How to browse this portfolio
Five reading notes before you scroll the gallery.
Classical portrait portfolios reward a trained eye. Five notes below help you read David's book for likeness, palette intent, and scale — the design math that matters when the piece is a portrait.
Look at likeness, not photorealism.
David's portraits are classical — they capture emotion and character the way a painted portrait does, not the way a photograph freezes. Some tiles won't look like mirror-perfect photorealism. They'll look like portraits. That's the point.
Notice the palette decisions.
Color realism is a palette conversation, not just a rendering one. David's color work treats palette as design math — which three or four dominant values carry the piece. Look for palette intent, not just saturation.
Memorial work sits differently.
A portrait built from a reference photograph of a person you've lost asks different things of the artist. David's memorial bench is where much of his book lives. These consultations run longer and the sessions sit at a different rhythm.
Scale matches the subject.
A portrait that wants emotion needs room. David's floor for a face is 5 inches; for a portrait with hands, 8 to 10 inches. Undersizing a portrait kills the emotion the style is built to carry.
Pull three tiles into the consult.
Three tiles — not thirty. Pick pieces from David's gallery that come closest to the palette, scale, and subject. He'll use those three as reference for the design math, not as a template to copy.
Classical portrait, not photorealism. The piece captures character; photography freezes it. Different tools, different results.
Palette is design math — three or four dominant values carry the piece. Saturation is decoration.
A portrait needs room. Below 5 inches the face compresses out and the emotion flattens.
12 pieces from the portfolio
Each tile, annotated.
Twelve specific pieces from David's working book. Each notes the style, the scale, the placement, and the session history.
Piece 1 · Classical portrait in color
Painted-portrait rendering approach
A color portrait rendered with classical palette decisions — three to four dominant values, soft transitions, the character over the surface detail. Three sessions; shown healed at 8 months.
Piece 2 · Black-and-gray portrait
Grayscale likeness, painted feel
A grayscale portrait built with the same painted approach as David's color work — the grayscale serves the emotion rather than trying to become photograph. Two sessions. Shown healed at 6 months.
Piece 3 · Memorial portrait
Chest placement, grayscale rendering
A chest-over-heart memorial piece. David's memorial consultations run longest because the design math is different when honoring a lost subject. Three sessions across 4 months.
Piece 4 · Color realism with palette intent
Three-value-dominant composition
A full-color piece where the palette was chosen as design math — three dominant colors carrying the image. The rest of the piece serves the palette triad. Two sessions; shown at the 10-month healed mark.
Piece 5 · Historical reference piece
Classical imagery, reinterpreted
A piece built from a historical painting or photograph — reinterpreted rather than copied. David's fine-arts training shows clearly in these pieces; the source gets filtered through compositional decisions.
Piece 6 · Figurative study
Body-and-gesture, painted approach
A figurative piece with gesture as the subject. Painterly rendering — not photorealism. The gesture carries the meaning; the surface serves the gesture. Three sessions.
Piece 7 · Color memorial with palette tie
Sentimental palette rendering
A color memorial piece where the palette itself carries meaning — a color tied to the subject, the place, or the relationship. David's palette-first consultations land these.
Piece 8 · Animal portrait
Pet portrait, classical rendering
A pet-portrait piece rendered with the same painted approach as David's human portraits. Two sessions. The subject's personality shows up in the gesture and the eyes.
Piece 9 · Double portrait
Two subjects, one composition
A double-portrait — two subjects in one composition. The design math is different because the gesture between the two subjects becomes part of the piece. Four sessions across 6 months.
Piece 10 · Still-life study
Object composition, painted feel
A still-life piece — objects arranged compositionally rather than rendered as single subjects. Rare in David's book but part of his fine-arts training. Two sessions.
Piece 11 · Allegorical piece
Symbolic composition, classical approach
A piece that works as allegory — figures, objects, or scenes carrying symbolic weight. David builds these with composition first, rendering second. Three sessions.
Piece 12 · Long-timeline panel
Back or thigh portrait statement
The longest-timeline piece in David's book. A full-back or full-thigh portrait composition — painterly rendering, multi-subject gesture, extended palette work. Six sessions.
Six categories represented
Classical portrait, color realism, memorial, black-and-gray, historical, figurative.
David's portfolio clusters around six sub-categories. Pick the one your piece wants to live in. The category sets the rendering before the design.
Classical Portrait
Painted-portrait rendering
The category that anchors David's book. Portraits that capture emotion and character the way a painted portrait does — not photorealism, but likeness in the classical sense. Fine-arts training shows in the composition, the palette, and the gesture.
Color Realism
Palette-first rendering
Color realism treated as palette math — which three or four dominant values carry the piece. David's color work is less about saturation and more about palette intent. The palette is chosen before the design.
Memorial
Portraits and objects tied to loss
Memorial work is a category of its own in David's book. The consultations run long; the design serves the wearer carrying grief rather than the room seeing the piece. Chest-over-heart is the default placement.
Black-and-Gray
Painted grayscale, not photorealistic
David's grayscale work sits in the painted tradition — grayscale that serves emotion rather than trying to become photograph. Ages well on stable skin. Many portrait pieces live here.
Historical & Allegorical
Classical reference, reinterpreted
Pieces built from historical paintings, photographs, or allegorical compositions — reinterpreted through David's fine-arts lens rather than copied. The interpretation is the design; the source sits under it.
Figurative Study
Body and gesture as subject
Figurative pieces where the gesture carries the meaning. David's training reads clearly in these; the body is composed rather than copied. Gesture, weight, and balance matter as much as surface detail.
Selected work
Healed work, chronological.
Each piece is a specific appointment — real reference, real placement, real healing. Tiles are sized to preserve the photograph's aspect ratio; see the 12-piece catalog above for exact scale notes.
Five placements the portfolio clusters around
Where David's work actually lives on the body.
Portrait work asks specific things of placement. Five body zones anchor most of David's book.
Upper arm / bicep
Bicep · outer upper arm · shoulder cap
David's most-booked placement for portrait work. The upper arm holds detail longer than the forearm and the placement suits the painterly approach — visible at conversation distance, stable across decades.
Thigh
Outer · front · inner · full thigh
The scale placement for David's larger painted pieces. Thigh gives the piece room to read as composition rather than stamp. Private placement, which shifts the design toward the wearer.
Chest / chest over heart
Chest over heart · upper chest · full chest
Memorial placement. The over-heart location carries meaning before the design. David's memorial book clusters here.
Back panel
Full back · upper back · mid-back
Statement work. David's back panels are multi-session commitments built as single compositions. The scale suits allegorical and double-portrait work.
Inner forearm
Inner · wrist-to-elbow
Intimate placement for smaller portraits, memorial pieces, or meaningful single-subject work. Reads as a personal mark; visible when the wearer chooses.
Scale tiers represented
Four session counts cover everything in the gallery.
Portrait pieces span two-session studies through multi-session allegorical panels. Four tiers cover the working math.
Eight pairing notes
Who this portfolio fits — and where to route when it doesn't.
Classical portrait work isn't for every piece. Eight notes below describe who David's bench is built for and where Apollo routes when another bench is the better match.
If hyper-photorealism is the priority
Route to Raa for photorealistic rendering. Compare Raa's portfolio side-by-side — his approach treats the photograph as source; David's treats it as reference.
If traditional or cover-up is the priority
Route to Blue Mason. Blue's portfolio covers traditional flash, tribal, and cover-up work outside David's categories.
If small fine-line is the priority
Route to Hannah Newman, Apollo's junior artist. David's portrait work has a minimum scale; small fine-line work lives on another bench.
Portrait-focused clientele
Clients booking specifically for portrait work. Whether family, literary, or character study, David's bench is the classical-portrait option at Apollo. Realism is the style category this book anchors.
Memorial clientele
David's memorial bench is one of Apollo's longest-running. Portrait memorials, object memorials, and anniversary pieces. The consultation is unhurried.
Color-palette clientele
Clients where the color itself carries meaning — a palette tied to a person, a place, a memory. David's color realism is palette-first, which is rare. Pulls into color realism at the style level.
Fine-arts trained clientele
Clients who bring a compositional eye to the consultation. David's bench rewards the client who knows what they want the piece to do. Vocabulary matches; the consultation moves fast.
Returning clientele
Clients who booked a portrait with David and are now returning for a second — a second family member, a second chapter, a companion piece. The return rate on David's bench is high.
Consultation
Six questions to answer before you bring the portfolio into the consult.
Portrait consultations work best when the reference and the palette intent are ready. Six questions below frame the design math.
Which tile from the portfolio is closest?
Pick three tiles that come closest to the palette, scale, and subject. Bring them into the consult. David will use them as reference for the rendering approach, not a template.
What's the source — photograph, painting, or memory?
David works from photographs, from paintings, and from the client's memory. Each source asks different things of the design. Name the source clearly at consultation.
Is this a portrait, a memorial, or an allegorical piece?
Three different design approaches. Portraits prioritize likeness. Memorials prioritize emotion. Allegorical pieces prioritize composition. Pick the primary frame.
What's the palette intent?
For color pieces, name the three or four dominant values. For grayscale pieces, name the emotional tone — warm gray, cool gray, contrasty, soft. Palette is design math, not a last decision.
What scale can you commit to?
David's portraits have a minimum scale because likeness depends on detail. Below 5 inches a face compresses. Be honest about the scale you can commit to at consultation.
How many sessions can you schedule?
Most David pieces run 2–4 sessions, spaced 4–6 weeks apart for healing. Larger pieces run 5–8. The consultation maps the timeline before the first booking.
The reference is half the design. Bring more than one photograph; David builds from the composition, not the crop.
Memorial work asks different things of the artist. The consultation runs long; the piece serves the wearer carrying grief.
The portfolio is a catalog of rendered moments — not a menu. Every David piece is built new.
Common misconceptions
Eight patterns that mismatch a client to this portfolio.
Most mis-bookings with David trace to one of these eight. Catching them before consultation routes the booking correctly on the first try.
"I want photorealism with David."
David's bench isn't photorealism — it's classical portrait work. Fix: if photorealism is the priority, route to Raa. If painted likeness is the priority, David is the match.
"I want a 2-inch portrait."
Below 5 inches a face compresses out. Fix: scale to 5 inches minimum for a face, 7 for a portrait with shoulders, 8-plus for hands. Or choose a different style that works at small scale.
"Any photograph will work."
Not for David's rendering approach. A flat phone photograph without compositional intent makes the design math harder. Fix: bring multiple reference photographs, and David will build the composition.
"Let's choose the color last."
Palette is design math, not decoration. Fix: name the palette intent at consultation. Three or four dominant values carry the piece.
"Can we finish a portrait in one session?"
Portraits are multi-pass work. One session does outline and first value; subsequent sessions build the rendering. Fix: plan for 2–3 sessions and schedule them with healing time.
"I'll put the memorial on my wrist."
The wrist is too small and too mobile for most portrait-based memorials. Fix: route to chest over heart, inner forearm (larger), upper arm, or thigh. The placement carries the piece.
"The portfolio is a menu."
It isn't. David doesn't duplicate his own portfolio. Fix: reference a tile for the palette, scale, and subject approach; the design math produces a new piece built for your specific reference.
"Matching pieces should be identical."
Matching identical portraits rarely work — the same reference photograph flattens across two bodies. Fix: match the palette, the placement, and the scale; let the portrait differ slightly per person.
First-session recipe
If the portfolio matches and this is your first David piece, here's the recipe.
Eight decisions a first portrait session should make on purpose. Built around a first booking with David's bench.
Personalization
Three layers make a David piece actually yours.
A portrait is a rendering. A portrait tattoo is a reference plus a rendering plus a private meaning. The gallery locks the rendering approach; the other two layers get built at consultation.
The reference layer
What the piece references — a photograph, a painting, a memory. This is the raw material. David's consultation spends most of its time on this layer because the reference shapes every later decision.
The rendering layer
How the reference becomes a tattoo. Palette, composition, gesture, line weight. This is where David's fine-arts training shows up most. Two different artists rendering the same reference produce two different pieces.
The private layer
What the piece marks for you. Nobody else needs to know. A portrait is a public image; what makes it yours is the private meaning you carry with it. David respects this layer without asking.
Matching pieces
Family, partners, memorials, chapters — matching in portrait work.
Matching portraits are their own design problem because the same reference flattens across two bodies. Four notes below cover what David asks of matching groups.
Family matching
Siblings matching a portrait of a shared parent. Family members marking a shared ancestor. David builds these as variations on a theme — same palette, same scale, same reference, slightly different rendering per person.
Partner matching
Couples with a shared reference — a painting, a place, a figure. David builds these as two pieces from one composition rather than identical copies. The variation is what makes matching feel earned.
Memorial matching
Family members honoring a lost relative. The longest-consulting David bookings. The reference and the palette have to serve everyone in the room and the person who isn't there.
Chapter matching
A single client booking a series of portraits tied to chapters of their life. David plans these as one extended composition across multiple sittings, months or years apart.
FAQ
The questions every portrait portfolio visit surfaces.
Eight questions covering booking, style coverage, classical vs photorealism, minimum scale, session counts, palette decisions, memorial consultation prep, and what to do when the portfolio doesn't match.
How do I book a consultation with David after seeing the portfolio?
Apollo consultations with David are booked through the studio's consultation form — describe the piece in a sentence, upload 2–3 reference images (ideally including three tiles from this portfolio that come closest to your piece), note your placement and scale, and the studio routes the booking. New-client consultations run 8–12 weeks out. Come to the consult with the reference, the palette intent, the three closest tiles, and an honest sense of how many sessions you can commit to.
What styles does this portfolio cover?
Classical portrait work, color realism, memorial pieces, black-and-gray painted rendering, historical and allegorical compositions, and figurative studies. The book is anchored by portrait work — both human and animal — treated with a fine-arts training. The gallery does not cover traditional flash, tribal, fine line at small scale, or cover-ups; those belong on other Apollo benches. If your piece is portrait-based or palette-based, David's bench is the match.
Is this photorealism?
No. David's portraits are classical — they capture emotion and character the way a painted portrait does, not the way a photograph freezes. The rendering uses classical palette decisions and compositional intent rather than pushing toward hyper-photographic detail. If your piece asks for photorealism, Raa's bench is the match at Apollo. If your piece asks for painted likeness — portrait work that reads as portrait rather than as photo — David is the match.
What's the smallest portrait David will tattoo?
The floor for a face is 5 inches. For a portrait with shoulders, 7 inches. For a portrait with hands, 8 to 10 inches. Below those scales the face compresses and the emotion the portrait carries flattens. David will tell you this at consultation rather than tattoo a portrait he knows will fail at the scale you asked for. If you want a small piece, routing to a different style (or a different subject) is the honest path.
How many sessions will a David piece take?
Most pieces run 2–4 sessions. A small single-subject portrait: 2 sessions. A standard color or grayscale portrait with shoulders: 2–3 sessions. A double portrait or figurative study: 3–4 sessions. An allegorical back or thigh panel: 5–8 sessions. Sessions schedule 4–6 weeks apart for healing. The consultation maps the full timeline before the first session so the chair time, deposits, and healing windows are all honest.
How does David think about color versus grayscale?
Both are tools. Color work is for pieces where the palette itself carries meaning — a color tied to the subject, the place, or the emotion. Grayscale work is for pieces where the emotion lives in the value range, not the palette. Color ages with some palette shift over decades; grayscale ages more predictably. David will walk you through the choice at consultation. The palette decision is made before the design, not after.
What should I bring to a memorial portrait consultation?
Multiple photographs of the subject — not just one. Daylight photographs, candid photographs, photographs from different years. David builds the portrait from composition, not from a single reference, so the more the better. Also bring a sentence or two about what you want the piece to hold emotionally — the consultation is as much about that as it is about the reference. David's memorial consultations run long on purpose; plan accordingly.
What if my piece isn't a portrait?
The studio routes you to the right bench. Apollo has Blue Mason for fine line, traditional, tribal, and cover-ups; Raa for photorealism; Hannah Newman for small fine-line and script; and two piercers for body work. If your piece is outside David's portrait-anchored categories, David will tell you at consultation and route the booking. The match matters more than the bench — that's the studio's working rule.
Ready to bring the reference into a consultation?
Pick three tiles. Name the palette intent. Walk in prepared.
Apollo consultations with David work best when the reference, the palette, and three gallery tiles are ready. If the painted approach is the match, his bench is yours. If your piece asks for photorealism or a different style, the studio routes to the right bench.
