Thomas Eckeard’s Cosmically Inspired Blackwork Tattoos

This tattoo artist bends reality by creating landscapes that are simultaneously of and not of this world through his blackwork.

Through the right pair of eyes, nature can become supernatural, taking on surreal qualities that intensify its inborn sublimity. Thomas Eckeard’s blackwork landscapes illustrate this sort of fantastical artistic worldview. Through the use of bold silhouettes, intricate crosshatching, and measured stippling, he captures the likeness of the outdoors in otherworldly ways, making sights like mountains, seas, and forests into expanses that break the mold of reality.

Eckeard’s landscapes look like etchings by Rembrandt from hundreds of years ago, except that he imbues them with a cosmic strain of surrealism. The vanishing points in his pieces don’t merely occur at their horizons; they’re event horizons. In his compositions, waterfalls plummet into outer space, stars don’t just twinkle, they bleed like ink into raindrops, and dotwork crescent moons become the bedrock on which castles are built.

His unique approach to illustrative blackwork is what enables Eckeard to render the world in such an unearthly manner. Expounding on his mastery over a variety of techniques, mainly fine dot and linework,  he renders natural phenomena like moonlight dancing across ripples as well as celestial events like solar eclipses. He shapes invisible forces throughout the universe such as dark matter and gravity through almost mathematical imagery as seen in his grid-like vortexes of fine lines.

It would be an abuse of the land and an offense to heavens not to mention Eckeard’s use of figurative elements in his bizarre yet beautiful panoramas. By framing some of his pieces in the outlines of animals, geometry, objects, and human figures, he enhances the meaning of his work in a profound fashion. Watching the cosmos sift through an hourglass down to the our terrestrial plain has the power to make one reconsider everything that Carl Sagan taught us.

To lose yourself in an alternate reality a while longer, take a trip over to Eckeard’s Instagram or have a look at another post about his body art. He works at Black Talon Tattoo in Arcadia, CA and can be reached with inquiries at thomasetattoos@gmail.com, but his books are currently closed, so you might have to wait a while before getting one of his landscapes that are out of this of this world.

Nature-Inspired Black Tattoos by Thomas Eckeard

Fire up yer winnebago and get yer hiking boots on, here’s some sweet sweet nature for you.

Well, for fuck sake, these are adorable. Adorable and tender and fun. Thomas Eckeard is a black worker who really has his nature-themed tattoos down to a science. Map-inspired, featuring dot work and etching-style lines, Eckeard’s nature tattoos making us wanna go on a nice long woodsy walk.

Straight up black line work is classic. It’s reminiscent of old-school picture books and basic, antique maps. Eckeard conveys so much magic with the simple direction of his lines and dots. Enchanting.

There’s also some traditional art historical surrealism mixed in with his clean cut style. Images overlay into other images; scenes become other scenes. He’s got a great sense of composition, and knows how to use his client’s skin as a canvas.

Eckeard’s Instagram is chock-full of wonderful line work. And if you’re in the Los Angeles area (well, okay, specifically Arcadia), swing by Black Talon Tattoo where he works.