The originality of the obvious.
The contrast between good and evil is a recurring theme in tattoos and, despite an apparent banality, it offers thousands of potential interpretations.
This theme is usually dealt with in a rather generic way: an angel and a demon fighting, Archangel Michael defeating Satan, an angel and a demon embracing etc.
In this case, however, the idea wasn’t exactly that of a struggle between good and evil, but rather a representation of the client’s personality since, in her opinion, those who don’t know her might think she’s not very nice and irritating, only to discover her sweeter side after getting to know her better.
My first proposal was inspired by some tattoos which are pretty fashionable lately, where two different subjects are divided and overlaid on top of one another, as if from an image that has been cut or torn into several pieces another one filtered through.
I showed her some examples that she liked, but I intended to represent it in a more original way of course.
M. C. Escher
My idea was to juxtapose a demon and a woman’s face showing a certain sweetness, which met her taste. All that was left to do was find a way to make it as original as possible and make it flow harmoniously on the body.
While I was figuring out how to develop the design, I remembered a work where a woman’s face was represented as a sort of unraveling peel, like an orange peel.
At that moment my memory failed me, I couldn’t remember who the artist was, I was convinced it was a work by Dalì or Magritte.
Only after a little concentration and a quick look at my art books did the synapses connect and I remembered that it was a work by M.C. Escher.
I showed it to the client, made a quick sketch to explain how I planned to reinterpret it and we immediately came to an agreement.
Big is better
All that was left to do was take measurements and move to the drawing board.
What should have roughly taken up the palm of a hand became a tattoo that covers the entire outer thigh.
The size allowed me to take better care of the details and instead of having a sort of small sticker, the work harmoniously follows the lines of the body, not to mention the better resistance it will have over time.
Sleep and pain
I was sure I could complete it in a single session, also because the girl had decided to use a numbing cream, but in addition to not having applied it correctly, she was recovering from a sleepless night. Undergoing such a procedure without having rested properly is definitely a bad idea, so we had to split the work into two sessions.
I am very proud of the final result. a decidedly feminine work with perfectly balanced forms.
I hope I’ll be able to take more pictures when the tattoo is completely healed.