Artistic Flow   Because reality is only an illusion

This is a few months old at photo time and I probably shoulda lotioned it before taking the pic. It serves it’s purpose though.
Logging Truck obviously, cool one to do. Not very big. Totally liked doing it and glad I got to see the healed version.

No grey washing on this, all was done with a small liner in a pencil and ink style with straight up undiluted ink so it will last till the end of time without blurring out like a lot of washed pieces do after a bunch of years. Not picking on grey washes, I’, usually doing it that way myself day to day, but it gives an artificial appearance of details. This type of tattooing is times taking, looks a bit different, and because it is lacking those washes can’t get all smeared looking. Much prefer this over the other because of that. Washes are quick and easy though. It is also the look most people currently want. I see a F-ton by newer tattooers that are extremely overdone. They have no clue how they will look in twenty years. They will if they keep at it, but if not they’ll just think “I did awesome” while having no clue. I see so many tattoos these days on people under thirty that look like their tattoos are dang near as old as them.

There is a saying may tattooers have that goes “Bold will hold.” There is truth in it, but really what it is we see is that those base lines hold. Doesn’t matter if they are bold. There is no bold here, but it is if ripped apart all lines. Over many years it will soften and fade a bit, but will always remain readable and have detail. The same image treated in the way most blackwork tattooing is done now that is not big and bold would at this point appear more detailed at a glance because of tonal values being used to create the illusion of depth and detail. Over time though as those tattoos age they lose a lot of that and kinda meld together. The grey styles used with just a singular wash and mixed with traditional shading hold better than the ones with multiple wash mixes. You see five different levels instead of just two on the tattooers station you can bet it will be a smear long before it’s time unless it is a tattoo that is also done with very bold lines and low amounts of actual detail. Those lines will hold. It’ll make the rest work. I enjoy tiny detail, and I like thin detailed sketch like lines over the sharpie marker look so many are into currently. I enjoy the use of drawing skills while working. Every detail is drawn in when looking at the above image. No coloring book type shade and fill. It feels rewarding to do a piece in this style.

Drawbacks to this type of work? If a client doesn’t like the feel of line work it sucks. On the other hand some people like that feeling and hate the feel of shading and coloring. Could go either way. It takes more time than doing standard washes of feathering in quick shade. It is tedious so it isn’t quick. That makes it a bit more costly usually. This one for example was a pretty fast one off session, but I could have done two of them in the same time if I’d pulled out a mag and used some watered down ink. It also would have in a ways look more detailed to a majority of people. Ten years from now it’d still look cool. It wouldn’t look like this one will though.

Not dogging on washes btw. I do that style more often. It is the style people want right now. It is good styles change and trends come and go. I’ve worked through a lot of trends. They keep things interesting. This style is more fun for me though. It also calls on those illustration skills. Most tattooing doesn’t.

Anyways, enough blah blah about the style. My next client is also black and grey, but done with no liner, just a mag shader, and washes will be happening. I’ll let him read this if he is into it and we’ll talk about how the two styles differ and the benefits of each in much greater detail than I just did if he’s interested.