Man of Constant Sorrow

This is a hand drawn illustration I created paying tribute to old school tattoo flash design; namely the work of Bert Grimm and Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins. I am an apprenticing tattooist and I really respect and appreciate these artists and what they stood for. Their bold and straightforward designs have endured the test of time and are now part of mainstream culture. I wanted to pay homage to their work but also add my own style to the mix.

The "Man of Constant Sorrow" is a theme that has been in art for hundreds of years. It depicts the pain and suffering of Christ, and was usually depicted by the Netherlandish and Northern European painters. I chose to do a variation on the subject matter and added a skull design and razorwire instead of a crown of thorns. Man of Constant Sorrow is also an old timey country folk tune, written in the early part of the 20thc. It has been covered by a host of musicians including: Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Waylon Jennings. Ron Tyminski's version became a chart topper when it was featured in the movie " O Brother Where Art Thou? "The drawing measures 8 1/2 x 11, and is created using India Ink, and Archival paper. If you are a tattoo enthusiast, or just like art with some grit to it, maybe this is the piece for you. Check it out in my Etsy Shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/50195204/man-of-constant-sorrow Enjoy.