Behind the Ink — My Favorite Flash Pieces (and Why)

Today I’m pulling back the curtain on the inspiration behind some of my favorite flash designs.
I don’t often talk about my creative process, but this blog is my chance to dig in and share more of the “why” behind the art.

Let’s start at the basics: if you’ve followed me for a bit, you probably know what flash is. But if you’re new here, flash designs are pre-drawn tattoos that I create based on whatever sparks my inspiration in the moment. I share them on my socials or website when they’re available.
Most of my flash is one-of-a-kind — once it’s tattooed, it’s retired. But some designs get more love than others, and in those cases, I always tweak and customize them so each version stays unique. I’m also open to changing colors or making small adjustments if you have a personal twist in mind.

In this post, I want to explore where those ideas come from. As someone who comes from the world of illustration and animation, I’m fascinated by creative process — and I love the idea of letting you into mine.

Summer Pin up - 2025

All rights reserved - Genevieve FT - 2025

With these designs, I wanted to return to the roots of tattooing and pin-up art.
I worked with a limited color palette, bold black lines, and classic tattoo vibes — inspired by traditional American pin-ups, but always with my personal twist.

The goal? Something summery, playful, and carefree.
I pulled pose references from old-school pin-up posters to give it that retro energy, but kept it light and fun. These flash pieces are perfect for arms and legs — timeless designs that are fast and super fun to tattoo.

Porcelain Vase Women - 2024

A lot of my flash ideas come from places that have nothing to do with tattoos. I didn’t grow up in tattoo culture — I come from illustration and animation, where doing tons of visual research before starting a project is totally normal.
That’s exactly how these came to life.

One Pinterest spiral later, I was deep in a gallery of porcelain vases... and then it hit me: what if the vases were shaped like women’s bodies?
The more I looked, the more the ideas flowed — curves, patterns, flowers, elegance, softness.

After a ton of sketching and reference hunting, this series was born. They’re still some of my personal favorites, and I get asked about them all the time at events and conventions.

What I love most? The endless variation and the elegance in every curve.

See-Through Lingerie - 2023-2024

I’m obsessed with vintage lingerie — especially dreamy sheer nightgowns from the ‘50s and ‘60s. I’ve got an entire Pinterest board full of them, so the inspiration for this pin-up series came super naturally.

What I wanted to do differently here was play with transparency.
The idea was to tattoo the figure in black and grey, but render the lingerie in color — so it pops and feels semi-transparent. A mix of bold lines and softness, skin and fabric, classic and cheeky.

These pin-ups are endlessly customizable, so if you have a favorite lingerie style (or just a vibe you want captured), let’s bring it to life.

Hope you enjoyed this little behind-the-scenes dive into my brain!
Is this the kind of blog you’d want more of? Because I love talking art and tattoos with you.

You can browse all available flash here.
And if nothing’s speaking to you (yet), you can always request a custom project — let’s build something bold and beautiful together.

ENG, Creative Process, Tattoo Talk, Artist Journal, Flash StoriesGenevieve FTJuly 2, 2025flash tattoos, tattoo artist Montréal, pin-up tattoo style, colorful tattoos, tattoo flash designs, Genevieve FT tattoos, bold feminine tattoos, vintage tattoo art, original tattoo ideasComment