Cover-up through literati painting — ink-wash pine over an old tattoo.
Rather than covering the old tattoo with heavy darkness, this cover-up was built by redirecting its flow through the pine trunk and ink-like washes.
Instead of describing the subject in a strictly realistic way, I approached it through the expressive language of literati painting — focusing on the meaning and atmosphere carried by the pine tree.
The direction of the branches, the contrast between light and dark ink tones, and the density of the pine needles were used to create the overall mood.
The pine tree was arranged to follow the natural side line of the body, while the traces of the previous tattoo were worked into the deepest, darkest parts of the ink expression.
View the full piece — Pine Tree Cover-up on Onsil Ink →
