Dragon Backpiece

More progress on the dragon /cover up...

This time around we got the scales drawn in and outlined on the middle body section (it will end up going over the right buttock and down the back of the thigh) and started the shading.

 Doing a big dragon is super fun, but the shading was something I was really looking forward to doing on this one.  It's a style of doing background that I've been wanting to experiment with, but haven't really had the right piece to do it on until now.

I'm really attracted to the look of the stippled (dotted) edges, and it's a direct riff off of the original Kuniyoshi Suikoden prints.  I've always found it a bit strange that his landmark series of those tattooed outlaw prints is accepted as some of the first inspiration for popularity of full body Japanese tattooing, but you rarely see background done in the original style that he did.  Here's an example...

I really love how organic and strong this look is.  I very much enjoy the style of background I usually do, and am always trying to perfect and evolve it, but there is a rawness this older style that I want to experiment with and do more of in the future...