Esther Garcia Turns Limbs Into Art With Flower Tattoos In Black Backgrounds

If you've ever dreamed about getting a tiny, subtle floral tattoo, this fabulous work by Esther Garcia will make you say: "Yep, forget a tiny one, I want the whole sleeve instead." The Chicago-based tattoo artist paints the bodies of clients with the most intricate combinations of floral designs. Sweet peas, garden roses, peonies, and every other kind of flower you can imagine emerge from contrasting black backgrounds, accompanied by butterflies and birds. Even though her tattoos are just pure art in their essence, Garcia admits she first started doing them as a solution for cover-ups as black backgrounds perfectly obscure older and no longer wanted tattoos in the most beautiful way.

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Image credits: Esther Garcia

Garcia is mostly self-taught and has been working as a tattoo artist for the last twenty years. She says that floral tattoos on a black background is what she's mostly known for and were first created as a solution for cover-ups. Despite that, they are a complete trend on their own now. Her creations were inspired by the tradition of Dutch flower painting from the 17th century.

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"I exclusively offer my own projects for people to choose from. The primary benefit is that I get to work with clients who are very comfortable with my process. Even if they are not experienced tattoo collectors, they have done their research and are happy to put themselves in my hands," she said.

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"It's an honor and a joy to work like this and it's great to show up for work and know we're both so excited to be there. I used to feel so much pressure to 'mind-read' to some degree, to please the client - this method seems to sidestep that entirely, so I can rest easier and do my work in a more relaxed frame of mind."

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After two decades of working in her Butterfat studio in Chicago, Garcia is now moving on to off-body projects as well and is collaborating with artist and illustrator Kyle Letendre on a textile and commercial design project called Flower Thieves.

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She is also working on a traveling workshop series, trying to educate and inspire young artists to have their own unique style and create sustainable businesses. She usually shares information regarding her projects on her website and on Instagram, so be sure to follow her to keep updated!

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