In episode four of my tattoo series, I talk to music and beer fan Martin Franzén, who has two sleeves where one arm focuses on beer-related motifs and famous logos such as Nils Oscar, Omnipollo, Modern Times and others. The other arm is dedicated to house music where legendary DJs such as Avicii, Axwell, David Guetta and Oliver Heldens are portrayed.
A sleeve dedicated to beer started Martin's tattoo journey where the idea was to create a sleeve that subtly paid tribute to the love of beer without being overly obvious with, for example, a "long can" on the arm. The sleeve has several iconic beer-related motifs and logos such as the Nils Oscar microbrewery - a well-known brewery located in Nyköping. Modus Hoperandi is another American brewery whose label could easily be mistaken for Blues Brothers. Amazing Haze is another popular brew from Stigbergets Bryggeri. Among other things, Martin has tattooed "Be Hoppy" instead of "Be Happy", which is a nod to the hops used in beer brewing.
In addition to the beer-themed sleeve, Martin has a House sleeve dedicated to the music itself. This sleeve contains portraits and symbols of legendary DJs, which symbolizes Martin's enormous interest in music. The house sleeve includes a portrait of a detailed face portrait of Avicii, Axwell with an upside-down heart logo and the title "Heart is King", double portraits of David Guetta in different eras, as well as a portrait of Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens with including his side project HI-LO.
The artistic process in Martin's tattoos is not just random, he has carefully hand-picked according to his own preferences. The tattoos include vibrant colors and complex details that create a cohesive whole that also shows the creativity of his tattoo artist.