Black and grey mandala tattoo with fine linework and dotwork shading across a wrist, set against a patterned floral background.

Mandala tattoo across the wrist

Geometric · Forearm · Black and grey · Photo

A circular mandala design with a central flower-like medallion, layered petal shapes and small dotted ornaments fills the wrist. The fine black linework is combined with dotwork and soft grey shading on the petals and edges. The ink is entirely black and grey, and the design is centred in the frame against a busy vintage floral fabric.

Geometric Dotwork Forearm Mandala Flower Dot Ornament Petal Medallion

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Take it to an artist as a reference. A good artist will make it yours rather than copy someone else's tattoo.

A story inspired by this tattoo · fiction

Dear Nan, the rain has been coming sideways across the Kirkgate stalls since Tuesday, and Mr Okonedo has had to tarpaulin the whole of the fabric stand twice. I am writing this on the back of a pattern card because it is the only dry thing in my bag. You would have laughed at me this morning. I spent an hour pricking dots through card with a darning needle, the way you taught me, following the rings of a medallion a customer drew on a napkin in the café next door.

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She wanted a circle that would hold together when you turned it. Eight petals first, then sixteen, each one scalloped, with little fan-shaped ribs between them that look like a peacock's tail folded small. In the middle goes a flower no bigger than a button, and round that a ring of seed dots that you have to count twice or the whole thing goes lopsided. I counted. I counted again. By the fourth time the rain had soaked the card and the ink ran just enough to make it look like sunlight through a window.

On Thursday she came back to say the fine lines had survived a week of wet pavements, and asked whether I could draw the same ring smaller for her cousin. I told her the trick is to let the grey do the work, shading each petal lighter toward its rim and letting the black lines carry the shape. She said nobody had ever explained a flower to her as if it were a clock.

Keep the stall open till Saturday. I have the card pinned above the till where the damp cannot reach it. Write soon, and tell Grandad the lace is finished.

Love, Mary