Tattoos take time. Time to decide. Time to design. And sometimes, it just takes time to be able to pay for them. For Hugh Thornton, they all came in time.
His most prominent tattoo, the warrior tribal, extends down his right arm.
“My mom used to call me ‘Little Warrior’,” explains Thornton.
“When I finally saved up enough money in college, I decided to start working on it.”
He got it in pieces and it took about 4 years to get to where it is today.
You’ll also find a crest on this arm, intertwined in the tribal.
“The family that took me in in high school, this is their family crest. When I went to college we ended up all getting the family crest somewhere.”
On his left arm is his favorite Bible verse. It reads: The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Thornton said he got it as advice to himself, right around the time of the NFL Draft.
“I was nervous and thinking about a whole bunch of stuff, but it’s not up to me what happens.”
When he turns his arm over, he’ll tell you he’s “gotta rep the chief”. He’s referring to Chief Illiniwek, the former official mascot of the University of Illinois.
“This right here: the University of Illinois,” Thornton declares.
“Lot of memories there. Good memories. Bad memories. It’s all the same. It’s where I came from.”
Thornton’s first tattoo came during his senior year of high school. It’s a Celtic cross on his left shoulder.
“Family is huge in the Celtic community. It’s in honor of my mom, Michele, and my sister, Marley.”
He just finished up his newest piece while he was in Idaho. It’s a depiction of the Arch Angel Gabriel defeating Lucifer.
“Everything in life, you’re going to have trials and tribulations. If you stay true to who you are and what you believe in, you can overcome anything.”
Like all of his current tattoos, the next one too will come in time.
