A Tattoo parlor that specializes in complex mandalas wanted a new design to offer their customers, so the owner sent in a request.

After looking at my first few sketches, he decided a dragon's head with mandala patterns would be the perfect new and interesting option to have.

Using references and previous knowledge, I drew out some of the basic shapes and patterns that might be used in such a design.

Then, I started on the rough drawing. I used the symmetry tool in Adobe Photoshop to ensure that the patterns remained balanced.

After that, I asked the client what colors he wanted, if there were to be any at all. He said to make a version with "all the colors of the rainbow radiating from the forehead", so that is exactly what I did.

Once he approved of the roughs, I went back and refined all of the details while also adding a few more embellishments to fill any empty spaces.

I also decided to forgo the hard outline on the smoke for both versions.