Okay, so I saw this picture of Alexander Volkov’s back tattoo, and I was like, “Damn, that’s a serious piece of work.” I’ve always been fascinated by tattoos, especially the big, bold ones, and Volkov’s is definitely up there. It’s this massive samurai, all detailed and fierce-looking. I figured, “Why not give it a shot myself?” Not the actual tattooing, of course, but trying to recreate it as a drawing. So I got started right away, you know?
Getting Started
First things first, I pulled up as many pictures as I could find of Volkov’s tattoo. It was actually kind of tough because a lot of the shots were from a distance or at weird angles. But I managed to find a few good close-ups that showed most of the details. I then grabbed my sketchbook and pencils.
The Sketching Process
I started with a rough outline, just to get the basic shape and proportions down. It was pretty challenging, I won’t lie. Getting the samurai’s posture and the flow of his robe just right took a few tries. Then I started filling in the details. This is where those close-up photos really came in handy. I focused on getting the armor plates, the sword, and the facial features as accurate as possible. It was slow going, but I was determined to get it right. I worked and erased and redid for a whole week.
- Outlining: This took about two days. I kept erasing and redrawing until I was satisfied.
- Detailing: This was the most time-consuming part. I spent a solid three days just on the armor details.
- Shading: Once the details were down, I moved on to shading. This really brought the drawing to life. I added shadows and highlights to give it depth and dimension. It took me two days to do all the shading.
Finishing Up
After a lot of hours and a few sore fingers, I finally finished the drawing. I stepped back and took a good look at it. I was pretty stoked with how it turned out! It wasn’t a perfect replica, but I think I captured the essence of Volkov’s tattoo. It was a fun and challenging project, and I learned a lot in the process. Maybe I’ll tackle another complex tattoo next time. Any suggestions?
