Book Tattoo
Traditional lady head with waves inside a circular spiderweb with a skull and star badge

Spiderweb and Lady Head Tattoo

Went with classic 1920s styling on the portrait here. Marcel-waved hair, dark lipstick, hooped earrings, and a skull-and-star sailor badge tucked above her brow. I sat the lady head dead-centre inside a circular spiderweb that doubles as her frame.

That web is doing two jobs at once. It frames the portrait, and it softens the transition between tattoo and surrounding skin, which is genuinely useful on a rounded plane. Black ink only, no colour fill, but the composition is pure traditional in the way it stacks classic flash motifs into a single piece. Designs I build around recognisable flash vocabulary hold up because each element has been refined by generations of tattooers.

If you want something in this style here in Wellington, DM me at @pokestaytattoo or email 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.