Tattoos On The Body By FrankyY

Chinese traditional painting holds a unique charm. This technique of painting is one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world. The credit of bringing this form of painting to the tattoo world goes to FrankyY, a Chinese tattooist, who recreates colorful tattoos of Chinese paintings on the body parts.

This tattoo artist from Beijing, China, has honed her skills in Chinese art. A traditional Chinese painting involves techniques of calligraphy and is made with a brush dipped in black ink or colored pigments. For such paintings, the popular materials are paper and silk, which are then mounted on hanging scrolls or handscrolls.

FrankyY has replaced the brush with a tattoo machine and the colored pigments with colors she herself creates. For example, she uses a mixture of witch hazel, glycerin, and propylene glycol, which she blends in a blender with powdered pigment to the right consistency. She then adds a colored dye to this mixture, whose amount depends upon the brightness and shade of the color. Afterward, she blends this whole stuff for a good full hour. Once her tattoo color is prepared, she introduces it into her tattoo machine and gets to work.

Why she prefers colors over black and white inks is because colored inks can add a whole new dimension to the display on the body and symbolize elements that are beyond the capacity of simple black ink. Little wonder this young artist is not only known for her Chinese style and illustrative colors, but also for her mini-realism and fine lines.

Although FrankyY is inspired by the works of other talented artists, such as Akiwong and Neuneu, it is the ancient Chinese paintings that are her real inspiration. Says she on her website, “My inspiration comes not only from ancient Chinese paintings but also from ancient costume accessories and architectural elements. I want to show the traditional Chinese culture to everyone who loves it through tattoos.” She mixes these elements with customer’s requests.

Currently, FrankyY works in one of the best-known tattoo studios in Beijing, called Newtattoo Studio. She enjoys a following of over 232,000 fans on Instagram alone.