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Black traditional dagger through a heart tattoo

Dagger Through Heart Tattoo

Slid a straight dagger through an outlined heart, kept compact and graphic in classic American traditional form. The hilt cross-guard reads with three clear rivet dots, the blade tapers to a hard point, and I held the heart open with a light grey wash inside.

This kind of piece works really well as a single-session job and slots into a larger collection later on. A flat, low-movement canvas means the outline stays sharp and the wash sits flat as everything settles. Traditional flash like this is built to age cleanly.

I run walk-in flash and traditional bookings out of the Wellington studio on Dixon Street.

Book Similar PieceSee All Traditional

By Rhys Thomas at Whitetail Tattoo, Level 3, 41–47 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand

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Common Questions About Traditional in Wellington

What's the difference between traditional and neo-traditional?
Traditional keeps to a small, classical colour palette (reds, yellows, greens, blues) with chunky outlines and limited shading. Neo-traditional opens that up with more colours, finer detail, and more painterly shading. Same bones, more flexibility.
Do traditional tattoos cost less because they look simpler?
No. Traditional tattoos look deceptively simple. Clean bold lines and solid colour packs are hard to execute well, and they're priced on time and skill required, not visual complexity.
Can a traditional design be personal rather than generic?
Yes. Most of my traditional pieces are custom subjects rendered in the traditional language. Bring your own meaning and I'll handle the visual grammar.