Fine Line
The swallow needed a clear flight line along the forearm, not the look of a bird floating beside a flower. I used the magnolia branch to carry the movement, kept the feather and petal lines light and let the small geometric marks join the empty areas without competing with the two main subjects.
Because the forearm turns, the bird sits where it reads from the front and the branch follows the curve around it. I left space between feathers, petals and background detail so they don't merge as the tattoo settles. The piece took one three-and-a-half-hour session, and the photograph shows it fresh at the end of that appointment.
