A Monarch of Tattoos

There are various forms of realism when it comes to tattooing. There’s color realism, black and grey realism, hyperrealism, fantasy realism, etc. As long as the image inked is done in a way that suggests the shading, proportions, and textures of real life, it can be considered realism. Some realism pieces take things just a step further by suggesting that they actually are pieces of real life. We’re talking about 3D tattoos. Making something look as if it is jumping off of a piece of paper is tricky, but making something look as if it is jumping off of someone’s skin is a tad more impressive. Here we have an amazing tattoo of a monarch butterfly. The foreshortening in the front wing, the drop shadow, and the added depth of the piece all make this work of ink look as if it actually was a butterfly that decided to take a brief rest on the client’s shoulder. The amount of time and skill that went into a piece showcases just how far tattooing has come since it’s early days of traditional solid black outlines and color blocking. For more incredible illusion tattoos check out some of our favorites right here, and also make sure to take a look at some more beautiful butterfly pieces, too!