Steve Butcher Reinventing the Tattoo Chapter: Tattooing Realistic Focus Effects

Posted on Thu, October 11, 2018 Nobody does focus effects like New Zealand realist Steve Butcher, who has been seizing the world's attention with his eye-popping portraits and wildlife tattoos, with his sports action portraits being some of his most stand-out work. We recently had a chance to interview Steve and get some insights into the thinking and technical processes that go into creating effective focal fields on skin. He shared everything from his stenciling to needle choices and use of color, providing realists with a chance to expand their language and incorporate focus, which can make a piece look like it came straight from a camera. Focal fields are a type of contrast, which makes it possible to selectively make certain elements stand out while others drop back. You can read more about Steve’s groundbreaking technique in the Contrast chapters of your ReinventingTheTattoo.com subscription. #tattoo #focus #realism #portraits #tattooportrait #education #tattooeducation