To celebrate our departure we decided to get tattoos in Brooklyn. What better way to celebrate the beginning of our adventure than with beautiful art.

While at Sae Sae Hostel in Jogja, we went to a tattoo convention. We met amazing artists and experienced a different side of Jogja than we ever thought possible. 

While at the convention we were introduced to an artist named Sono. Sono has been tattooing for 12+ years at his shop Cap Bagong Tatu, located here in Ubud, Bali. 

THE ARTIST

Sono is a kind-hearted extremely talented artist from Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He has tattooed all over the Indonesian islands and in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Europe. He tailors tattoos for clients based on their inspiration and incorporates his own style into the final design.

His work is heavily influenced by a rich cultural heritage and inspired by Indonesian ornaments, carvings, statues, batik and traditional fabrics. His specialties are Pointillism and Javanese script. He tattoos by machine as well as hand tapping and hand poking.

Hand tapping is a method originating from Borneo and the Mentawai Islands. It's performed using wooden tapping sticks and is done with the assistance of a stretcher, who stretches your skin. People will describe hand tapping as more of a gentle and meditative experience with only the sound of the tapping sticks.

Hand poking uses a stick and needle to create a design, dot by dot, which gives a more subtle and delicate result than using a machine.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Sono is so in tune with you as his client that hanging out at his shop becomes more of an experience than an errand. It's comfortable, immaculately clean and beautifully designed.

On our last day in Ubud, we finalized our designs and prepared ourselves mentally for the combined 5 hours on the table. Due to the intricacy of our designs we were recommended to go the traditional machine route. One of us got an intricate mandala with line work and pointillism techniques (Adrienne) and the other got a Rote Island inspired fishing tattoo made mostly of heavy line work (Vic). 

Sono is worth traveling to or chasing down to score a tattoo you'll cherish for a lifetime. If in Ubud, stop by to say hello even if you don't want a tattoo but chances are, once you look over his work you will walk out with an appointment.

If you would like to make an appointment with Sono please visit