Black & grey tattoo in Prague
Black & grey is realism built without a single drop of colour: only black and the half-tones made from it. Volume comes from shading, not from outline, so the piece is read the way a photograph is read.
This is the work I am closest to. Antique sculpture above all, and from there angels and archangels, Greek mythology, Medusa. I fit the composition to the shape of the arm or the back.
- This style
- Black and half-tones, no colour. Opens up from about 10 cm; a large scene is usually split over several sessions.
- Where
- Prague 2, Vinohrady, a minute from I. P. Pavlova. The exact address comes once the date is agreed.
- Languages
- Czech, Russian, English, Ukrainian.
- Booking
- By appointment only, no walk-ins: the form on this site, then Telegram or WhatsApp.
- Safety
- Czech accreditation 69-034-M, EU-certified REACH pigments, single-use instruments opened in front of you.
- Consultation
- Free. The sketch is ready about 3–7 days after we agree on the idea.
Not sure whether your idea works at the size you want? Ask me before you decide.
Book a consultationMy work in this style
Why it needs room
Realism is contrast. To make a shoulder turn, fabric fall or marble catch light, you need a working range from almost white skin to dense black, and that range needs area. Squeeze the same image into 6 cm and the half-tones collapse into one grey spot within a few years.
From about 10 cm the style starts to work. A face from a sculpture needs roughly 10–12 cm, a full figure 15–20 cm. A fragment (a hand, a wing, a piece of drapery) can live from 6–8 cm, and that is how realism fits onto a small area.
The three tones are decided in the sketch: what stays light, what carries the shadow, where the deepest black goes. That plan is what keeps the image readable later.
Sessions and time
A medium piece is about three hours. Large work is five hours and up, and a full scene is normally done over several sessions with healing time in between: skin has a limit for one sitting, and pushing past it costs quality.
Between sessions the area heals two to four weeks on the surface. I plan the order so that each session ends on a finished part rather than in the middle of a transition.
How it ages
Black & grey loses contrast rather than shape. The lightest half-tones fade first, so a piece built only on delicate greys flattens over the years, while one with real black keeps its structure.
So I put actual black into every piece, even a soft one, and why I refuse to make dense realism very small. Sun is the other factor: covered or protected skin holds the image far longer.
Microrealism
Microrealism is the same realism at a small size, and it is the most demanding of the three things I do: the same depth has to fit into a few centimetres. It works on fragments rather than whole scenes.
There is one piece in this style in my portfolio, so I am not promising a gallery of it yet. If your idea is a small realistic fragment, bring it to the consultation and I will tell you straight whether it survives at that size.
Who it suits
Who it suits
- The idea is a figure, a sculpture, a face, an animal or a scene with real volume
- You have room: forearm, upper arm, shoulder, back, thigh, calf
- You are ready for several hours at the machine, and for more than one session if the piece is large
- You want the work to look like an image in skin rather than a drawing on it
When I suggest something else
- You want it small and very detailed at once
- You want colour: I do not work in colour at all
- You want a cover-up of an old tattoo or a rework of someone else’s piece
- The motif is purely linear: then fine line is the right tool
Size, price and time
| Tier | Size | Price from | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Up to 5×5 cm | 2,500 Kč | ~1 hour |
| Medium | 10–15 cm | 5,000 Kč | ~3 hours |
| Large | 15 cm and up | 7,500 Kč | 5+ hours |
Prices are starting points; the exact quote comes after the consultation, which is free. A deposit, usually 2,000 Kč, holds the date and is deducted from the price.
Write in the short form on the site: the idea, the placement, the size. I answer personally and the consultation is free.
Start the formQuestions about this style
About 10 cm for an image with real volume. A fragment such as a hand, a wing or a piece of fabric can work from 6–8 cm. Below that the half-tones have nowhere to live and the picture turns into a grey patch as the skin ages.
A medium piece starts at 5,000 Kč, a large one at 7,500 Kč. The price follows the density of detail and the hours at the machine. A large multi-session composition is quoted after the sketch, and the consultation is free.
A medium piece is one sitting of about three hours. Large work starts at five hours, and a full scene usually takes several sessions with two to four weeks of healing between them. I plan each session to end on a finished part.
No. I work only in black and grey. It is a deliberate limit: it is where I am strongest and it is what ages most predictably.
Talk to me at the consultation before you count on it. A cover-up is a different craft with different limits, and I will tell you straight whether I am the right person for your case.
Yes, and it is my favourite kind of work. Marble has no outline, only light, so the sketch has to rebuild the form out of tone. There is a whole article on statue tattoos.
Read next
Updated: 2026-09-18
Tell me your idea
Write in the short form on the site: the idea, the placement, the size. I answer personally and the consultation is free.
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