Tribal Tattoo Design

Nigerian Igbo Tribal Style Tattoo Design

The Backstory

So I got an email out of the blue from Adrian at Studio 73 in Brixton saying that a customer had walked in claiming to have got a tattoo of one of his artists work on her neck and he thought it might be one of mine. To my amazement he was right!

This lady had a lioness which I'd drawn several years ago prominently (and permanently) inked on her neck. Admittedly, it was never intended for this purpose so I was in two minds as to whether or not I liked it. Was I proud or just plain flattered?

Anyway, the following week I mentioned this to a friend (Tracey) who confided that she was seriously considering getting inked herself (after many years toying with the idea).
"Want me to design it for you?" I joked. "Yeah alright" she replied, deadly serious.

The Brief

Tracey wanted a scorpion on her upper arm to represent her star sign. A little nervous about permanently marking one of my best friends with something crap, I took the challenge very seriously.

I did some research and opted to go down the tribal route. Inspired by her Nigerian / Igbo heritage, I put together some initial ideas and we had our first meeting. First drafts were given an initial nod, but a little refining was needed to make it perfect for a lifetime's wear. I took into account the fact that she was worried about the pain, and didn't want all the areas to be filled in. It was also going to be a small tattoo so needed to be bold enough to look good at a reduced size, and to show up well on her skin tone.
Igbo design elements of water & strength were also incorporated into the claws & body of the scorpion. The final design was presented and she was thrilled.

Knowing that I'd never designed a tattoo before, I was pleased that she was going to get it checked by a pro. Enter Chris Hewish at "The Family Business" in swanky London Town.

The Tattoo

Chris Hewish is a tattoo artist with tonnes of experience including some with darker skin. He'd come recommended and was perfect to approach for Tracey's inking.
Expecting that some of my design might need to be modified in order that it was suitable for the needle, I was stoked when Trace came back a few weeks later, not only with the tattoo (looking amazing), but with praise for my design and no changes at all other than a little tidy up of lines.
As you can see from the photo, it's still healing but I'm sure you'll agree Chris' work is superb.
And this experience has certainly made me approach other design projects in a different light.

See my portfolio for other design work or my art website for more personal art.