Book Tattoo
Disembodied gripping an ornate jewelled dagger with droplets falling

Traditional Dagger and Tattoo

A disembodied grip wrapped around an ornate jewelled dagger in traditional rendering, with droplets scattering outward from the blade. I ran the vertical axis of the dagger straight through the centre of the composition, which is the move that makes a high-mobility placement work. You design with the underlying anatomy rather than against it.

Black ink only here, with stippled shading inside the grip and dotwork patterning down the dagger handle to keep the interior interesting at close range. This kind of high-flex spot is unforgiving, the skin moves in two directions and ink saturation varies across the surface, so a strong central axis like the dagger's blade is what holds the piece together. It sits alongside existing work without breaking the visual rhythm.

Wellington, @pokestaytattoo on Instagram or pokestaytattoo@gmail.com.

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.