Andy Nick jokes about his decision to brand himself with the Looking Glass’s symbol, calling it “a sacrifice the island demanded.” But in actuality, he says, it was more of an experiment than a well-thought out project. His friend, Tom Davis, co-owner and artist at Wells & Co. Custom Tattoo in Vandalia, Ohio, had been looking to try out the latest UV-sensitive ink, but before Nick committed to being a guinea pig, he had to decide, “What would I love to have hidden on my body for all eternity?" The answer, he says, was clear. His tattoo of the Swan hatch pays homage to the “Lockdown” episode in the show’s second season when a mysterious map appears via blacklight. “That scene was unforgettable,” Nick says. Particularly now that he has a tattoo of it. Still, he says, he glad it came out lighter than expected. “I didn't want to go to clubs and blind everyone with my glowing Dharma Tattoo,” he explains.
Courtesy of Andy Nick
Just in time for the final chapter of Lost, which began on Feb. 2, 2010, Lee Bretschneider of The Adventuring Company created a way to tell the Kate Austen in your life just how much she means to you. His collection of Valentine’s featuring America’s favorite fugitive and her fellow island dwellers-- Hurley, Locke, Ben, Jack, Sawyer, Sayid, and Jin—were the perfect way for fans to express their love, not only for their significant others, but also for the show. From Jack’s booze induced ultimatum of romance to Ben’s declaration of love for the island, these pink notes were the perfect way to celebrate the 14th… and 4th and 8th and 15th and… you get the idea.
Courtesy of Lee Bretschneider, http://leebraineater.tumblr.com
Though the Dharma Initiative did leave behind a plethora of sweets—from peanut butter to cookies to their very own take on Mallomars (Dharmalars)—nothing compares to the decadence of this cake that Charm City Cakes created for the 100th episode of lost. The bakery, featured on TLC’s Ace of Cakes, created a confectionary work of art featuring an Oceanic plane, celebratory Dharma Initiative beer, and tiny fondant figurines of all of the major characters. “It was awesome,” Jorge Garcia, who plays Hurley, blogged of the sweet taste of success that the bakery brought to the cast in Hawaii in 2009.
Courtesy of Ace of Cakes
The numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42 are engraved into any Lost fanatic’s head. But Chris Tenime took it one step further by inking the six significant numerals onto his forearm in late January 2009. “ Lost is my favorite TV show ever,” he said. “And as someone who wants to get into the business of making visual entertainment, TV shows mean a lot more to me than the casual viewer.” This branded fan has no regrets about his tattoo, made to look specifically like the numbers engraved on the outside of the Hatch. “I'm exceedingly happy with it,” Tenime said of the result. “After getting it done, I compared my arm to the front of the Season 2 DVD, and it matched perfectly.” And although the show’s about to end, this Lost die-hard knows he won’t be disappointed, as long as some unknown statistics remain. “I think it'll be a better ending if not everything gets spelled out. There should be some mystery left when the final credits roll.”
Courtesy of Chris Tenime
Some may call him the Smoke Monster, others refer to him as John Locke, and many consider him pure evil. But whatever handle Lost viewers use for the notorious Man in Black, he’s certainly a hot, but polarizing subject matter. Artist Justin Peterson, who also created two Lost valentines of Claire and Daniel with Lee Bretschneider’s assistance with the text, decided to take a Shephard Fairey-esque stab at depicting the island villain with his latest poster, which reads “ I’m With the Man in Black.” Even without seeing his steely blue-gray eyes and incredibly tan skin, Peterson found a way to eerily show the character’s dark side… perhaps he found yet another “loophole?”
Courtesy of Lee Bretschneider, http://leebraineater.tumblr.com
One Hawaiian mom had enough time on her hands to update the classic alphabet soup recipe in honor of her favorite TV show. Pikko, founder of Adventures in Bentomaking, made a Minestrone recipe but decided to give it some island flavor by making numerical pasta with that same group of six numbers any Lost fan would find hard to forget. Whether Pikko realized or not, she spine-chillingly told readers to boil the noodles for four to eight minutes in her recipe. Coincidence? There’s no such thing on the island.
Courtesy of Crystal Watanabe of Adventures in Bentomaking
Even famous Lost fans can help but take their adoration into artistic creation. Less than a month before the show came to an end, rock star Marilyn Manson revealed his portrait of the island’s villain. He called the item, “Locke, a painting I did for Twiggy’s obsession” on his Facebook and Twitter pages, a reference to his bassist Twiggy Ramirez. Clearly, Locke’s dark side knows no bounds and perhaps we’ll soon hear those eerie three seconds of music as the letters L-O-S-T zoom closer onto the screen sampled on Manson’s next track.
Nicola Harper Lee and her roommate are linked not only by address, but by Lost devotion. Together, the pair decided to get Dharma Initiative logos inked on their arms in August 2007. “At first, I thought it might be a ridiculous idea to get a tattoo based on a TV series,” Lee admits. “But I mentioned it to my roommate and as a fellow fan, he liked the idea.” They ventured together to get the Hydra Station logo and Swan Station logo on different parts of their arms and Lee has no regrets about choosing the latter. “The tattoo represents my love for Lost and the fact that it's no longer being made doesn't change that,” she says. “I think that tattoos should signify how you feel at the moment you get them, and at that time, I was deeply absorbed in the mysteries of the show and the island.”
Courtesy of Nicola Harper Lee
Nearly one year before the last episode of Lost aired, the heavily-tattooed Matt “Radar” Gruneau sat down with his friend and tattoo artist Mez Love to pay respect to one of the fallen heroes of the show, Sayid Jarrah. “I like getting portraits of people who have remarkable, beautiful faces,” Radar recalled of his decision to ink Sayid (played by Naveen Andrews) on his body. “John Gotti, Captain Lou Albano, Kurt Cobain, Trent Reznor, David Duchovny in drag… I tend to find beauty in unlikely places.” With “the high cheeks, the broad, tapering jaw, the giant nose,” Andrews was the perfect choice for Radar’s tattoo, which he calls a great talking point. “One of the great things about Lost is that it's a show that gets you conversing with other people, trying to figure out just what the heck is going on, and this tattoo does a great job of initiating those conversations.” Mez, who now works at San Francisco’s Tattoo Boogaloo, says it was her first and last Lost tattoo, but she was happy to do it. “I'm actually a pretty big nerd myself, so I fully and completely support nerdy tattoos,” she says. “It's easier to get behind it if it's a show or movie or band that I'm a fan of myself and I’m a huge Lost fan!”
Courtesy of Mez Love
If you’re not one to permanently declare your Lost love in needle-issued ink, take a look at the wide range of hilarious t-shirts offered on Café Press to pay tribute to the sci-fi spectacle that had many at polar bear. From the spirited “ Hurley’s Ping Pong Tournament” option to the devoted “ Richard Alpert: Forever Yum” hoodie, to the someone perverse “ Your Mother Is An Other” apron and “ I’d Hit That Every 108 Minutes” t-shirt in a plethora of color choices, there’s a new, hilarious option for every day of the week, in both this universe and the alternate one.
As fans prepared to sit down for the sixth and final season of Lost, a group of artists turned their sadness into creative energy with the Lost Underground Art Show in Los Angeles in December 2009. The works, featured on DamonCarltonAndAPolarBear.com included a collection of posters and prints from some incredibly talented, incredibly Lost minds. From a $7,500 triptych entitled “Season 3, And So It Goes” by Jeff McMillan to the $3,500 "Memento Mori" by Dan Lydersen to a $350 plush Dharma Bear by Danielle Buerli (respectively, no relation to Faraday or Alex’s mom presumably), fans brought their A-game and their wallets apparently. On Carlton’s site, fans can still snatch a piece of artistic history like this impressive poster from Austin-based artist Tyler Stout.
Tyler Stout
Despite not being the biggest fan of Charlie Pace, the alcoholic former rocker of the fictional Drive Shaft, bento blogger Pikko was moved to create a bento box of what she calls, “one of the most memorable scenes in all seasons.” She admits (SPOILER ALERT) that his death made her emotional, despite the fact that it was many episodes coming. “After I’d wiped away my tears and stopped wondering if you can really write on your wet hand with a wet Sharpie while drowning,” Pikko joked of the infamous “Not Penny’s Boat” scene, “I realized what a turning point that scene was for the show that season.” And what better way to commemorate it than with a bento box of brown rice, shrimp, and vegetables, including a carrot cut into the shape of Charlie’s signature DS ring?
Courtesy of Crystal Watanabe of Adventures in Bentomaking
