Floral tattoos: many accesses to the same motif

“I'd like a flower” is one of the most common phrases in our studio, and it says almost nothing about what the tattoo looks like in the end. A peony can be a large-scale composition with soft grey gradients over the hip, a clearly drawn bouquet on the forearm, a single plant that is set so accurately that it can be determined, or a line that wraps around the entire arm. Four artists at True Canvas work florally, and each makes something different out of it.

What makes floral tattoos different

It is not the type of flower that determines how a motif looks, but six other things:

The line Evenly thin, or changing in thickness, with strong outer edges.
The gray values Soft gradients and dotwork, flat black, or no shading at all.
The colour Black and grey, individual accents, or colourful throughout.
The composition A single motif, a closed bouquet, or a work that runs across the body. The degree of abstraction Botanically accurate, graphically reduced, or deliberately alienated.
Size It decides how much of everything else is even possible.

If you think about these six points beforehand, you will come into conversation with a much clearer idea than with a Pinterest board full of flowers.

Rita: large, dense and guided over the body

Rita's work is the access where the line remains fine, but the area becomes large.

The contours are thin and calm, the depth does not come from strong black, but from soft grey gradients and dotted shadows. This makes the motifs look light, even if they run over an entire hip or half the back.

Botanically, it does not mean that every detail is depicted. Flower shape, leaf position and direction of growth are correct, but much is omitted. The result lies between a botanical drawing and a sketch, and it is precisely this space that is their handwriting.

The compositions follow the body. A tendril runs along the hip line, a branch follows the curve of the shoulder, the flowers sit where the body has a curvature anyway. That is why these works work better on a large scale than on a small one.

In addition, there are motifs that are not botanical, but are incorporated into the same composition. A dragon among the flowers, for example, that only shows itself at second glance.

Even if a motif turns out smaller, the access remains the same: the same fine line, the same soft gray values, only on less area.

And there is a third direction with her: work that looks less drawn than painted. Bamboo leaves with wide, soft strokes, closer to ink painting than to a contour.

You'll find her background and more of her work on Rita's artist page.

Tati: the clearly drawn bouquet

With Tati, the line is the main character.

The outlines are even in weight and clearly placed, there's barely any shading, and the design is conceived as a shape: a bouquet with a recognizable silhouette that stands on the skin as a whole. That comes out of her background in graphic design, where a design has to work before any detail is added.

The scale is typical too: medium sized, usually on the forearm, the thigh or between the shoulder blades, as a self-contained design rather than part of a larger surface. If you want a tattoo you take in at a glance, this is the one.

More on Tati's artist page, and how fine lines age over the years is covered in our article on the fine line tattoo.

Kateryna: the single plant, botanically accurate

Kateryna sets the plant on its own, and does it precisely.

No bouquet, no large composition, but a plant with stem, leaf, bud and fruit, drawn accurately enough that you could identify it. The shading is soft and realistic, and in places the line almost disappears and lets the grey values do the work.

The result sits closer to a botanical study than to decoration, and that's exactly why it works at a medium size: with only one plant in the frame, every detail has room.

Alongside that she has a second side that treats flowers differently: surreal compositions where a plant comes together with other elements and carries a meaning.

Alongside that she has a second side that treats flowers differently: surreal compositions where a plant comes together with other elements and carries a meaning. Her own brand isn't called Black Flora by accident. If you arrive with an idea rather than a plant, she's the one.

More on Kateryna's artist page and in our article on the concept tattoo.

Anna: the line that wraps around the body

With Anna, the design is often a movement rather than a surface.

A branch that runs over the shoulder, a vine that wraps a whole forearm, a small bouquet in a thin, even line. Shading appears only where it carries something, the rest stays open. These pieces lie along the body rather than filling it, and that keeps them light even when they cover a long stretch.

Then comes the direction she's known for: color. Color realism means the color isn't a fill inside an outline, it builds the design. Transitions, light and saturation decide how the bloom reads, and often there's no line at all. It's technically the most demanding of the four approaches and it takes the time to match.

More on Anna's artist page and in our article on color realism. How far you can take color with flowers is also covered in our article on colorful flower tattoos.

Find your floral approach

The most honest shortcut: don't start with the flower, start with how you want the tattoo to read.

Large, dense and carried across the body: Rita

One clear bouquet you take in at a glance: Tati

A single plant, accurate and quiet, or a flower as part of an idea: Kateryna

A line that wraps around the body, or color: Anna

Two things apply to all four. First, the placement decides along with everything else. A composition that runs across the hip makes no sense on a forearm, and the reverse is just as true. Second, fine lines and color behave differently over the years, which is covered in our article on how tattoos age, and hands and feet follow rules of their own, see hand and foot tattoos.

If this will be your first tattoo, our page on your first tattoo walks through the process. Every style we work in is listed in our overview of tattoo styles.

Sending your inquiry

You don't have to pick an artist beforehand. Send us your idea, your references and the placement you have in mind through our inquiry form, and we'll suggest who fits it best.

For an overview of the whole team, see our artists, and guest artists come to Vienna regularly with approaches of their own.