Just scrolling through Instagram last Tuesday night when this crazy tattoo idea hit me – been obsessed with apocalypse stuff since binging that zombie show. My buddy Dave got a Warhammer tattoo last month and wouldn’t shut up about it. Got me thinking: which horseman would actually look dope on my skin?
The Messy Start
Grabbed my sketchbook around midnight – total disaster at first. Drew Conquest like some Roman statue ripoff, looked like a bad history project. Famine came out looking like a skinny Santa Claus. Scrunched up six pages straight into the trash can. This ain’t working.
Lightbulb Moment
Remembered that comic book style Death drawing I did back in high school. Dug through old boxes under my bed – found it stuck to a pizza menu from 2015. Ink stains and everything. Blew dust off that sucker and traced the outlines with my non-dominant hand (yeah I’m weird like that). Shaky lines actually gave it this creepy unstable vibe that fit Death perfectly.
Trial and Error Phase
- War: Tried flames and swords – ended up looking like a motorcycle gang logo
- Pestilence: Drew bacteria cells until my eyes crossed. Looked like bad biology notes
- Famine: Skull with wheat? Cliché city. Scrapped it after 20 minutes
Finally smacked my forehead – keep it symbolic stupid. Just the essentials:
- Conquest = Broken crown + pale horse
- War = Dripping sword shadows
- Famine = Empty scales tilting sideways
- Death = Hood with hollow eyes
The Final Stretch
Took my sketch to Maria’s tattoo shop downtown Thursday afternoon. She took one look and goes “Dude, simplify more”. Made me ditch all background details. Just pure blackwork silhouettes with negative space creating the shapes. Nearly passed out when she started buzzing the needle on my left shoulder blade – but damn that outline stinging actually helped me focus.
Four hours later – BAM. These savage minimal horsemen staring back from the mirror. Conquest’s crown cracks actually look like shattered ice. War’s sword seems to bleed shadow. Still wrapping it in cling film like a leftover sandwich, but every time I catch it in the window reflection? Exactly how the end times should feel.
