Heart & Harbor Logbook

  Back in the heyday of sail ship commerce, merchant mariners often tattooed a pig on one foot and a chicken on the other as symbols of luck, survival, and safe passage. The folklore came from a simple truth: pigs and chickens packed in wooden crates often floated free after shipwrecks, sometimes surviving after little else did. So do barnyard animals float? Does it really matter if you have the right tattoo? That's part of what always pulled me toward traditional tattoo art. Bold linework, pepper shading, deep symbolism from seemingly simple art, and stories that carried more weight than the ink itself. This chicken and pig piece was my own nod to that old sailor folklore and to the tattoo greats who turned hard-earned stories into timeless imagery. A lot of what ends up in the Heart & Harbor store starts the same way; somewhere in a sketchbook, usually surrounded by unfinished ideas, rough lines, and whatever the next big one might become. Follow along as I dig through my soc...

Sharky was a fun one to draw. I'm drawn to the style of these traditional artists and they've had a large influence on my work. I find that I draw things that I wouldn't mind getting tattooed on me. If you ever see something that I've drawn that doesn't fit that style, it's probably a request😁. You can find this design at  heart and harbor . We're always open for suggestions for new subjects and are excited to put them into our line. Have a great holiday weekend! --D & J

  Today I'm beginning the posting of all my creative videos. I have made a few and if you have seen our social media posts, you may be familiar with them. The blog seems like a better place to post them to keep them easy to reach and searchable. I hope you enjoy being in on my creative process. Here's my dolphin drawing process, time lapsed for ease of viewing! Here is the video that I shot and inspired the piece! I had a lot of fun making the dolphin piece, it's so awesome to live near these amazing animals! The dolphin design is available for sale at  Heart and Harbor. -- D & J

  Today was follow through on a suggestion from a follower.  "you should draw a flamingo."  I'm in Florida and i know I've taken some nice flamingo pics at my visit to Sarasota Jungle Gardens.  Why didn't I draw one earlier? I honestly don't know.  Lately I've started recording parts of the process while I work, and this became the latest sketchbook session. Here's the finished piece in the sketch book. This is only half the battle.  Jody is on her computer right now working to turn this bird into some wearable art for heartandharbor.net  . --D & J.