01 / Watercolour · Fantasy · A project in progress
We weren't starting with blank skin
At the start of the reel, I show the drawing we'd already done and point out a part that had healed. The skulls and their elements are recognisable before all this colour arrives: they don't appear from nowhere in the final photo.
That's why I don't tell this as a cover-up of someone else's tattoo or as an entire piece done in one sitting. The video documents the continuation of a project and its colour stage.
02 / Watercolour · Fantasy · A project in progress
Skulls, yes. With a playful side
The composition brings together little skulls with different expressions, hats, flowers and small details. One winks, others face forwards, and colour runs through both the figures and the spaces between them.
Pinks and purples mix with blues, yellows and greens. Not everything has equal weight: the dark eye sockets still define the faces, while washes and surrounding details open the drawing out along the arm.
03 / Watercolour · Fantasy · A project in progress
And the hearts? Purple
At the end, I ask what colour the hearts should be, and the answer is purple. It's a small decision within a large piece, but it shows that talking about colour means more than just asking for a colourful tattoo.
Notice which tones repeat, where the contrasts are and how the details accompany the figures. Pointing those things out in a reference helps me more than only naming a style.
04 / Watercolour · Fantasy · A project in progress
Does your tattoo need to continue, rather than disappear?
This case may help if you're thinking about adding colour to a piece you've already started. Send a full photo and tell me which part is finished, what you want to keep and the colour change you imagine.
Any proposal needs to be considered against your actual drawing. These images show a specific stage of my work: they're not a promise that every tattoo can be coloured the same way, or a comparison between a fresh result and a photo years later.