“Daddy D” is one of those pieces where I was convinced beforehand that everything would come together: the subject, the execution, the level of detail—everything. I spent around three months on it, roughly 180 hours, refining every surface, every structure, until nothing was left to chance.

And that’s exactly what the image reflects. Technically, it’s one of my strongest works. The anatomy, the tattoos, the overall composition—everything is precise, controlled, almost uncompromising in its execution.

What makes it truly significant to me, however, is the realization that came with it. Despite the immense effort, the piece didn’t create the impact I had expected. It wasn’t a breakthrough, not the moment where everything suddenly aligns. And that mattered.

“Daddy D” made it very clear to me that pure perfectionism doesn’t automatically translate into impact. That a work doesn’t live from the number of hours invested, but from what it carries beyond its execution. It marked the point where I understood that I can’t just “work through” an image—I have to create it.

For that reason, this piece holds a special place for me. Not because it fulfilled my expectations, but because it reshaped them.