TEGI PANNU’s
Spiritual Landscape Etched With Devotion at Hardwork Tattoos
There are tattoos that tell stories, and then there are tattoos that feel like entire worlds contained within a single arm. When Tegi Pannu came to our studio in 2024, he brought with him a vision so serene and meaningful that we knew from the beginning it would become one of the most emotionally layered pieces we would ever create. He wanted a composition that captured faith, remembrance, nature, and peace in one continuous flow. The image lived in his heart long before it reached our stencil paper.
The final tattoo became a landscape of devotion, built around Guru Nanak Dev Ji seated in quiet reflection. Not facing forward. Not looking at the viewer. Instead, appearing from the back, as if inviting the wearer to follow a path rather than observe from a distance. That decision shaped the entire tone of the piece. It meant humility. It meant guidance. It meant the reminder that spiritual journeys begin when one chooses to walk behind truth rather than stand in front of it.
The Vision Behind the Artwork
Tegi did not want a portrait in the traditional sense. He wanted an experience. A moment of stillness. A moment that represented how he sees spirituality in his own life. When Guru Nanak Dev Ji sits facing away, the tattoo reads like a scene the viewer is quietly stepping into. Instead of being shown wisdom directly, the viewer witnesses the place where wisdom rests.
From this foundation, the rest of the tattoo grew naturally.
- A waterfall flowing beneath the rock.
- A tree leaning gently to the side.
- A rose emerging from the clouds.
- A dove gliding below with open wings.
Each element added emotional depth and symbolic meaning. Spirituality at the top. Nature in the middle. Love and peace grounding the base. The idea was clear. The execution needed to respect that clarity with equal devotion.
Setting the Studio for a Work of Faith
There are tattoos that tell stories, and then there are tattoos that feel like entire worlds contained within a single arm. When Tegi Pannu came to our studio in 2024, he brought with him a vision so serene and meaningful that we knew from the beginning it would become one of the most emotionally layered pieces we would ever create. He wanted a composition that captured faith, remembrance, nature, and peace in one continuous flow. The image lived in his heart long before it reached our stencil paper.
The final tattoo became a landscape of devotion, built around Guru Nanak Dev Ji seated in quiet reflection. Not facing forward. Not looking at the viewer. Instead, appearing from the back, as if inviting the wearer to follow a path rather than observe from a distance. That decision shaped the entire tone of the piece. It meant humility. It meant guidance. It meant the reminder that spiritual journeys begin when one chooses to walk behind truth rather than stand in front of it.
Beginning With the Highest Point: Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Harmeet Singh started the design at the top, shaping the back-facing figure of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Capturing a revered spiritual figure from behind required sensitivity. The posture had to feel humble and contemplative. The folds of the robe needed gentle movement, not rigidity. The turban required clean, respectful structure.
Most importantly, the silhouette needed to convey presence without the need for facial features. That alone made the tattoo feel contemplative. It became less about identifying the figure and more about feeling the energy of the moment.
Behind him, the halo rose softly. Not as a dramatic burst of light. Not as a sharp circle. Instead, as a quiet illumination, representing guidance that does not demand attention but offers direction to anyone willing to look.
Building the Spiritual Environment
Around Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the natural world began forming. A tree leaned slightly to the right, shaped with textured branches and shaded leaves. Trees in spiritual tattoos often represent life cycles, stability, and grounding. This one played a second role as well. It framed the scene, creating the sense of a secluded moment in nature.
Below the figure, the rocks and flowing waterfall created movement. Water in tattoos represents cleansing, truth, and flow. In this composition, it became the transition between divine presence and earthly experience. The waterfall connected the upper spiritual energy with the lower emotional symbols.
As the waterfall took shape, with layered shading and depth, the tattoo began to feel like a living scene rather than a collection of symbols. It carried motion. It carried breath. It carried serenity.
The Rose Rising From Clouds
The next stage focused on the rose. This part of the tattoo held emotional weight for Tegi. Roses dedicated to mothers always do. They symbolize tenderness, memory, and the love that remains long after physical presence fades.
Surrounding the rose, clouds formed a soft bed that tied the spiritual world above to the emotional world below. Clouds offer transitions in tattoo storytelling. They soften boundaries.
They create harmony between sections. For this piece, they gave the rose a place to bloom without feeling rooted in earth or detached from the scene above.
The rose itself was drawn with realism and depth, each petal layered through slow, careful shading. It needed softness that contrasted with the rocky textures near the waterfall. It needed fullness, because love remembered always grows. It needed presence, because a mother’s memory holds central space in a person’s life.
Completing the Story With the Dove
At the bottom of the tattoo, the dove appeared with open wings. This final symbol tied everything together emotionally. It represented peace, purity, and love that moves freely. The positioning of the dove, slightly angled, created a feeling of movement that grounded the entire vertical composition.
Where the top of the tattoo held stillness, the bottom held gentle motion. This balance allowed the piece to feel alive from every angle.
What This Tattoo Means to Us
At Hardwork Tattoos, we believe tattoos become meaningful not through complexity, but through intention. This piece carried the kind of intention that artists remember long after the session ends. Creating it required not only technique but emotional presence. It asked for patience. It asked for sincerity. It asked for respect.
We are grateful that Tegi trusted us with something so sacred. His tattoo represents a spiritual truth many people carry quietly. A truth that says guidance exists for those willing to follow it. A truth that says nature reflects the cycles of life. A truth that says love remains long after absence. A truth that says peace is a choice we make again and again.
This tattoo now lives on his skin, but its meaning lives far beyond the artwork. It is a reminder of faith. A remembrance of love. A commitment to inner peace.
And it stands as one of the pieces that reflect why Hardwork Tattoos exists. To honor stories worth remembering. To protect emotions worth preserving. To create art grounded in devotion.