By COLIN M. STEWART
By COLIN M. STEWART
Tribune-Herald staff writer
When one thinks of a muse, a bag of rice doesn’t usually come to mind.
But for 36-year-old Edwin Naboa, it was just the right bit of inspiration that led him to his newest piece of body art, which garnered him a first-place win in the Tribune-Herald’s 2013 Tattoo Photo Contest.
The inaugural online contest was hosted last month and invited area residents to submit photos of their tattoos to be voted on by readers. Naboa, whose photo competed against 75 other entries, won the competition with 20 percent of the total vote. On Wednesday, he received as his prize $200 in Visa gift cards from the newspaper.
Ever since he got a tattoo of a dragon on his upper right arm at Tattoos By Butler, Naboa was looking for an image to dominate his left arm to make a matching pair. But ideas were coming few and far between.
Then, as he tore open a bag of Tsuru Mai rice while working as a cook at Hilo Yacht Club, the Japanese red-crowned crane, or “tancho,” on the logo jumped out at him.
“I saw the crane in flight, and I just thought ‘Yeah. That’s it,’” he said. “I really like the Asian-style tattoos, and this goes well with the dragon.”
He contacted his friend and tattoo artist John Butler, 35, who had previously done his right arm, and the two began planning the new tattoo.
“He told me what he wanted, the Japanese crane, grey clouds and cherry blossoms. … And I drew a rough sketch with Sharpie to skin. Then I went over it (with ink),” Butler said.
Naboa got the initial design done in August, and then returned in October to have some color added to the cherry blossoms to “make them pop,” added Butler’s wife, Rae.
The design flows with the contours of Naboa’s shoulder and arm, two large cranes, with their wings outstretched, soaring through a swirl of clouds and floating cherry blossoms. All told, the work took about four hours.
Having operated his business in Hilo for more than a year now, Butler has been a tattoo artist for seven years. He’s had a lot of experience in that time, and said he rarely runs into a design that gives him trouble. Rather, the most challenging aspect of his job, he said, is his canvas: the human body.
“You have to have the right client for a tattoo like this,” he said. “You have to be comfortable with the person, and they have to trust you. They have to be able to relay what they want, and then they have to lie still and let you work.”
Butler said he was excited to work on Naboa’s tattoo because he had a very clear idea of what he wanted, and was willing to let Butler interpret the idea into a living work of art. At the end of the day, a tattoo is a collaboration between artist and client, he said, and both ended up being thrilled with the result.
“My jaw was on the floor,” Naboa said. “I was like, ‘John Butler is the man!’ From now on, I will get all my tattoos from him. Only him.”
Before the contest, the Butlers said they were initially skeptical about signing on to help sponsor it, but once they saw how much interest was being generated, they decided to offer their own prize of $200, matching the newspaper’s prize.
“We just thought we should support the community, and show our appreciation. And it gets the word out. It’s a win-win,” said Rae Butler.
Other sponsors of the contest included Native Flesh, South Seas Tattoo, and Sin City.
His combined winnings still don’t cover the total cost of the crane tattoo, but Naboa said he feels like the artwork was worth every penny.
“I love it,” he said simply.
He added he wanted to thank all his friends and family for logging onto the Tribune-Herald website and voting for him.
“And my wife, Rose, who put up with all this ordeal,” he said with a laugh.
As for the future, Naboa said he’s still got some spots on his arms and legs where he’s thinking about adding another tattoo. In fact, he’s already got an appointment scheduled with Butler.
Now, he just needs a little inspiration.
For more information on Tattoos By Butler, call (808) 217-6350, visit the shop at 154 Holomua St., or follow the shop in Instagram at http://instagram.com/tattoosbybutler#.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.