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Disembodied holding a rose with a diving swallow below on the outer

Traditional Rose, and Swallow Tattoo

Three core American traditional motifs running vertically in a stacked column on this one. I put a rose at the top, a stiff disembodied object gripping its stem in the middle, and a swallow tucked below with a dotted underwing. I went heavy on the line weight so the piece holds through constant skin movement, and kept negative space between the elements so the column doesn't read as one solid mass.

I slotted the piece between existing tattoos without competing, which is the kind of thing worth planning for when adding bold work to an already-tattooed area. These motifs in this configuration have been working for a century in the American traditional vocabulary, the rose softens the rigidity of the gripped stem and the swallow gives the eye somewhere to drop.

For Wellington bookings, message 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.