Every now and then, Kian will take on a special project of a traditional hand poke tattoo. The process is long, slow and fairly painful, so only the super dedicated and tough put their hand up to have this done. The result is a truly original piece of artwork, the lines have a unique warmth and depth, and have a mystical appeal about them
Kian received a hand poke tattoo from the legendary Ajarn Noo, long before he became famous after tattooing Angelina Jolie. These traditional style Buddhist tattoos date back to 9th Century Khmer culture, when superstitious soldiers had their torsos tattooed as a form of “drawn-on” battle armour. The monks blessed the inks and tattooed the soldiers with the beliefs they would provide protection against swords, knives, bullets and evil spirits, but that they would also bring good fortune.
Sheraz contacted Kian wanting a traditional Bhuddist style tattoo, all done by hand. This would be the largest hand poke piece Kian has done. Using all hand made tools , Kian started out on the first session, which ended after 9 hours of continous tattooing! The results are simply amazing, check it out!
Stay tuned for the updated pics after the next session, to finish off the smaller details.