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Black sacred heart tattoo with cross, roses and Choose Life banner

Sacred Heart Choose Life Tattoo

Centred a sacred heart crowned with a cross and a halo of flames, surrounded it with three open roses, and dropped "Choose Life" in old-English script below. I worked in black and grey wash only, which keeps the religious motif feeling weighty and old-school rather than ornamental.

The vertical pull of the composition reads top to bottom. The cross sits at the top, the lettering anchors the base, and the piece runs as a tall traditional panel. Black and grey wash settles flat at this scale and the lettering stays readable for decades when I cut the strokes thick enough.

If you want a custom traditional piece with lettering in Wellington, get in touch.

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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.