We had the pleasure of sitting down with Volkan Demirci, an artist celebrated for his surrealism and modern Japanese tattooing, to watch him bring a vibrant, painterly piece to life.
Volkan creates a bold tattoo that looks like a polaroid framed painting taped onto the skin - complete with bright brush strokes and striking contrasts. This unique design perfectly showcases his mastery of spraying techniques, layering, and colour packing, giving the tattoo depth, texture, and lasting vibrancy.
Catch the full tutorial below!
What Is a Colour Illustration Tattoo?
A colour illustration tattoo is a vibrant, expressive style inspired by paintings, drawings, and storybook imagery, often involving bold outlines and a rich, colourful pallet. Rather than striving for exact realism, this style embraces stylised shapes, vivid colours, and dynamic compositions that bring designs to life with personality and depth.
This style relies on careful technique, combining layered shading, smooth gradients, and precise colour packing. Volkan demonstrates how he builds a design step-by-step, using spraying motions and thoughtful pigment layering to achieve depth, vibrancy, and seamless transitions. His framed, painterly tattoo is a perfect example of how technical skill transforms a colourful sketch into a polished, long-lasting illustration on skin.
What Equipment and Inks Do You Need for a Colour Illustration Tattoo?
- Machine: Volkan works with the Ink Machines - Cobra Tattoo Machine for consistent control during spraying and layering.
- Inks: He chooses a variety of World Famous Tattoo Inks to layer smoothly and blend easily so they stay vivid over time. He mixes black and white inks to make his own Opaque grey shade.
- Needles & Cartridges: Using a combination of Kwadron cartridges, Volkan executes both fine gradients and dense, even colour packing.
Product Highlights
Check out the tattoo supplies Volkan used to create his colour illustration tattoo:
[product skus="INKMACH-COBRA-UNI-BLK,SIL-ICUPS,KWCS-35SEMMT,KWCS-35RSMT,KWCS-35RLMT,LTSW,WFI-BLKLIN”]
