What realism means here
Realism copies how light falls on a subject. Instead of a hard outline, the image is built from soft shading, fine texture and deep blacks that give it depth. In our archive that means a lion with amber eyes across a full back, Zeus carved like marble on an upper arm, a sleeping ginger cat on a forearm and a child's face from a family photograph.
We work mostly in black and grey, adding colour only where it carries meaning: the eyes, a wash of blue behind a fox, the warm fur of a cat.
Placement and size
Realism needs room. Detail that reads at 15 cm turns to mud at 4 cm, so we size realism generously and place it where the skin is wide and flat.
| Placement | Typical size | Works best for |
|---|---|---|
| Full back | 40 to 60 cm | Lions, wolves, scenes with several figures |
| Upper arm | 15 to 25 cm | Portraits, gods, statues |
| Forearm | 10 to 18 cm | Pets, a single face, small animals |
| Thigh | 20 to 30 cm | Animals, cover-ups of older work |
How the sessions go
A palm-sized pet portrait usually takes one sitting of around 3 to 5 hours. A half sleeve takes 2 to 4 sittings, and a full back like our lion or wolf runs to 6 or more, spaced a few weeks apart so the skin settles between layers.
Bring the sharpest, largest photo you have. We draw from it rather than tracing it, so the composition fits the shape of your arm, back or leg.
Healing realism
Soft grey shading is the first thing to fade in the sun. Keep a new realism piece out of direct sun for the first month and use a high-SPF sunscreen once it has healed: realism lives on its contrast.
More on healing in our day-by-day aftercare guide.
