Portraits
Having a portrait of a loved one, an iconic figure in your life or a beloved pet is becoming a popular way of showing dedication or providing a tangible means of remembering them.
It goes almost without saying, that it is vitally important to ensure that the portrait is an accurate likeness of the subject.
It is vital to choose an artist that has a good reputation for this style of work.
Portraiture really does need an artist’s eye to make it come to life.
There are other considerations to also take into account:
Positioning – The flatter the body surface the better the effect will be, as it is possible to see more or all of the piece rather than some of it disappearing around a corner or falling into a dip or recess.
Sizing – The positioning will have an impact on the size as will other surrounding tattoos.
There are no hard and fast ‘rules’ regarding size, but if it is too small, then that presents its own problems from the point of view of fine detail – I will always recommend and guide you regarding the optimal size.
Source Photo – It is only ever possible to work from a photograph when having a tattoo portrait done. The photo needs to be clear and of good quality – we can only draw what we can see.
The photo needs to be printed off as working from a mobile devise is not a good idea.
I am of the opinion that for portraiture, Black and Grey work produces the most pleasing results. When it has healed and settled in, it has the look of a classic B&W photograph.