Tattoo by Kat Von D.

Melody, a social worker, comes in with her husband to get a tattoo of a mermaid in memory of her dad, who was in the Navy. He died when she was 21.

Melody's father used to tell her stories about how the mermaids would come to the Navy ships and sing to the sailors because they were so lonely. Melody tells Kat that she wants the mermaid across her lower back. Kat has done plenty of mermaids in the past and incorporates her pin-up style into the tattoo.

She does the tattoo in traditional black and grey and adds some white highlights for dimension.