archangel Gabriel casting Satan out of Heaven is the culmination of that time, passion, and expertise. We expect great things from Amanda, great things indeed.

and she smells better than Will, too!