Crop-Top Patricia

This crop top was drawn the way I draw my tattoos: all in soft gradients, with finesse and a light touch.
The first sketch came to life on a night train from Bangkok to the south of Thailand, a moment suspended in time when I was travelling alongside my partner, “Tof”, founder of the Tattoo On Move tattoo shop. It was at his side that I practised and continued my apprenticeship, in an environment where creativity and technical rigour guide every project. That setting shaped the energy of the drawing and the sensitivity you can feel in the design.

The design brings together two worlds that matter to me: Asia, represented by telescope fish, iconic for their graceful shapes and almost dancing silhouettes, and my childhood in the north of France, symbolised by tulips, my mother's favourite flowers.

The back is decorated with Japanese cranes, traditional birds of Japanese tattooing. They are a direct nod to the artistic world of Tof, whose Japanese compositions and sense of movement I particularly admire. The cranes leave behind them a trail of irises that adds a poetic, airy touch to the whole piece.

This piece is a blend of travel, symbolism and personal growth, but also of the influence of the tattoo shop and of the artist who has given me so much. I hope this design touches you as much as it inspired me.