Book Tattoo
Bold black line traditional nurse lady head with red-cross cap and beaded collar on the forearm

Bold Line Nurse Lady Head Tattoo

Another take on the traditional nurse, this one stripped right back to bold black line. Red-cross cap, soft waved hair, hooded eyes and a beaded collar picked out in dotwork, with almost no internal shading. The whole portrait rides on the strength of the outline.

Working a lady head in pure line like this is a test of drawing, there's no shading to lean on, so every line has to be placed right the first time. Bold line traditional is also one of the most durable things you can put on a forearm, because the heavy outline keeps the face reading clearly for decades. It sits below an existing sacred heart on the inner arm.

For bold traditional line work in Wellington, hit me up at @pokestaytattoo 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.