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Pink mixed-media painting of a cobra above a black and gold Greek-style vase

Snake and Vase Painting, Wellington Studio

Painted this one at the Wellington studio: a cobra rising above a black and gold Greek-style vase, with sprays of orange blossom either side, on a pink ground. Mixed media, on paper, working with the same traditional vocabulary I use in tattooing.

Pieces like this often feed into tattoo designs I end up putting on skin later. Painting and drawing outside studio hours is part of how I refine traditional flash and custom motifs before they sit in front of a needle. This image is on paper, not skin, so it's a studio painting rather than a finished tattoo.

I run flash, paintings and tattoo bookings out of the studio at Whitetail Tattoo on Dixon Street, Wellington.

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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.