the process of large scale tattooing

We press on... Continuing work I started a while ago, today my two clients and I will be making a hard push toward the finish line. These mid stages of large scale tattoo work are what I find to be the hardest. As a client you have left the previous session with sometimes just a framework of what the tattoo will end up being. At this stage it's easy to get discouraged, especially in a busy shop like Off the Map because it can sometimes be a couple months before you can get back in for another round. That time away can also make it hard on the artist because we have spent so much time away from the tattoo thinking of other projects that we can lose site of the intention for the piece, which makes for a slow start to a session and more time in the chair.
I do my best to combat this scenario by keeping a couple in progress pics on my phone or computer to be able to review the images before the appointment date and once again bring our intentions back to the front of my mind. In doing so I can set up goals for the day ahead that will allow me to make huge leaps in progress from session to session. Not only does this allow me to finish the tattoo more efficiently but it keeps my clients excited to get back. Every sitting evolves the image so much that both artist and collector can't wait to see what happens next.