Esther Garcia is a tattoo artist that has been in the industry for over 20 years. Her experience certainly shows in her absolutely stunning work.

Based out of Chicago, Illinois, Esther previously owned an all-female artist tattoo studio called Butterfat Studios. Now, she has turned her attention to new projects such as Flower Thieves, which is “a textile & commercial design collaboration with graphic designer Kyle Letendre. She is also currently planning a series of traveling seminars to promote continued education among tattoo artists, encourage young artists to find their unique illustrative style, and cultivate a sustainable and healthy business practice,” according to her website.

What makes Esther’s work so amazing is the fact that she is predominantly self-taught. Each one of her tattoos is completely unique and extremely detailed. All of Esther’s tattoos that she has made are very recognizable as “hers.”

Esther’s tattoos are known for their botanical and natural imagery, as well as their organic body placement and “unusual techniques.”

For some of her pieces, she has worked with people on covering up unwanted or unsightly tattoos. For these pieces, she incorporated the trending blackout technique, as well as adding her own personal elements such as flowers, textures, creatures like birds and butterflies, and whimsical patterns that seem to be floating on the skin.

These types of tattoos were originally meant to help people cover up their tattoos, however, the designs are so unique and incredible that people have been requesting them on their bare, untouched skin.

The flowers and blossoms in Esther’s work are inspired by 17th-century Dutch paintings and they have a remarkably realistic look to them.

The images in the tattoos seem to pop out of the skin when they are laid against such a dark “backdrop.” Pinks and blues provide a gorgeous contrast to the black, it almost looks to be painted on the skin instead of tattooed ink. For those with tattoos that they once hated, now, they are literally wearing a work of art.

Esther prides herself on doing original and unique pieces for each person. Even if someone likes a previously tattooed piece, she doesn’t believe in replicating it. On her website, she states:

“Unless otherwise stated, each project is tattooed only one time. It is considered extremely bad form to copy an existing custom tattoo. Please respect my work, and my client’s dedication and expense.”

Esther’s work is in high demand, however, she’s very particular with which clients she’ll take on.

“When my schedule allows me to book more appointments, I offer new projects here. My books are never ‘open’ as such, I work exclusively from my own concepts, or designs that I choose – these are referred to as ‘projects’. Large, multi-session projects go up a couple times a year, and smaller short-notice ones are offered on Instagram, or by email when I will be traveling for work,” she explains.

The Chicago-based tattoo artist offers a range of prices for her work. For consultations regarding cover-ups, it can start at $250 for 45 minutes. For someone who is interested in having Esther design their entire tattoo concept, she’ll charge $500 for a consult, then $170 per hour for planning work. Many of her tattoo sessions (2-3 hours) can cost approximately $750, with each tattoo require multiple sessions.

Interested in reaching out to her? Contact her through her website! Just want to see more of her work? Check out Esther’s Instagram.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

H/T: My Modern Met