Fresh Anatomy Ink
Anatomical heart tattoo submitted by Suren. Here's the fun story behind his tattoo—
"It started as joke with a friend in class, we said we should get regular heart tattoos with blank ribbons on it so we can put whoever's name we wanted in it. So as I thought about it more, I really loved the idea and concept behind it. I chose an anatomical rendering of the heart because it beats out a plain old traditional heart, the details the vessels and everything was very intriguing. The blank ribbon is more of a statement and a mockery of the traditional tattoo. I wanted people to know that it was a bit foolish to tattoo another persons name especially if they're not family, hence the blank ribbon. The anatomical heart itself is mocking the traditional tattoo, because indeed it is a real heart and not a valentines day chocolate box. More than a statement the tattoo has a fun spin to it. I can sharpie or pen in anyone or anything I want inside of it, whenever I want. No regrets, and that's the fun part to the tattoo. All in all, I'm happy with my first tattoo."
I should have asked Suren to write Street Anatomy in the ribbon and then take a picture!
I've had quite a few people ask me if I know any medical illustrators who do tattoo commissions. I never really had an answer until I attended the annual Association of Medical Illustrators conference back in July. To my amazement, I saw this tattoo submitted to the Salon (a showcase/competition of student and professional medical illustration work). The artist, Karen Bucher, was asked to do this tattoo by a complete stranger. She obliged and it ended up turning out really well.
If you're interested in getting an anatomical tattoo and want it done accurately, try commissioning a medical illustrator.