Very rarely in the tattooing business do I get to revisit any of my pieces since most of my work walks out the door, never to be seen again.   I don’t know where these one-shot tattoos go, how they heal, or who they see - so they must be done efficiently and thoroughly since usually there’s no second chance.  And who knows?  It’s out there in the world with your name on it.

Multiple sessions are a blessing.  Granted wrap around pieces like this have to be done in steps, but as someone who is pretty green to tattooing, having the experience of learning from your piece every time it comes back to see you is totally invaluable.  It gives you the opportunity to see how your work heals
(incredibly important!), and gives you the chance to layer color and revisit areas that may have reached their limit before.  That’s the thing with tattooing, there are limits to how much work you can put into skin - much like watercolor paper, with too much work your surface will start to deteriorate.    

It doesn’t hurt that my client Heidi is nothing short of wonderful, so spending a few hours on with her is no chore (also doesn’t hurt that she’s a chef, and brings me snacks…).  She essentially gave me her calf and let me do my thing, which it would seem that following my instincts is serving me well.   It’s completely my drawing, with the same figures and duality that would serve me in my artwork, and doesn’t ignore the 3rd dimension.   I couldn’t be happier with how it came together, but I can enjoy this for a minute and take what I learned and move on.   Being trusted some no-strings-attached skin doesn’t happen often!  But hopefully I can get some more projects like this in the future.  Things have been picking up at the shop after the seasonal winter slump and things are moving & happening.  Hopefully this momentum will be an indication of the coming spring…

Process shots: one, two.