For this tattoo I created the design almost entirely digitally. Although my approach remains that of an illustrator, I rarely complete tattoo designs as fully finished illustrations ready for print. I usually create something defined enough for me and the client, knowing I’ll be able to refine the work directly on the skin.
In this case, though, I decided to push the level of detail, partly to get familiar with my new Wacom Cintiq 24 HD. Over the years I’ve tried various digital drawing tools, but this is the first time I’ve had something that lets me draw almost like on paper.
Back to the tattoo: the client wanted to combine his love for music and his instrument, the bass, with his love for nature. For the roses I used my mother’s garden as a reference, while for the ibis I worked from photographs taken during my last holiday. That way those flowers can be guaranteed to be unique, rather than traced from images downloaded off the internet.
Something the client told me that made me smile: when his grandmother found out he was getting a tattoo, she burst into tears. Now that she’s seen the finished work, every time he visits she asks him to roll up his sleeve so she can look at it, because she’s fallen in love with it.
As I always say: the problem isn’t prejudice about tattoos. It’s quality.
Below, alongside the tattoo, a video of the healed result and some close-up details.
