Beautiful Designs & Great Blend of Colour
Tori Li’s tattoos display immense attention to detail and care for each and every one of her clients.
I’m one of those types of people who didn’t really think about what I envisioned to be tattooed on my body. My first tattoo was a simple quote and linework that I had done in a lovely tattoo shop on Sunset Boulevard, LA. The place was very clean and decorated with various flash sheets and artworks along the walls. I knew the place could be trusted. Once I got back to Australia, I knew I wanted more tattoos but I wasn’t sure what.
The watermark reads: Tattoo design belongs to Tori Li Tattoo, therefore, don’t steal tattoo designs!
After some small tattoos here and there, I decided I wanted a bigger piece with lots of colours. I followed Tori Li Tattoo’s journey from Tora Sumi in Balmain to Thirteen Feet Tattoo in Newtown. The shop had a retro vibe to it, clean and decorative, plus queer-friendly! I had a consultation with Tori before she moved shops, then had my tattoo done at Thirteen Feet Tattoo. She designed a big Witcher inspired thigh piece back in 2018 and it took about six hours. My friend and coworker Gem also got a tattoo there, and was kind enough to drive me home after dinner because I couldn’t walk at all! Ha!
I love Tori’s design, linework and use of bold ink. So naturally, my next big piece with her was going to along my shoulder and collarbone and a cheeky extra on my forearm. I wanted something cute and whimsical and Tori creates a lot of pet portraits with a tonne of attention to detail. I wanted my cats as astronauts, i.e. Catstronauts! She designed my vision perfectly, capturing each of my cat’s personalities to the tee. I now have this beautifully lined and colourful tattoo on me and I couldn’t be happier. I’m hoping to add another cat or even my bro’s dog and an astronaut to complement the piece.
The watermark reads: Tattoo design belongs to Tori Li Tattoo, therefore, don’t steal tattoo designs!
She also created a Banner Saga-inspired piece with Alette, one of the main characters of the series, and the Icelandic word ‘áfram’ written into the banner. The word ‘áfram’ can be heard in the song “Onward” in the Banner Saga album and is the ending song to the first game. The tattoo was placed on my forearm and took about 2 hours. After lunch, she started on the Catstronauts and the session ran for another 6-7 hours. I felt like such a beast afterwards.
The entire experience with Tori made me realise that I love individual colour tattoos and I’m not interested in a planned sleeve or bodysuit. So I guess, I’m more a tattoo collector. If you’re into planning your designs, then that’s cool too! Everybody’s different and it’s more fun that way.
Check out Tori’s tattoos on her Instagram! There are two links for her main account and for her pet portraits below. Plus, have a browse at the many artists at Thirteen Feet Tattoo. You won’t find a more professional and super talented team in Newtown and Sydney!
Artist: Tori Li
Instagram (Main): https://www.instagram.com/torilitattoo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tori_petportraits/
Shop: Thirteen Feet Tattoo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thirteenfeettattoo/
Locations: Newtown and Haymarket, NSW