Book Tattoo
Traditional Medusa face with snakes coiled through her hair and flames spilling from her mouth on the back

Traditional Medusa Back Tattoo

Worked snakes through the hair on this Medusa head in traditional rendering, and pulled roots of flame spilling from her open mouth. I rendered the face in the soft black-and-grey shading of traditional portrait work, and let the snakes give the silhouette its outer shape, coiling outward to define the design's edges.

Centred high in the composition, the piece reads cleanly with negative skin acting as the frame. Designs like this live or die on the symmetry of the snakes, so I balanced the two outer coils against each other to keep the head from feeling lopsided, with a clear vertical centre line organising the figure. Portrait pieces with strong supporting elements like the snakes feel more grounded than a floating face would.

Keen on something like this in Wellington? Reach me at @pokestaytattoo or pokestaytattoo@gmail.com.

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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.