Ben’s tattoo developed from our shared interest in fairy tales, narrative and our need to live in balance with nature. Ben is a writer whose work is influenced by fairy tales and wild places, and the project drew in part on the Grimm Brothers’ The Three Sisters. The composition wraps across both legs from hip to ankle, allowing the story to unfold gradually as the body moves rather than being read as a single fixed image.

The imagery moves between city and wilderness. A medieval cityscape draws on memories of places including Prague and Saint Petersburg, while a long red sword cuts through the architecture, creating a strong vertical element with personal symbolism for Ben. On the front of the leg, a bear is struck by steel, an eagle intercepts an arrow and a harpoon narrowly misses a whale—each a scene drawn from The Three Sisters.

The beginning and end of the story unfold across the front and back of the legs, reflecting its central message about our need to live in harmony with the natural world. Seven red butterflies rise through the composition into a dark, star-filled sky, linking the separate scenes and giving the work the quality of a visual myth—a story carried across the body.