Michael explained the origin of this design:
"The artist is Katsuhiro Otomo, the legendary Japanese animator, who did Akira [a popular manga series]. I’ve been in love with him since I was a kid. He came out with another movie called Steamboy that I was super excited about … I got the deluxe set … with the sketchbook in it and I’ve fallen in love with [this girl] … I loved her from the beginning but then I was dating a girl and I fucked it all up and she, well, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and I just wanted to … she’s almost adorable as this and I wanted to put that in memory and not be a fool and, well, she’s still mad at me."Michael added that they still talk and he's holding out hope that forgiveness and reconciliation are still a possibility.
The tattoo was inked by Ariel Salgado at Millenium Tattoo in Newburgh, New York. Ariel, Michael said, has done most of his tattoos.
Thanks (again) to Michael for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!
