The making of a tattoo

As you might know one of the things I really enjoy doing is designing tattoos. I enjoy the process and the close interaction with the client. My last tattoo design was done for this beautiful lady and I want to share the process with you.

Medusa by Kimberly Crick

V. contacted me because she had seen my Goddess Tattoo and wanted something in the same style, but unique. She knew very much what she wanted and was very specific about it which made my life

easier because it got me designing with a very clear direction in mind. She showed me an image by artist Kimberly Crick that she really liked and wanted it to be the basis for my illustration. She also mentioned she wanted a moon, a Celtic knot, maybe a star and three flowers in the illustration: Marigold, rose and lotus. So I searched for references of those images both as illustrations and as photos:

Samples of references used in the making of Flowers Goddess tattoo. The image showing la Catrina in "Dia de los Muertos" belongs to artist Kiriko Moth http://kiriko-moth.com/blog/ and has been used to study the flow of marigold petals only.

I did a few sketches and send them to her. For her to choose from. At this point the sketches are unrefined but they show the placement of different objects we could use in the final composition.

Rough preliminary sketches. (c) Constanza Ehrenhaus.

This is the moment in which my adrenaline is running high. I always fear that I completely missed the point and the client will not want any of the sketches, that I will be sent back to the drawing board with empty hands trying to reinvent the concept. Luckily, V. was happy with the images and we got to mix and match sketches 1,2 and 3.

Flowers Goddess sketch for V (c) Constanza Erenhaus 2010

I reorganized the parts and inked the sketch we arrived to. I think the vines on her hair are lost in the strands of hair.  My client wanted the Goddess to have a rhinoplasty and lips enhancement and to have the lotus to look more real, since the flowers were a crucial part of the tattoo.

I reworked the image and offered her two options for the lotus. Finally we got to the final image, which I am very proud of

Flowers Goddess tattoo (c) Constanza Ehrenhaus.

Now the next step is completely not in my hands, which is to find a good tattoo artist. The election of a good (as opposed to cheap) tattoo artist not only takes into consideration hygiene but also the fact that you will not end in World Ugliest Tattoos (NSFW). Fortunately V. found an excellent artist and now she has a beautiful rendition of this design.

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This is all for now! Enjoy the lovely Spring weather!

tattoo on V's skin. I love it!

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Medusa image by Kimberly Crick

Dia de los Muertos image by Kiriko Moth