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When it comes to the large size tattoo projects, so many people ask, "how long did THAT take", or, "did you do that all at once?". So I decided to present the process of a large tattoo, step by step, from beginning to end. In addition, this tattoo project also has a MAJOR cover-up of the almost-always-regretted Big Tribal Tattoo. This page will be updated as often as I work on the tattoo (almost every 7 to 14 days), so remember to check back often to follow the progress of this tattoo in the making.
ENJOY!
My client Kyle contacted me months ago from his home in Washingon and asked me for a whole arm sleeve, but also presented the hellish task of wanting to cover up a large tribal arm piece, gotten years ago during the whole tribal tattoo fad. He asked for something Asian, but allowed me full creative room (thank God) to put together an idea for him. I loved the Asian concept, but didnt want to do the whole traditional Koi, lotus flower, huge dragon, etc. that has been done over and over (not that there's anything wrong with that). I wanted to use mostly people and animals, and create a balance of images just as Asian art often depicts - good and evil, strength and grace, beauty and the beast, etc. Yin & Yang.
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Since he was about1,200
miles away, we did most of the initial preparation over the internet,
with him first sending me a photo of his arm showing the traibal
tattoo to be covered, along with full measurements of the tribal
tattoo.
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Next, I took a guess and
estimated his arm to be about the size of my coworker Bob's arm,
so I traced his arm and began my outline drawing.
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On the upper portion of
the arm, I put together an image of a beautiful geisha woman,
yet strong enough to go face to face with the seemingly invincible
dragon. The complexity and flow of the dragon will help dramatically
in covering up the majority of the tribal tattoo. The lower half
of the tattoo would have the strength and mystery of the tiger
hiding in the bamboo, along with the peace and beauty of the cranes
wading in the reflecting pool. The tribal tattoo is marked in
yellow and the red dot shows where the elbow would be.
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DAY 1 - May 27
| First, the stencil was laid out then the outlines were set in. Normally, I wouldnt do so many strong outlines on a design like this -I tend to like to work without outlines on many of my projects (see tiger below), but because of the cover up, the need to put large amounts of white to cover the tribal tattoo, the illustrated style of the dragon, etc. I did more outling than I normally would. But the strength of the outline will diminish and not be so prominent as the tattoo progresses. |
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After the outline for the upper arm was complete, I then went in and packed white over the areas of the old tribal tattoo that I didnt want to interfere with the new design. I left some of the old tattoo that would be dark or black in the final design to make my job easier. Total time for day 1 : 3 hrs |
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DAY 2 - June 3
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Since we are under time restraints to finish his tattoo, Kyle will come in every week or two and I will work on new areas while the other, more recently worked areas have time to heal. This time, I focused on the tiger on the outer forearm. I did this in one session without outlines for a more natural look, with the bamboo in more of a simplified, greytone effect, as opposed to the realism of the tiger. Total time for day 2 : 3 1/2 hrs |
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DAY 3 - June 17
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This time I focused on laying out the colors and base work on the geisha woman. When a client has the opportunity to return on a large project, I often like to lay in base tones and colors and then do the super detail later on. The Geisha's gown and apparel will be filled with ornate detail in a later session. Total time for day 3 : 4 hrs |
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DAY 4 - June 24
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While alot of the upper arm needed time to heal properly, I began work on the inside of the lower arm, the Cranes wading in water. We only had a few hours to work on it today, so I didn't have time to work on the Pagoda in the background. But at least the body and bulk of the inner design got worked on. Total time for day 4 : 2 1/2 hrs |
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DAY 5 - July 6
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This time I put all my attention to filling in the dragon while the rest of the lower arm continued to heal fully. i laid out all the main colors and some of the shadowing, but I'll focus on the detailed shadowing and other little things after the color heals. I also had a little time to put some little details into the woman's gown and belt. Total time for day 5 : 3 1/2 hrs |
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DAY 6 - July 15
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This is the 2nd to last session so it was important that I focus on any large areas that are not laid out and completed for the most part. This time, I focused on the last main object I had yet to finish - the Japanese Pagoda and the sky behind the cranes . I also cleaned up around the grasses and cranes to sharpen up their edges and contrast to their surroundings. I also spent some time working along the edge of the upper arm (not shown). Total time for day 6 : 3 hrs |
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DAY 7 - July 30
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The final touches were done - cleaning up some edges, darkening a few spots, adding a little color, etc. Overall, it's a chance to look over your entire design with a fresh view and a cleared head, make sure nothing was forgotten and everything is looking the way you wanted it to. Total time for day 7 : 1 1/2 hrs TOTAL APPROX. TATTOOING TIME FOR ENTIRE PROJECT : 20 1/2 hrs. |
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