From Brief to Skin: How a Piece Actually Gets Designed

The application form is the start, not the shortcut. When someone applies for a project, I'm reading between the lines — what they say they want, what their references actually show, and how those two things align.

Nine times out of ten, the best result comes from a conversation before any drawing happens. I want to know what they're afraid of, what they've seen on someone else that they loved, what their skin has been through before. All of that changes the design.

Reference images are a starting point, never a finish line. A client might send me a photo of a lion they like. But they like it because of how it made them feel — powerful, calm, regal — not because of that specific image. My job is to understand the feeling and build something original from it.

The actual drawing usually happens in the week before the session. I don't sketch months ahead because the client changes, my thinking changes, and skin placement becomes clearer once I've seen the body part in person. Fresh eyes on fresh paper.