A winged demon on the back: a graphic tattoo

A winged demon spreads across the back in a gothic style. The bat-like wings reach from the shoulder blades down to the lower back, where they come together in sharp points, and a head rises above the shoulders. A building made of planks, with a roof, stands between the wings.

1st place in 2024

This piece took 1st place in the healed graphic category at Tattoofest 2024. In that category tattoos are judged after they have healed, so the design has to hold up not only fresh from the session but also once the skin has settled.

The back as one composition

A back gives you a large, flat surface, but the movement of the shoulder blades and the spine keeps changing it. That is why I run the wings along the shoulder blades, and their tips travel down the lower back and narrow along with the torso. The silhouette reads as a single shape rather than a set of separate elements. I draw the sketch by hand on paper and transfer it to the skin with a marker (freehand) to check how it sits on your body.

Black and light

I set the large black membranes of the wings against light bones and the fine detail of the building. Dense black gives depth, and the lighter areas let the eye rest and show where to look first.

The consultation and the sketch are free. See more of my work: graphic tattoos and large-scale tattoos, and healed pieces on the healed tattoos page. I work in Warsaw at Good Sign Tattoo. To begin, get in touch.