How well does the color white show up in a tattoo?

I was thinking of getting a gardenia flower tattoo as a memorial to my g-ma ... but the flower has white petals and I don't know how well it will last. I have fairly medium toned skin - definately not pale but not too bronze either. I know tatts fade a lil over time, but how well do you think the white would remain? THANKS

How well does the color white show up in a tattoo?
A section of my tattoo design was white and the first thing my artist said to me was it isn't going to show up well. It was important to me that the section remain white so we discussed how it could be done. He ended up doing the section white, but used a lot of light shades of gray around it %26amp; on it to give it depth and make it visable. So it's white, but not really a pure white. It looks great.



I'm not sure if the same shading would work well for your gardenia as it might make it look like it's wilting or dead.



Best suggestion would be to go talk to an artist about it. They would be able to tell you the pros %26amp; cons and whether it would show up well on your skin based on your skin color.
Reply:if you have a lighter complexion..it probably won't show up that well. White is mostly used for shading purposes.
Reply:White ink is mainly used for highlighting only. If you get a large area done in white, it will typically turn yellow-ish with age - usually within 2-3 years. Maybe do the flower in black %26amp; gray - you can get the detail in without worrying about the white issue.
Reply:i have a white outline around the black on my tattoo.. it shows up due to the contrast..

i'm not sure how well it would show up on it's own though..
Reply:it doesnt
Reply:white is usually used to make other colours pop out more
Reply:i disagree, my husband is pretty pastey white and has white in his tat, think about it, your skin is way more pink than white
Reply:Tattoo artists love me, as I have the lightest skin you have ever seen. I had a tattoo done 10 years ago that had white in it, and you can still see it, but in many cases they skip the white unless it is for shading on top of another color.
Reply:white is a hard color to work with generally. I'm really pale and the white just fades into my skin tone. i think if you were medium skinned it would probably show up decently.
Reply:Depends on your pigment I would say - haven't seen it much.
Reply:Think of a tattoo design like a woodblock print. "White" is the negative space.
Reply:I have blue and white wings on my feet and though you can see the white it is very faint. It faded far more dramatically after healing than the blue did. I really like the subtleness of the white in comparison to other colors. However, with a larger expanse of white I'm not sure what the end result would really look like. I would suggest going to a shop and telling them what you want to gain suggestions and further your idea.