A tattoo designed like a piece of jewellery — full back in the Art Nouveau universe

Hello everyone!

I had drawn this full-back design with a fairly precise idea in mind: something that almost feels like a jewel. There was no pattern laid out in the middle of the back, but a composition that really complements the shoulders, the spine, the shoulders, and the entire silhouette.

The project is in black and gray and is heavily inspired by the universe of’Édouard Bisson, With its very gentle female figures, its drapé, its flowers, and that very Belle Époque way of moving the movement throughout the entire image.

Édouard Bisson as a starting point

I knew Bisson mainly for his very aerial female figures. There is something much more gentle about him than Mucha, less graphic at times, but enormous movement in the draping and compositions.

I didn’t want to reproduce an existing painting. So I created an original illustration while keeping the feeling of lightness and movement in mind.

The back isn’t really a blank sheet of paper

It’s a large surface, yes, but it’s far from flat. The shoulder blades move, the spine creates a very strong axis, and the shoulders completely change the balance depending on the posture. The entire project must therefore be designed around these volumes.

That’s exactly why I like full back shots: we have enough space to build a real image, but the body still forces you to make very precise decisions.

Why I talk about tattooing as a jewel

A piece of jewelry really takes on meaning once you wear it. It follows a silhouette, it moves with the person, and the light changes its presence. For me, a great tattoo should work in a similar way.

I don’t want anyone to get the impression that a large illustration was simply pasted on the back. I want the lines to give the impression that they were designed for this specific morphology.

Why this project is in black and gray

For this precise drawing, the black and grey seemed much more appropriate to me. I wanted a result that was closer to an old illustration, somewhere between engraving, drawing, and something almost textile in the ornaments.

The color would have completely changed the intent. I had also imagined another project in a similar universe, but this time entirely in color, precisely because I wanted to explore a different direction without mixing the two.

You can see it in my article Decorating the body: tattooing as a decoration.

A project that necessarily requires several sessions

A complete back does not happen in a day. It must be done in stages, allowing the skin to heal between sessions, and above all, maintaining a true consistency between the beginning and the end of the project.

That’s also why the relationship with the tattoo artist matters a lot in this type of work. We’ll spend a lot of time together, sometimes for several months. I dedicated an entire article to the way I would choose a tattoo artist for this type of project.

And if you especially like the composition part, I’ll explain it in more detail as well How I create my Art Nouveau tattoos.