Work
Origins
1 | 3
Origins
1 | 3
this piece is about origins in more than one sense. it tells the story of my client’s roots, and the beginning of the process that would later become my abstract watercolor technique.
Origins
a client came to me with the idea of combining my abstract watercolor work with places that meant something to her. together we chose several landmarks from her hometown of linz, including an old bridge that no longer exists, and layered them into one composition.
Work
Origins
2 | 3
Where we started
at the time, i was still trying to figure out how to present my ideas digitally. i photographed my watercolor paintings, sketched the architectural elements by hand on paper with my favorite pencil, photographed those as well, and layered everything together into a rough concept. looking back, it feels almost improvised, but that process became the starting point for the way i still build many of my compositions today.
these days i often sketch directly onto the digital painting, but back then i needed the resistance of paper and graphite to achieve the lines i was looking for. in a way, the roughness of the presentation reflects exactly where my process was at that moment.
Work
Origins
3 | 3
what i still enjoy most about this piece is the contrast between the two worlds. loose watercolor washes dissolve into precise architectural sketches, allowing memories of a city to emerge from something completely abstract.
the placement across the backs of both legs gave the composition room to breathe, letting the different landmarks unfold naturally across the body rather than forcing them into a single image.
looking back now, i see this tattoo as much more than a commission. it was the moment my abstract watercolor technique truly began.
