So, once again, I’ve taken a huge break from posting. I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last sat down to deal with the blog, but time flies and there simply never seems to be a moment to spare! I do have some new thoughts and projects and perhaps some new additions for the blog, so we’ll see! For now, though, an actual post!
I thought I would show you some progression shots of a larger tattoo, from study onward. This is an ongoing project, so you’ll see what’s been accomplished so far. I have included the initial study for the tattoo, which was a very general sketch overlaid on a photograph of the clients leg, to show part of the planning process. I placed a stencil for the main body of the octopus based on this sketch and then drew the majority of the tentacles and all of the water directly on the leg, tattooing those on over the first two sessions.
I knew that I would’nt be able to account for all of the geography of the leg in my drawing, so I was prepared to do alot of drawing on the body for this particular tattoo. I certainly don’t draw all of or even most of my tattoos on skin, but for some projects it is the most effective way to approach the design, making sure that the tattoo is complete and full and that the drawing works with the shapes of the body as much as possible.
We have begun the long coloring process: for now focusing on rich reds of the outer body. There is quite a bit to go and this project is likely to take until late summer or fall for completion. Fortunately, because my client is an extremely tough guy and is able to sit for a long session for each appointment, we are making good progress each time we tackle the project. I’ll try to post again to show how we are moving along, so stay tuned!
Octopus in progress
full leg octopus from start to first stage of color
