There is no denying the impact sneakers have on many things we see on an everyday basis. Over the years, we have witnessed a ton of sneaker-associated things such as birthday/graduation cakes, sneaker-shaped keychains, sculptures and many other accessories. New York native Chris Washington shows us that sneakers can even inspire one’s artwork.

Washington is a self-proclaimed sneaker and Michael Jordan addict; yet, there is another obvious fetish he’s infected with: ink. Washington a limitless amount of Michael Jordan and Jordan sneaker tattoos draped all over his body. It is easily one of the most creative, artistic sneaker designs we have seen ever!

We recently talked with Chris Washington about the one-of-a-kind, sneaker related artwork on his body. In this in-depth interview, Washington discusses the design process of his artwork, what inspired him to ink his body up and the one tattoo he is missing! View our 1 on 1 with Chris Washington below.

Nice Kicks: It’s obvious that you are a sneakerhead and ink addict all in one flesh. What, exactly, are your tattoos comprised of? What is the count and placement of all of your tattoos?

Chris: On my leg, I have 14 pairs of sneakers which are all of the shoes Jordan wore during his Bulls career (except the AJ9). I have Air Jordans 1-14 on my leg. The sneakers are on the front of the shin of my left leg and on the back of my left leg, it’s a picture of Jordan dunking the ball, and the picture he took with the six rings on his hand. I actually have two sleeves, and I have my whole chest done. I have a tattoo on my back and on half of my leg also. We usually count each sleeve as one, so I have a total of five.

Nice Kicks: So, what is the origin of your tattoos? What made you want to ink your body up with nods to Michael and his extensive sneaker collection?

Chris: I basically told Derrick, my tattoo artist, what I wanted to do. I went to him and told him I wanted a Jordan tattoo. He actually thought that I just wanted a Jumpman tattoo or something like that. So, I actually broke down the idea of me wanting it to look like the Jordans are falling onto my leg. On the back of my leg, I wanted Jordan doing a dunk or a layup, and I wanted a picture of his face. Basically, he’s my idol. He’s one of the few athletes or even black entrepreneurs that you can think of and not think negative about. I’m into sneakers and that’s a big part of his game, so I needed someone that was going to detail the sneakers and make them look real. Not over-detail them, not under-detail, but make them look exactly like the sneakers.

Nice Kicks: Personally, what is significance of these tattoos? We know people come up to you daily questioning your tattoo choices. What do you tell them?

Chris: My tattoos are like me expressing myself. It’s a lifestyle type of thing. So, I told myself, I was going to get something that represents me. Something that’s totally me. So, I really wanted a Jordan tattoo for a long time. When I first wanted a tattoo, I just wanted a Jordan sign. But, as you look around, it’s like you have to be different. A Jordan sign is not going to do anything. It’s not really creative. So when I did it, I wanted to do something creative that no one has done. I haven’t seen a sneaker on anyone. If I’m going to do a Jordan tattoo, I’m going to do it. I’m going to have the artist go all out with details. I wanted to make sure when you glance at my leg or quickly peek at it, you know it’s Michael Jordan. You don’t have to think twice or squint your eyes. You know it’s Mike.

Nice Kicks: How long did the whole design process take?

Chris: I got them all done at one time. He did the whole sleeve at one time, but he did the whole thing in sessions. He did the sneakers first. Then, he did the box. Next, he did the back with the portrait. He did them all in like three sessions. Altogether, it took about 15 hours for 3-4 sessions.

“My tattoos are like me expressing myself. It’s a lifestyle type of thing. So, I told myself, I was going to get something that represents me.” – Chris Washington

Nice Kicks: So, you have Air Jordans 1-14 tatted on you. Which Air Jordan model was the most difficult for Derrick to draw?

Chris: It would either be the Air Jordan 3 or the Air Jordan 8. For the 3s, he had to put the concrete design on them. So, he didn’t want to make the lines too close together or too far apart. He wanted them to look exactly alike. As for the 8s, it has the sides/swirls, and the tongue is actually broken into the shape that they have on the actual Air Jordan 8 model. If you look at the black tattoos, they’re not actually that really dark black that you see on the tattoos. He used a shader to show you that they’re black, but he didn’t want to lose details. On the Air Jordan 4s and Air Jordan 5s, you can see the mesh. I even have lacelocks on some of them. So, he really didn’t use a hard black. He used a shadow.

Nice Kicks: From our understanding, tattoos tend to hurt depending on where they land. Which Air Jordan model pained you the most in this 15-hour process.

Chris: The one that hurt the most is the Air Jordan 14 tattoo because it’s right by my ankle. The thing about my tattoos is, when you get them in spots where you don’t usually hit, or rub, or touch, it hurts the most because the skin is so thin in those spots. So, it would have to be the 14s on my ankle. That one hurt the most.

To read page 2 of the interview click here.