Best of Day and second place in black and grey at the Bologna Tattoo Expo
I’ve just returned from the tattoo convention in Bologna, and I’m still overwhelmed by the experience. I won two huge trophies. One was almost a meter tall and about half a meter wide, and the second one was smaller. These were awards for Best of Day and for the Female Black and Grey category.
I came to the convention with my model from Tomsk, Natalia. On stage she was very nervous, but in the end all the judges’ attention was focused on her and her tattoo. About half of her body is already covered, if not more, and we are still continuing the project.
It is a large-scale Black and Grey project in the style of Japanese realism. The foundation is traditional Japanese imagery done in a realistic manner. Natalia has two fully tattooed sleeves, a fully covered back with a large samurai, a dragon on one thigh, and on the other a geisha and a samurai looking at each other with affection. Between them are dragons, fans, flowers, and other details, all brought together into one cohesive full-body suit.
The project actually started from a very simple idea. Natalia originally came in wanting a small rose on her shoulder or shoulder blade, I do not remember exactly. But after about an hour-long consultation, we moved from a small rose to a full sleeve. Over time, that sleeve kept growing. We added a second sleeve, started connecting everything through the back, and introduced new elements. At a certain point, when one sleeve was already finished, it became clear that a project of this scale needed to be taken to conventions and shown on stage.
The nearest convention was planned for about six months later. During that time, we managed to refine the back and add more elements. After that, everything gained momentum. Wherever we brought this project, whether in Russia or in Italy, we consistently won awards. For her, it was always a major event. For me, it was confirmation that the hours and effort invested were being seen and appreciated. One of the trophies weighed around 30 kilograms, and I had to ship it by mail, which turned into a separate adventure.
Natalia is truly impressive. Not everyone is ready to go such a long distance, dedicate their time, and travel to another country just to present a tattoo that the artist spent dozens of hours working on. I would love to have more clients like that. People who are not shy, who trust the artist, and who are ready to take projects together to the big stage.
At the same convention in Bologna, another one of my works also placed. An Italian girl signed up, and working with her was amusing. At that time, I barely spoke English, so we mostly communicated through gestures. I still do not fully understand how we managed to understand each other so clearly, but we approved the design fairly quickly.
We placed a black-and-grey portrait of her dog on her thigh. In one session, about six hours, we covered almost the entire thigh. I had a feeling that this piece would stand out. As I walked around the convention, I noticed many artists doing small tattoos and focusing on quantity. Against that background, one large, dense black-and-grey realism piece on a thigh stood out immediately. That is how we ended up taking Best of Day.
Right now, I am preparing for the next convention. It will be in Germany, in a small town called Lörrach. I plan to compete for awards again and will most likely continue focusing on Black and Grey. Germany appreciates black-and-grey realism, so it makes sense to keep pushing in that direction.
Follow my travels. See you soon.
I came to the convention with my model from Tomsk, Natalia. On stage she was very nervous, but in the end all the judges’ attention was focused on her and her tattoo. About half of her body is already covered, if not more, and we are still continuing the project.
It is a large-scale Black and Grey project in the style of Japanese realism. The foundation is traditional Japanese imagery done in a realistic manner. Natalia has two fully tattooed sleeves, a fully covered back with a large samurai, a dragon on one thigh, and on the other a geisha and a samurai looking at each other with affection. Between them are dragons, fans, flowers, and other details, all brought together into one cohesive full-body suit.
The project actually started from a very simple idea. Natalia originally came in wanting a small rose on her shoulder or shoulder blade, I do not remember exactly. But after about an hour-long consultation, we moved from a small rose to a full sleeve. Over time, that sleeve kept growing. We added a second sleeve, started connecting everything through the back, and introduced new elements. At a certain point, when one sleeve was already finished, it became clear that a project of this scale needed to be taken to conventions and shown on stage.
The nearest convention was planned for about six months later. During that time, we managed to refine the back and add more elements. After that, everything gained momentum. Wherever we brought this project, whether in Russia or in Italy, we consistently won awards. For her, it was always a major event. For me, it was confirmation that the hours and effort invested were being seen and appreciated. One of the trophies weighed around 30 kilograms, and I had to ship it by mail, which turned into a separate adventure.
Natalia is truly impressive. Not everyone is ready to go such a long distance, dedicate their time, and travel to another country just to present a tattoo that the artist spent dozens of hours working on. I would love to have more clients like that. People who are not shy, who trust the artist, and who are ready to take projects together to the big stage.
At the same convention in Bologna, another one of my works also placed. An Italian girl signed up, and working with her was amusing. At that time, I barely spoke English, so we mostly communicated through gestures. I still do not fully understand how we managed to understand each other so clearly, but we approved the design fairly quickly.
We placed a black-and-grey portrait of her dog on her thigh. In one session, about six hours, we covered almost the entire thigh. I had a feeling that this piece would stand out. As I walked around the convention, I noticed many artists doing small tattoos and focusing on quantity. Against that background, one large, dense black-and-grey realism piece on a thigh stood out immediately. That is how we ended up taking Best of Day.
Right now, I am preparing for the next convention. It will be in Germany, in a small town called Lörrach. I plan to compete for awards again and will most likely continue focusing on Black and Grey. Germany appreciates black-and-grey realism, so it makes sense to keep pushing in that direction.
Follow my travels. See you soon.