May 10, 2023No Comments

Miami plants-inspired tattoo

Beautyberry and a snail tattoo

Beautyberry tattoo is a noteworthy botanical tattoo project I’ve done recently. T. alreday has floral piece by me, and a few months ago she came back for the next plant tattoo, a bigger one. I’m so thankful to my loyal clients! They always bring me fresh ideas. And you know me, I can’t say “No” to a custom botanical tattoo project.

From a list of plants provided, for the main theme of the design a Beautyberry was chosen. Callicarpa americana is an ornamental plant, which has brightly colored, tightly clustered berries. An excellent choice for the tattoo, because you can play with a composition and a flow of a design. 

T. also really wanted to incorporate a garden snail into the design. We’ve decided to make a shell match the color of berries, to bring the whole story together. I like how a purple color touch also adds depth to the picture.

A Beautyberry may have a variety of meanings, such as wisdom, preparation, dignity, seriousness, and mourning. A snail tattoo can be a symbol of rebirth, death, and even self-sufficiency. As for T., the whole tattoo idea is an ode to their childhood growing up in Miami. 

Explore more botanical tattoos and available designs by me. Feel free to share your tattoo ideas, I'd be glad to make a special custom floral design for you. 

Healed Beautyberry tattoo on a forearm

March 2, 20231 Comment

Send Me Across The Sea

The 4th installation

This year I’m lucky to participate in the 4th installation of Send Me Across the Sea at Helvella.art gallery in Oakland, CA. Family-friendly small works show featuring artists from the Bay and beyond. 

My artwork originals from the Secret Garden tattoo flash are now on display at the exhibition. You can purchase the original design of your floral tattoo by me!

The story of creating the tattoo flash goes from Inktober and is inspired by Floriography, specifically by dangerous & poisonous plants. Each one has an interesting & symbolic meaning. There are few of floral designs available. Feel free to contact me and claim the design. Initially created in Procreate, some of these botanical tattoo illustrations were later drawn again, but that time on real paper with colored pencils. Which ones are now available only at Send Me Across the Sea.

At the event, it is possible to see live and take home artworks by many talented artists and including the kind organizer of the exhibition, @malisasuchanya herself. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of such a wonderful art show.

This event was delayed since the start of the pandemic. And finally, after two years of waiting it has happened. I also participated in the previously held Send Me Across the Sea art shows. You can get a feeling how it was by watching my vlogs.

The exhibition will last two weeks! Don't miss your chance to purchase my original artwork.

December 29, 2022No Comments

Redwood Tattoos

The selection of redwood tattoos by me.

As a symbol of California state, redwood tree is one of the most common choices as a memorial tattoo along with California poppy flowers. It's believed, that Redwood represents wellbeing, safety, longevity, wisdom, and bonding.

Redwoods have been around for about 240 million years, that fact makes them as old as dinosaurs. You might be surprised to know that a 2,200-year-old Sequoia is still standing strong in the forest of California.

Take a look at these Redwood tattoos by me and don't hesitate to contact me with your very own idea!

October 31, 2022No Comments

Vogue Tattoo Flash

Vogue Tattoos

I present to your attention a new collection of tattoo designsVogue Tattoo Flash. Charismatic and at the same time incredibly elegant characters came off of vintage magazine art-deco covers. A series of graphic illustrations referring to the magnificent artworks of Vogue magazine. The tattoo designs are a perfect fit for both: fashion fans and lovers of floral and fine-line tattoos.

“Fashion starts from a drawing; Vogue started as an illustrated magazine,” 

Vogue Italia’s creative director Ferdinando Verderi

Once In A Bookstore

Driven By Inspiration

Once in a bookstore, I came across a great specimen from the 80s. A selection of illustrated vintage Vogue covers. When I got my hands on the book, I knew I had to create this tattoo project

It's telling that I was attracted to those pages. Flower arrangments, beautiful graphic folds of fabrics, fine lines of ink—ideal for being embodied in someone's tattoo. I love my job! The world around us is full of inspiration, you just need to reach out.

Vogue Tattoo Flash

Vogue Tattoo Flash—Making The Design

These covers can trace the history of fashion and art. The tattoo flash includes various decades, mostly from the 1910s to the 1930s inclusively. Thanks to this project, I had an opportunity to study in depth the works of such illustrators as André E. Marty, George Wolfe Plank, Helen Dryden, Eduardo Benito, etc.

I wanted to find common features and combine illustrations from different years and different artists into a single homage—Vogue Tattoo Flash. It was so great to go through all the pages to choose the covers that speak to me the most. Finding those little details, beautiful curves, or textures that I love so much. And was so fun to decide how to translate them to the limited color palette that I prefer. And rendering them in fine lines which you all know me for:)

Tattoo designs are based on cover illustrations by Eduardo Benito, Eric (Carl Erickson), Helen Dryden, Porter Woodruff, Pierre Brissaud, George Wolfe Plank, Harriet Meserole, Georges Lepape. 

Get one of these that suits you the best or I can design a tattoo specially for you.

August 2, 20222 Comments

Poppy Flower Tattoos

Symbolic Tattoo

California Poppy Flower

As a fan of botanical illustrations and a tattoo artist based in the Bay Area, it's essential for me to share a selection of Poppy Flower tattoos. One of the most trending symbols of California state. The growing popularity of such tattoos is challenging me to work harder on the uniqueness of each design. I set a goal for myself to achieve originality for every client. As you can see, not a single tattoo is repeated.

Enjoy the selection of Poppy flower tattoos I did including CA Poppies. Each one is unique. I'd be glad to add yours to this collection. 

History

Long before the Europeans came to the “New World”, indigenous people used various preparations of the California Poppy plant for toothaches, to relieve headaches and stomach aches, as well as a sleep aid.

When the early Spanish frontiersmen of California saw slopes overgrown with Poppy flowers, they called the plant “cup of gold” (“Copa de Oro”). It is also known as the Golden Poppy and Cups of Flame. Because of the magnificent spectacle, the coast was called the “land of fire.” And a Poppy Flower became a symbol of ”True Gold is in the Heart”. 

As I've mentioned earlier, the Golden Poppy has been California’s symbol for over a hundred years. However, the way Poppy got its recognition is thorny and long. It took a whole decade for Sara Allen Lemmon to achieve official acknowledgment of the poppy as a symbol of the state. 

Lemmon, previously Plummer, is attributed to discovering 110 species, roughly three percent, of all known species of California’s vascular plants and has two plants named directly after her, baccharis plummerae and plummera floribunda. Lemmon and her husband had two of the genera they discovered named after them, Lemmonia and Plummera, one of the highest botanical honors to be bestowed. She also provided scientific illustrations for her husband’s books—illustrations that were so revered that she was the first woman allowed to speak to the California Academy of Science.

www.ladyscience.com

I encourage you to read the history of the poppy becoming the flower of the state in tribute to Sarah. 

The Golden Poppy’s place as California’s state flower rests on the talent and incredible determination of Sara Plummer Lemmon. Her botanical passion and steadfastness in the face of legislative roadblocks and dismissal shows that like the Golden Poppy, she too has a rich, layered, and forgotten history. All around California, the Golden Poppy grows wild, beaming up at the sky with its satin-like petals and stored-up sunshine, radiating through its deep, golden-orange hue. Its glow serves as a reminder that it is thanks to Lemmon that the Golden Poppy has secured a permanent place in Californian history.

www.ladyscience.com

The Symbolism of Poppy Flower Tattoos

The flower has various meanings: eternal sleep, imagination, oblivion, avoidance of problems, remembrance, and more. Poppy expresses the power of ambition, attitude, clear thinking, higher understanding, luck, and spiritual concepts. 

What a California Poppy Flower tattoo can say about an owner? Poppies are popular among the public as symbolic tattoos, which are widely used to represent dreams, rest, and calmness. According to Floriography, the California Poppy flower can also be regarded as a declaration of love. As well as a memento about California.

More compositions with poppies

Available Poppy flower tattoo designs

June 7, 2022No Comments

Star Wars Inspired Tattoos

Star Wars Matching Tattoos

The Concept

Recently, I was approached by K. and D. with an interesting idea for pairing tattoos. The Star Wars inspired tattoos. Their concept is based on the love story between Princess Leia and Han Solo from Star Wars. A portrait of Leia for K. with words "I love you", and a Han Solo's blaster with "I know" for D. Also, to my great pleasure, there was room for a flower arrangement! I love how designs are different and matching at the same time.

Star Wars Inspired Tattoos – Making the Design

Check out the process of bringing an idea to life.

Final Look of the Star Wars Inspired Tattoos

The Inspiration

Working on this project I combined my favorite style and art skills. Portraits, Hair, Star Wars-inspired tattoo flash and Flowers.

Portraits.

I honed my illustrative style by drawing tons of them! Would love to do more portrait tattoos. 

Hair.

You can't imagine how I love drawing hair 🙂 That's why I created these tattoo designs with just hair-dos. 

Star Wars-inspired tattoo flash I have. Yes, hrrrm..

A mix of Russian folklore and Star Wars. Meet Luke-Ivan Tsarevitch and others. ⁣You can find a fairy-tale about each one by clicking on the image or read it below. All the illustrations are available as a tattoo designs.

Short descriptions of the fairytales

Leia / Alyonushka

Alyonushka – is an orphan. Her little brother doesn't listen to her, drinks water from a hoof print in mud and turns into a goatling.
A king has married this beautiful girl, but a witch, who wants to take away her husband , drowns Alyonushka in a pond and becomes her.
Only her little brother (the goatling) knows the truth and can save Alyonushka and himself from the evil witch.

C-3PO / Sirin

Sirin (from a greek "Σειρῆνες " ("siren")) – is an edenic bird with a woman's head. It's also depicted with another edenic bird, Alconost, but unlike that bird it sings sad songs.
Sometimes these songs could hurt people (they could lose their mind). That's why in some legends, Sirin has a negative connotation and it's considered to be a dark bird, the underworld messenger.

Darth Maul / Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga – mistress of the forest, animals and birds, almighty prophetic old woman, guardian of the other world's borders. Her name is derived from a Proto-Slavic word "ęgа" representing snakes and reptiles.
Baba Yaga casts spells, flies in a pounder, and ensnares good fellows and children in order to eat them. She dwells of the forest border in a hut on chicken legs, surrounded by a fence made of human bones and skulls.
In ancient times the dead were buried in such little houses located above the ground on tall stumps that looked like chicken legs.
A zombie grandmother lies still and can't see a person who comes from the world of the living (the living and the dead do not see each other). She finds out about a person's arrival by the smell.

Check out the Baba Yaga tattoo project.

Luke / Ivan Tsarevich

Ivan Tsarevich (meaning Ivan, the King's Son) – is one of the main characters of Russian folklore. He is the youngest of three brothers. Koschey (the immortal warlock) stole his bride and in order to save her. Ivan Tsarevich needs to enter the Far Far Away kingdom (i.e. the underworld), pass many trials, and cunningly overcome Koschey.

Flowers.

Still. Always. Forever. 

Latest floral tattoo projects.

Do you have a cool idea? Let's discuss it, I'll help you implement it! 

May 9, 2022No Comments

Ideas for Pet Portrait Tattoos

Memorial pet portrait tattoos have a special place in my heart. In addition to the Familiars project, I have accumulated a large number of works with animals.

Memorial Pet Tattoos

A simple fine line tattoo with a little bit of shading becomes a celebration of the exceptional bond between a client and their dog/cat, or even an eland. Besides being a popular tattoo choice, it is also an expression of love.

As a tattoo artist, I'm happy to share a selection of tattoo ideas for pet portraits with you. Behind every tattoo you see below there is a touching story. Each illustration is unique.

Where do I start before getting a tribute tattoo?

There are no criteria about when you can get a tattoo in honor of or inspired by your pet. A tattoo is a permanent reminder of the impact your friend had on you and also the way to celebrate their life. Take your time. Here are some pieces of advice for you.

  • First of all, look for a few favorite photos of your pet. Pictures can be made from a different perspective but should be of good quality.
  • Prepare a shortlist of details you want to be embodied in a design. It could be a heart-shaped nose or a funny-looking spot. Anything, that characterizes your pet.
  • Describe your Idea. Feel free to share your thoughts with me. Your cat can become a magic dragon! I'll be there to answer all your questions.

Ready for more pet portrait tattoos? Check out my portfolio.

Pet Portraits by Rae Ritchie is a great example of how an illustration can emphasize character.

A small fine line tattoo with an original design could be your first tattoo. Looking for inspiration in Bay Area? I can prepare a custom design of a memorial tattoo specially for you. Here is an inquiry form.

November 9, 2021No Comments

Butterfly Tattoos

The Symbolism of Butterfly Tattoos

The theme of insects in a tattoo brings numerous feelings in people. In this article let's explore the beauty and symbolism of butterfly tattoos we see most often nowadays.

Butterfly Tattoo

The butterfly image has always been one of the top choices for a tattoo design. And you can tell why. As a representation of natural symmetry, fragility, and a source of divine colors, a butterfly is the best example of flawless beauty.

What is the meaning of a butterfly?

The tenderness of these creatures has drawn the interest of people in different cultures from all over the world. 

Often butterflies symbolize resurrection, healthy transformation, and spiritual awakening due to their lifecycle. For instance, a butterfly tattoo meaning in Japan is femininity and elegance; two flying butterflies represent family happiness and prosperity. However, butterflies were considered to be the harbinger of war in Ancient Rome. In Chinese culture, it is a sign of immortality, wealth, and longevity. In some cultural traditions, a butterfly symbolizes a soul. 

Memorial tattoo

I had the occasion to create projects that had a memorial value for clients. As it carries the meaning of the soul, once, a butterfly was a symbol of connection with a departed loved one.

For one client, the tattoo was done in memory of San Francisco. We have chosen a particular butterfly kind that lives only in SF. It's called Mission Blue Butterfly.

Explore CA Poppy flower tattoos.

Why is it a popular tattoo design?

Symmetry

Firstly, symmetry. They say it is a manifestation of the desire for reliability and strength. So, it has always caught the human eye. It allows creating enchanting designs that embellish your body.

Colors & patterns

Secondly, the exceptional colors and patterns of the butterflies inspire to create unique and meaningful art. You can add more symbolism to the design, by encrypting the date or name in the ornament.

Sense of lightness

The natural airiness that a butterfly emanates can be used to create your own tattoo style.

Dynamics

In addition, the flight creates a dynamic pattern, a movement effect, that emphasizes the muscles and contexture in general.

Symbolism of Butterfly Tattoos In a Nutshell

The image of a butterfly can have variable meanings. From grace to immortality. You can also add your personal connotation to the tattoo using color and pattern. Thanks to the wonders inherent in nature, a butterfly inspires a unique piece of art creation. Therefore, a myriad of their shapes allows you to choose what exactly fits you and your personality.

I can create a custom butterfly tattoo design just for you. Explore my latest tattoo projects and available designs as an inspiration for your future tattoo.

February 28, 20181 Comment

Send Me Across the Sea, Vol 2

I was invited by Malisa Suchanya to participate in the cutest group art show. Each artist could submit up to 10 pieces plus prints and accessories. There were more than 50 artists.

I painted 10 watercolors with characters from my new ongoing comic project, Fog Mushroom. Masking fluid, watercolor + salt, and watercolor pencils. Super fun ^___^

The show was a 2-day pop-up event. We (Malisa, Dianna Xu, and I) hanged everything the day before. The girls did a great job arranging all the art. Different works complemented each other in color and style.

So glad I took part in it and can't wait for the next one.

January 16, 2018No Comments

Design for Open Studios

My artist friend Melissa Mohammadi invited me to be a part of a group Open Studios. I shared Sawyer Street Studios with 5 other artists. Check the videos from the event.

San Francisco Open Studios is the oldest and largest open studio program in the country that showcases over 800 emerging and established SF artists in their studios.

I was the one responsible for all the design for our  Sawyer Street Open Studios. Here's what I came up with.

Logo 

First, we needed a logo to put on all our materials. I tried different options and stopped on a simplified version of Melissa's house where we would have our Open Studio. I put it on our booklet, stickers, Facebook and Instagram.

Guide ad 

This event is organized with the help of ArtSpan, a non-profit organization, committed to cultivating a vibrant & accessible art community in San Francisco. They print Open Studios guide with all the artists' details to help to promote them. We decided to advertise there. My inspiration for the design were 60's. Their bold attitude. Therefore high contrast, black, white and yellow.

Booklet and Stickers 

We wanted to give out something to people. I designed a booklet with info about all 6 artists and stickers. Each artist had personalized stickers with little logo-house and their art printed on clear vinyl. They turned out super cute:)

Artist statement/bio 

Every time I visited an exhibition, I wanted to see an artist's photo near their art work. So I could find them in the crowd and talk. I decided to implement this to our little art show.

I printed each one's art statement and made everyone's polaroid photo. Loved the result:)

Open Studio Sign 

The task was to make a poster sign at the entrance. Since it was on the window I decided to make it on semi translucent paper, so some light would come through. I used my AxiDraw pen plotter to draw it. It came out perfect:)