Some people might be afraid to have an ‘all-black’ tattoo sleeve. But when you combine it with pops of colorful and vivid flowers, it’s actually quite stunning. The details down by the wrist really add to the piece.

“I exclusively offer my own projects for people to choose from. The primary benefit is that I get to work with clients who are very comfortable with my process. Even if they are not experienced tattoo collectors, they have done their research and are happy to put themselves in my hands,” she says on her website.

Here’s another gorgeous leg piece that takes up the entire calf, up toward the knee, and onto the thigh. Once again, Esther has include gorgeous details at the end of the solid black to add some feminity. Simply gorgeous.

If you told someone that you were going to turn your entire arm black, most people would like at you like you’re crazy. But once you see the final result? You can appreciate the beauty of the negative space.

Here’s another mostly black piece but this time the negative space forms geometric shapes. We can’t even imagine the painstaking precision it must take to create this type of tattoo. She’s clearly insanely talented.

“Predominantly self-taught, she brings a unique curiosity and rigorous investigative method to all artistic projects. Her tattoos are immediately recognizable not only by their natural & botanical imagery, but also their organic body placement and unusual techniques,” her website states.

It’s extremely difficult to make tattoos look like the stroke of a paintbrush. Esther, however, seems to pull it off with ease. The petals on the flowers look like something you’d see in a museum-worthy painting.

The depth of the black on this tattoo is so intense. And when paired with the bright pop of red in the pomegranate, it’s just gorgeous to look at. Hours and hours of work go into each tattoo that Esther creates.

“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. The larger projects get offered here, and people already on the mailing list will get a heads up before they are posted. The smaller ones go really quickly, so you may want to turn on your post alerts. I don’t keep a wait list,” Esther says.

Esther is also great at covering up existing tattoos and transforming them into something beautiful. This piece is a great example of that. There are only slight remnants of the old tattoo up by the shoulder.

Esther proves time and time again that you don’t need bold or even pastel colors to make something look beautiful. Sometimes, all you need are different shades of black. This eye-catching piece is a superb example.

“I welcome: all bodies, all colors and kinds of skin, all LGBTQIA people, all identities (please let me know your preferred pronouns), and all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Scars of any kind (self harm or mastectomy included), clients who are informed and comfortable with my process, collaboration with other artists. First timers, experienced clients, and other tattooers,” she states.

Taking a dark, black backround and adding fruits, flowers, and birds is clearly Esther’s specialty. The way she utilized the negative space to use as the ‘color’ for the peaches is so impressive. Her lines need to be so perfect.

Esther’s work is inspired by traditional Dutch flower paintings from the 17th century. All of her studying has most certainly paid off because each one of her tattoos is near perfection. She impresses us more and more with each one.

“It’s an honor and a joy to work like this and it’s great to show up for work and know we’re both so excited to be there. I used to feel so much pressure to ‘mind-read’ to some degree, to please the client – this method seems to sidestep that entirely, so I can rest easier and do my work in a more relaxed frame of mind,” she says.

“I get a lot of emails and DMs from people with tattoo predicaments- questions about tattoos that didn’t go as planned, and what options they might have for correcting and improving the situation. It’s far easier and faster to explain options in person, and show examples of what might work,” she explains.

Patterns and textures are two things that Esther has completely perfected. Between the the ‘fuzzy and soft’ moth to the gorgeous pattern on the orchid, it’s just mind-blowing. She is truly changing the tattoo game.

What makes these tattoos so impressive is that you can’t tattoo white over black. She had to painstakingly leave the open space for the light ink. Either that, or do it after, which is still inctricately detailed and difficult to pull off.

“Once in a while, a client requests that I design their entire tattoo collection. Working from nothing, or from existing tattoos- and taking into consideration physique, coloration, personal style, and ability to travel- I will design a full body tattoo plan,” Esther says.

Do you know how long it takes to get the shading of black like this? That alone would take hours. Let alone adding in the flowers with their intense details. We’re just in awe of her work.

“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,” she explains about each unique tattoo.

What makes this tattoo so unique is that there are tiny little details almost ‘hidden’ within the black ink. You really wouldn’t notice until you got close. It’s incredible how she pulls this off.

As you may have noticed, Esther does a great job of bordering the black ink. It never comes to a ‘hard’ stop. She always incorporates some sort of shape or pattern for the black to be framed by. Gorgeous!

Time and time again, Esther proves that you don’t need vivid colors to make a beautiful tattoo. Sometimes, it’s just all about the stroke of the needle. She’s perfected her skills to a T.

This gorgeous sleeve tattoo took Esther 8 sessions to complete. Each session is around 3-5 hours. That’s a lot of dedication and passion for her work. And patience from the client!

It’s not just arms and legs that Esther tattoos, she also does gorgeous work on other parts of the body. In this case, it’s a delicate three-piece tattoo near an existing tattoo on the neck. They look like leafy snowflakes.

Here, Esther has shown off her work on the middle of someone’s chest. Intricate and detailed. She doesn’t know any other way.

“Hauke is one of my Collection Curation clients- his impressive and quickly growing tattoo collection needed an overall plan, so I jumped in and created this black work collar to delineate current work as well as future tattoos we are planning for him. It nicely complements the textures and bold shapes of the tattoos he already has in progress, and will allow a graceful transition to other black work styles as well. Next time we’ll add a matching piece at the back of his neck. Thank you for your trust, Hauke- I’m so pleased with how this is going,” explained Esther.

Here’s another cover up in progress. You can see the exisiting tattoo peeking out from underneath the new work. We’re sure the finished product will be stunning.

“I’m unbelievably excited about this art, it’s so beautiful I keep looking at the picture. Thank you so much for this piece!” commented an Instagram fan. We can’t stop staring either!

Departing from her normal style of florals and fauna, Esther took this tattoo in a totally different direction. It almost has styles of Southwestern meets Middle Eastern. No matter the inspiration, it’s beautiful.

“At least another session to go- but I’m pleased with how far I’ve hauled this old tattoo towards new life🌿 🌿 I have an available spot this coming Sunday 10/27 – if you also have a 10 year old tattoo in need of reworking, send a photo to esther@butterfatstudios.com and I’ll tell you if I think I can do something with it. Flat fee per session is $750, most color work needs multiple sessions,” Esther says of this piece.

The pink melon in this diamond frame is a new take on some of Esther’s work. We love how the little tendril of flower leaps out of the frame, adding a bit of dimension. Another gorgeous piece!

“Muted palette loquat sleeve coming along nicely, thank you for your vision and trust, Danny,” shared Esther. We’re loving the muted colors on this one. Not all colors need to be bright!

“I’m pawing through years of photos will prepping for my Botanical Masterclass next week in Brooklyn (a couple spots still available!) – and I came upon this sleeve. I don’t think I ever posted it, and even though I don’t do sleeves like this any more, I’m still very pleased with it. Vintage Baking tools, fruit, and tea towel pattern – 2013,” Esther posted with this photo.

This person is covering an old piece of art with a brand new piece by Esther. This time, she opted for all black with a few bright red Japanese maple leaves. Talk about eye-catching.

“Nearly done with this antique rose sleeve on Rachelle (top and bottom ends not by me, but so pretty, right?),” she said. Yes! We completely agree!

We’re just in awe of all the details going on in this leg piece. Between the flowers, leaves, and the little bee flying above – it’s just so incredible. We could stare at it all day.

“No filters/ no adjustments. Some fresh and swollen and shiny, some healed and settled in. Started this in July of last year, thank you so much for your dedication and regular sessions, Dyllus!” Esther captioned with this photo.

This healed tattoo turned out perfectly. Here’s another diamond-framed piece, but this time with a beautifully-detailed rose. The details of the frame are incredibly impressive as well.

This woman has gone with a solid black forearm with beautiful details on either end. Plus, a floral piece on the upper arm that somehow works beautifully with the solid black below. Talk about thinking outside the box.

Sometimes Esther uses no color. Other times she uses super bright colors. Either way, every time, they turn out gorgeous.

If there’s one thing that Esther has completely figured out, it’s how to do flowers. They are clearly her specialty and here is another piece to prove it. We’re simply in awe.

“Shin spangles” are what Esther calls these pieces. They are certainly a bold choice but there’s one thing for sure – no one else will have a tattoo like this one. The lines are just perfect.

We love that the snake is in all black ink. It’s then complimented by the beautiful colors of the fruit and flowers. Even if you don’t like snakes, you have to love this tattoo.

“Healed white on black (2 years). This client is very conscientious about keeping her tattoo out of the sun. No filters, no adjustments,” said Esther.

This person has let Esther’s creativity really shine on the back of their legs. One leg features a design of black ink on skin while the other is black ink with white space. The symmetry, though, is unbelievable.

“The lovely @bexnrube made a portrait of the backpiece I did for her- I’m blown away, this is so gorgeous,” said Esher. We’re blown away too. It looks absolutely incredible.

All of the tattoos already existed on this person’s back except for the nest. When Esther added it, with all its detail, it really took the tattoo to the next level. How does she get that realistic detail to pop like that?

Sometimes art can take shape in the simplest of ideas. Like this hand, for example. A solid block of black that fades out into the fingers.

“Two days in a row with lovely Rachelle- we have another session to match and finish these at the end of the month. {black and grey dot work}” Esther captioned with this photo.