This project is a tattoo design created using information given by a classmate that we randomly selected during class. I drew Richard's name from the cup and when I asked him what tattoos he was interested in, he showed me a tattoo design that involved a sculpture walking with a gun slung over the shoulder. I asked him what kind of colors he was interested in and he said he liked bright reds so I incorporated all he showed and told me into the design. 

The challenge for me was making the sculpture. I started drawing a bunch of sculpture-like sketches. My sketching skills are dreadful and in much need of work. I thought of the types of sculptures that would be interesting to make in this way and I came up with a few ideas. My first ideas were of Zeus and Poseidon, Zeus holding a nuclear warhead instead of a lightning bolt, and Poseidon holding a torpedo instead of a trident. I then thought of a cherub, or cupid, with a gun instead of a bow. Ultimately, I chose the cherub because it seemed like a more fitting design.

I first looked for sculptures of cupid and searched for an interesting sculpture that I could base my tattoo around. I found a picture of a M16A4 assault rifle and created an illustration of it by dragging the photo into Illustrator and using the Pen tool. Then I brought the tattoo into Illustrator and started drawing over it with the Pencil tool. After creating a line art version of the sculpture, I placed the gun Illustration behind it to make it seemed slung behind the cupid. Next, I brought a picture of marble that I found and placed it over the image and used the Pathfinder tool to get the marble within the line art. Finally, I used a copy of the sculpture and gun to make a silhouette for the shadow behind the sculpture. 

I learned how to create wings with feathers, how to use the Pencil tool to create a fluid sculpture design, and also how to use the Pathfinder tool to place a marble texture into the drawing. This was a very challenging project for me. I struggle to create what I see in my mind digitally but I am proud of my final design. Creating the sculpture was a very difficult process but learning the skills to create this project was well worth the effort.