The Allure of Modern Antiquity

A style of tattoo artistry is garnering attention, arousing emotions of romantic elegance and refinement born from the ages. Think intricate body murals with muted tones and varied linework with an air of mystique and endless beauty.

Isabella Bühring, an artist in Southwest Germany who favors the moniker “Filou,” is a prevailing member of the movement, with an ethereal style that has drawn in hundreds of thousands of Instagram admirers.

“I usually describe my style as neo-ornamental — a mixture of decorative ornaments, blackouts, and figurative work like plants, animals, and figures in neotraditional style,” Filou says. “And lately, renaissance because I took inspiration in the fashion and aesthetics of that era. I would say that fashion in general influences my style a lot.”

Filou connected with Inked Magazine and shined some light on her artistic approach, tattoo trends from her point of view, and the gratification she receives as an artist.

Are tattoos generally accepted or considered taboo in Germany?

I definitely consider tattoos as quite accepted, especially by all the younger generations. Of course, some of the older people react rejective or shocked because they are not used to seeing so many tattoos on young people.

With me, it’s a bit different because I am a young woman with a lot of face tattoos and large blackouts that cover most of my body — that can appear very unsettling to some people, which makes me feel sad sometimes.

What tattoo trends are you seeing?

The trends I’m seeing right now in Germany are, on the one hand — and probably like in most of the Western parts of the world — fine-line tattoos, like fine letterings, micro realism, and some sort of fine-line tribal, as the ‘90s are in fashion right now. On the other hand, and especially in areas like Berlin, I see a big wave of people wanting large-scale, transformative ornamental and blackwork on them.

Have you always been artistic?

I have been artistic my entire life. I started drawing at 1 1/2 years — as soon as I was able to hold a pen. No matter if it was at home or at school, my only thought was drawing, creating something.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a tattoo artist? When did you ink your first client as a professional?

I always knew that my profession should be something very creative. First, I thought about becoming an illustrator or graphic designer, then I decided to go to a fashion design school since I’ve always been very interested in fashion as well. At some point, I felt that it wasn’t creative enough for me, and the part of drawing was missing, so I quit that school after less than two years and I asked in a tattoo shop if I could draw their flashes. That and the fact that my cousin is a tattooer as well, introduced me to the world of tattoos. At around the age of 21, I knew I would like to become a tattoo artist. At 22, I did my first ones on human skin. I wouldn’t consider myself a professional back then though.

What gravitated you toward this style?

I think that my style developed very naturally out of all my interests. I’ve always tried to inspire myself, not only from the tattoo world, to not make my designs look like others. Originality is so important to me, especially in such a fast-living society. Since I shared so many artworks on my social media, my clients asked for this style from the very beginning, which I’m so grateful for.

Describe your artistic process, from conception to completion.

The usual process of, for example, a backpiece is that I receive an email from a potential client with their own idea of what they’d like to get. That can be ornamental, neotraditional, or a mixture, like a woman as the main figure, framed by florals and ornaments, which should shape the body. As soon as the details are fixed, I prepare a design which will be shown and discussed on the first tattooing day. After that, the process of tattooing starts, which usually takes between five and 10 sessions, depending on body size, the amount of details, pain resistance, and if the tattoo is made in black and grey or colors.

What do you like about what you do?

The main reason, for me, that makes tattooing a great job is the creative aspect of drawing the design and projecting it on skin. What I learned to love a lot with time, is the fact that a tattoo is not only an image on a body, but there is a beautiful aspect of interactions between me and the client, which allows me to create a nice experience for both of us. The feeling of seeing the client super happy when they watch themselves in the mirror is something very fulfilling. I made quite a lot of friends during the process of a tattoo.

The prints you design are also beautiful. Where can people go to order these prints?

At the moment, the online shop (filouino.com) is open only twice a year for a few days since my partner and I are a two-person business, but we might make the online shop more accessible in the future. We do ship internationally, so everybody can have the chance to get one of my artworks.

Is there anything you want to share with our readers?

I’d like to thank all the people who took their time to read my words. I hope I can inspire some of you to keep doing and creating what you love.