That Raven Tattoo
- Peter Bogdanov
- Mar 1
- 4 min read
Every once in a while, a client walks in with a strong idea and the rare wisdom to let the artist take it the rest of the way. That’s where the real work begins.
Jordan came to me with the concept of a double exposure bird. We explored options and settled on a raven. Not a predictable, flat black raven. A saturated, electric, blue-and-purple raven that would carry light instead of absorb it. From there, the piece began to evolve.
Inside the silhouette, we built a landscape: a poppy field in forced perspective, mountains fading into the distance, and a river cutting through the composition. And then it wasn’t enough. I wanted depth that felt immersive. The river became a waterfall, spilling forward behind oversized orange poppies in the foreground. What began as a strong concept turned into a surreal environment wrapped around the shoulder, chest, and back.
This is one of my favorite tattoos in over 35 years of tattooing. Not because it’s flashy. Not because it’s large. But because it allowed me to fully flex the disciplines I’ve spent decades studying: color theory, forced perspective, anatomy, graphic composition, and painterly execution.
Color Theory Without Crutches
Here’s the part most people won’t believe.
There is almost no black in this tattoo.
The only true black exists in the centers of the poppies and in a few strategic shadows near the raven’s body and claws. Everything else that appears “black” is actually deep navy or what I call “purple night” — a near-black violet that holds color instead of killing it.
If this raven had been executed in traditional heavy black, the magic would have disappeared. The vibrancy would have collapsed. The blues and lavenders would not sing the way they do. By resisting the temptation to outline everything in black, the tattoo breathes.
Young artists take note: black is not the foundation of color work. It is a tool. I prefer to introduce black only at the final stage, where it can create contrast, drop shadow, and selective emphasis. Used sparingly, it creates power. Overused, it flattens everything.
The same discipline applies to white. There is very little white in this piece. A highlight in the raven’s eye. A touch along the claws. Flecks in the poppy field to create texture and glimmer. White is an accent, not a crutch. It dulls over time. It should be earned, not sprayed everywhere in the first session.
This tattoo relies on complementary contrast: the heat of red, orange, and yellow poppies against cool lavenders, violets, and saturated blue. Muted greens balance the sky. Subtle pinks in the mountains soften the depth. Every color choice was deliberate.
Nothing was random.
This is not luck. This is study.
Anatomy as Architecture
Tattooing is not placing a sticker on skin. It is designing for a moving sculpture.
The raven’s head sits just beneath the shoulder cap, above the bicep peak. The claws wrap the lower muscle, gripping form. The poppy field stretches across the tricep. One wing rises over the collarbone. The other transitions onto the back, where the landscape reveals itself fully.
You have to walk around this tattoo to understand it. From the front, you see the raven. Rotate to the back and the poppy field opens up. It’s interactive. It is three-dimensional. It follows anatomy the way a mural follows architecture.
That is intentional. I studied anatomy in art college for a reason.
Integration, Not Stickers
Jordan already had a bear tattoo on his back shoulder. I’ll admit it — at first I wished it wasn’t there. Any serious artist wants a clean canvas.
But by the time we completed the piece, I was grateful for it. The bear is wildlife. The raven and the landscape belong in that world. The connection feels natural. Instead of a collection of separate images, the body begins to move toward a bodysuit aesthetic.
That’s the difference between collecting stamps and building a gallery.
The Tattoo Collector
Jordan is not someone who “gets tattoos.” He is a tattoo collector.
A true collector seeks the right artist for the right project. If he wants black and gray realism, he goes to a master of black and gray. If he wants surreal painterly color, he seeks an artist who lives there.
You don’t ask a photorealist to become Picasso for a day. You hire the artist whose discipline matches the vision.
Jordan has work from world-class artists. Which makes tattooing him both an honor and a challenge. You’re not just competing with yourself. You’re standing shoulder to shoulder with masters.
His inner thigh piece that I completed previously became his favorite tattoo on his body. That’s not small praise. This raven has now taken the same position.
So yes, I’ll say it plainly: first and second place on a world-class collection is something I’m proud of.
And here’s the real validation. Before we finished this raven, he was already planning the third and fourth projects with me. That’s what talent, discipline, and technical ability create. Job security earned through excellence.
Freedom Creates Masterpieces
There is a lesson here for clients.
Jordan brings strong ideas. He has great taste. But then he does something rare. He gets out of the way.
He doesn’t micromanage color choices. He doesn’t stifle composition with small preferences. He understands that when you hire a master, you let them work.
Both of his favorite tattoos on his body came from that trust. In both cases, the final result exceeded his original concept because he allowed it to evolve.
That relationship between collector and artist is where great work lives.
The Bigger Picture
On any given day, you can be the best in the world if you’re willing to practice like it matters and study like it’s sacred. This raven is proof of that philosophy.
It’s bright without relying on heavy outlines. It’s bold without drowning in black. It’s technical without losing emotion. It fits the body like it was born there. This is what happens when advanced color theory, perspective, anatomy, and creative freedom collide.
In the photos and the video attached, you’ll see angles from front to back. But understand this: tattoos like this are meant to be experienced in person. Walk around it. Watch the landscape unfold. See how the muscle shifts the wings and the claws.
That’s tattooing at its highest level.
And Jordan?
Challenge accepted.
We’re just getting started.
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