Full-colour realistic tattoo on a person's upper back showing an underwater reef with fish, coral and a starfish within a torn-skin effect.

Enlarged with AI from a smaller original

Underwater reef torn through skin on a back

Realism · Back · Colour · Photo

The tattoo shows a reef scene with tropical fish, branching coral, a starfish and seabed rock, framed as if the skin has been torn open to reveal it. The rendering is detailed and smooth, with soft shading on the fish and coral and a blue water background. The composition fills the upper back and shoulder blade area, with the ragged edges of the torn skin surrounding the scene.

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A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Nell,

Keep reading

The rain has come back to Fishergate and the stall smells of cold brine and wet cardboard, the way it did when Dad still ran it. I sold the last of the grey mullet before eleven and gave the sea bass to Mrs Okafor on tick, which you'll scold me for. Don't. She buried her husband on Tuesday and she cooks for the whole street now.

I found your old sketchbook under the ice bin. The one with the reef in it, all those wobbly parrotfish you drew from the library books when you were nine. You had the starfish upside down, do you remember? I laughed so hard I got a chill. I've kept it dry in the tackle box. I thought you might want it back, though I suppose you'll say I should burn it.

There's a gap in the awning where the water pools now, and every few minutes a drop lands on the trestle table and makes a small clean sound, like someone tapping a glass to ask for quiet. I've started counting them. Last night I got to four hundred and eleven before I gave up and went to bed.

Come home at Christmas if the trains behave. Bring the sketchbook and show me the fish you got right. I'll make the bass with lemon the way you like it, and we'll pretend the rain is the sea coming in to see what we're up to.

Love, Jo

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