Skip to content
Rory Somerville

Portfolio

The work

Black-and-grey realism, gothic form, horror, lettering, and freehand blackwork built around placement and scale. Healed work is labelled where it is shown.

11 pieces — Large Scale

  • Black-and-grey horror forearm sleeve with two stacked clown faces and a cracked-glass background, photographed healed about one year after completion.Healed
    Horror forearm sleeveForearm sleeveSan Diego
  • Full back tattoo of falling figures and snarling creatures in dense black and grey, built across the whole back and shoulders.
    Full back compositionFull backSan Diego
  • Negative-space blackwork spreading from the shoulder across the chest, with heavy black shapes, red shading and torn organic edges.
    Negative-space blackwork shoulder and chestShoulder and chestSan Diego
  • Black-and-grey gothic castle rendered down the centre of the back, flanked by winged gargoyles and ornamental blackwork.
    Gothic castle back pieceBackSan Diego
  • Black-and-grey realism portrait on the thigh with long hair, an open mouth and dripping lettering beneath it.
    Black-and-grey portrait, thighThighSan Diego
  • Black-and-grey sleeve running from elbow to hand with three stitched, button-eyed characters stacked down the forearm.
    Dark realism sleeve and handForearm sleeve and handSan Diego
  • Heavy freehand blackwork blasted over an existing full sleeve, with solid black masses breaking around the older tattoos underneath.
    Blackwork blastover sleeveFull sleeveSan Diego
  • First session of a gothic blackwork sleeve continuing across the back of the hand and fingers in branching black strokes.
    Gothic blackwork sleeve and handsForearm and handSan Diego
  • Finished full back cover-up in black and grey, with falling figures and creatures composed over previous tattoos.
    Back piece cover-up, finishedFull backSan Diego

See something close to your idea?

Start a project
  • Black-and-grey realism eagle head filling the forearm, framed by smooth abstract ribbons of shading.
    Dark realism eagle sleeveForearm sleeveSan Diego
  • Gothic blackwork and lettering covering the chest and stomach, with a large solid black mass anchoring the centre.
    Blackwork chest and stomachChest and stomachSan Diego

Send the full idea, even if it will take more than one session.

Start a project
Start a project