Tattoos & Art by: DAVID EKSTROM: FULL back tattoo of SKULL and abstract biomechanical stufffff (whole progression, tons of photos and stuff you could see on how i did what i did :)

Apparently i documented the entire process because of the energy i had during it was pretty positive, matt lets me do whatever i want on him, unless he feels shitty, then we work on his arms.. but i just freehanded the tattoo on, and chipped away at it, probably a year and a half in the making, which happens with large peices, money, and how stupid my schedule is. IT should go without saying that... if a tattoo artists wants to do the tattoo, he invests himself in it, and does the best he can because it becomes a personal level of achievement. it helps when the clients not a jerk, too.... Looking to do more full LOUD back peices like this in the future, tattoos that develope and enrichen with the time i work on them, and are open to rendering like a painting. if anyone here is as open as matt, please speak up, you'll take priority over ridged clients that control me and get in the way of me doing my job.

Marker drawing, he literly came in and said "What do you want to do today??" i started laser on my back, because i didnt like how it fit my body, 1/3rd of my back has recieved 5-6 laser sessions to lighten it to the poinjt there i can have a n ice back tatoo. totally worth it, except, unlike matt and his american stansards, bu tattooed my full ass... as well., i mag lined this tattoo to keep it loose, and build up the darkness of those lines for later when i actually lined the tattoo, it looked super rough in its first ctages, which, was.. actually very freeing, and fun, linework right aeay can feel very STIFF, and oldschool, it leaves no room to grow, because lines are ususally so very saturated and chrisp, after reading parts of nick baxers methods, and guy atchisons (both of who i extremely look up too) i decided to try it on a more massivr scale.

Second session! blocking the general stuff out with a 25 mag needle (well, #8, so 33...) yeah .. lower maw/ jaw area.. obvusally.. where its blank, getting the whole idea roiched out is the first priority, and then massive ammounts of fine tuneing, and layers afterwards.

finally adding in some more detailed layers since the general bulk is mocked up, realize, this thing had alot of non direction when i started it, no refrences, all comeing out of my brain, so there was alot of developing and idea, and seeing how it mates with everything else

mmmm, tieing a back peice into thr shoulder caps of sleeves is such a artistic boner, i like a whole look, with ebverything, full fluid coverage, it makes it look mire like it actually fits :D!!!

biomech skull full back tattoo in progress

more loer MAW work, details and stuff, building blacks up

my second layer of black in all the main areas, you can see these side to side, and how much of a diffrent look it makes,,, BLACK ON BLACK ON BLACK / artist intuition.

FINALLY starting to throw in linework, with some white highlights, a fuck off #12 18 round shaders my best freind for larger projects like thid guy, lovvvvr]eeeeeeeeeee it:)