#3 Daniel the Gardener, botanical tattoo artist, in his leaf-filled studio in north London
'In my experience, if you focus on quality, the rest comes easily. Not the other way around.'
Argentinian botanical tattoo artist, ‘Daniel the Gardener,’ works from his leafy studio in north London.
Daniel, who has 109,000 Instagram followers and an 18-month waiting list, specialises in one-of-a-kind, large-scale, freehand botanical tattoos that combine his love for illustration, plants and nature.
His practice on skin is about translating each person’s story into unique compositions that reflect their emotional bond with site-specific flora and the memories, places and people connected to them.
With 12 years of experience in tattoo shops and studios, Daniel opened his own studio three years ago. He recently completed a residency at Sarabande Foundation and in 2024 held a live tattoo performance at Chelsea Physic Garden, London’s oldest botanic garden. His tattoo work is currently on display at FLOWERS at Saatchi Gallery, an exhibition exploring flora in contemporary art and culture (on until 5 May 2025).
Daniel lives in east London with his wife.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TARA DARBY
Creative space This studio found me. I was about to sign on a big space, but it fell through at the last minute and this place appeared thanks to Matthew Richardson, who I worked with on a William Morris Gallery project, and it was even better. It was a very organic succession of events. From the start I had a very clear picture of how I wanted it to look and feel: soft and gentle. Clients spend up to six or eight hours here, so I want to make it as comfy as possible. There’s no decoration, just plants.
Atmosphere Tattooing is a very intimate, transformational experience, especially with my work over a whole arm or both legs so the more relaxed and comfortable people can be, the better. I work alone in this space so there’s no chance of being disturbed. I also serve teas, snacks and nice thingies. I’m thinking not only about my clients but what I need to feel comfortable and inspired.
Studio talismans I keep a collection of my favourite things, mostly foraged or collected along the way or given to me by friends. There’s coral from a scuba diving trip in Papua New Guinea and a seed pod from a tree that only grows when ignited by fire, a seed pod from the Chelsea Physic Garden, another from Brazil, volcanic rock from Argentina. They bring me back to the experiences where I found them.
Morning routine I wake up at 7am and go to yoga or a movement class called Bamboo Bodies. I have been serious about handstand classes for a few years now. In the morning, I only drink maté. I don’t eat. I go to the gym, the sauna, I get a cold shower and then I come to the studio for 9.45am.
Creative tasks There are different stages of tattooing a client: the consultation and the assessment of what they want, where and why; the drawing on the skin which can take from one to four hours; the outlining and design. Normally clients come here for multiple days but sometimes, depending on budget, it’s just one or we build up the design over a longer period of time.
Focus I don’t stop for lunch. I’m very picky about my attention levels and I don’t want to compromise. It’s been years of tweaking my optimum concentration levels. Nowadays, I do better with just fruit and nuts, then I eat a proper dinner when I get home. I just can’t afford even a small fluctuation; I feel it and then I get upset.
Growing station I find it very inspiring to see the roots of plants, because normally we don’t see them. The propagation station is a way of appreciating growth and seeing the other part of the plant that’s always hidden in the pot. There’s a whole universe of people selling weird species and rare cuttings on eBay. Sometimes clients bring me cuttings too.
Studio soundtrack I only play instrumental music. I don’t play lyrics to people because I want to keep the space neutral.
Books On the Necessity of Gardening: An ABC of Art, Botany and Cultivation by Maria Barnas, which I found at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, is a magazine that combines time, space, projects, ideas and recollections. I’m reading The Treadwell’s Book of Plant Magic by Christina Oakley Harrington because I’m interested in how people in the past interacted with plants. I would also recommend Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience by Yi Fu Tuan about what it takes for a space to become a place for oneself or a community.
Childhood ambition I wanted to be a veterinarian because I loved animals until my sister bought me a book about the life of a farm vet and it really put me off. Later I wanted to become a professional snowboarder.
Tools I draw on the skin with Tombow ABT water-based brush pens, which are common among tattooists. Then I draw the darker line with a doodler pen, which has a heavy weight, before moving to the needle. I use my iPad and Pinterest for reference. I ask each client to create a Pinterest board of references and what they want.
Creative style I create freehand botanical tattoos with a non-scientific approach. It’s not an accurate representation but an interpretation and recollection of people’s memories. I think of plants as carriers of meaning, of those relationships with spaces, locations and people. I talk to clients about what the plants represent for them, which brings up emotions and the places and people that are attached to those plants.
Training I’m a self-taught artist. I tried to go to university and it didn’t work; I couldn’t focus. But I always had a very strong discipline. My childhood entertainment was painting and drawing so when I was 16, I chose it as my career. I started tattooing at home on friends and friends of friends until I was recommended to do an apprenticeship in a street shop. Over three and half years there, I learned not only the tattooing but also how to hold space for someone that is in a very vulnerable position and to help them assess what they need and want.
Favourite garden in the world I went to the orchid botanical garden in Singapore a few months ago. I was never into orchids until I saw that. It’s mind-blowing. My other favourite is the cactus garden in Lanzarote with some cacti on a scale that I had never seen before. It’s hard to beat Kew Gardens and Chelsea Physic Garden though.
Best advice ever received ‘Listen to my heart’, which I try to do as much as possible.
If the studio was burning down, which object would you save? My ladybird that an Egyptian friend bought me as birthday present. The machinery I can just buy again.
Unfulfilled ambitions I want to have a studio in nature. I imagine it on the top of a hill in a tropical landscape and with a poetic view of the sea in the distance. I’d like to work with natural light and finish when the sun goes down.
Advice for new tattooists Learn the craft of tattooing and not focus on doing art. Just as the wood carver needs to learn the practice of carving wood, tattooists need to apply ink onto the skin. Nowadays, especially with social media and the hype of becoming a tattoo artist, what I see with younger people, is a focus on getting bookings and being cool on Instagram rather than on quality. In my experience if you focus on quality, the rest comes easily. Not the other way around.
Career high I did a live tattooing at the Chelsea Physic Garden, which took a lot of time to put together, so it was very rewarding. Being exhibited at Saatchi Gallery and being the only tattooist representing art on skin is a validation of my work. I’m trying to do something more with tattooing by telling the stories behind the tattoos and when Saatchi agrees that’s interesting to society, it makes me feel like I’m on the right path.
SUPPORT DANIEL’S WORK: @danielthegardener // danielthegardener.com
SUPPORT TARA’S WORK: @taradarby // taradarby.com
THE MINUTES // DANIEL THE GARDENER // STUDIO SNOOPER
1. William Morris Gallery – wmgallery.org.uk
2. Tombow ABT water-based brush pens – tombow.co.uk
3. Sarabande painting - sarabandefoundation.org
4. Chelsea Physic Garden live tattoo performance – chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk
5. Lanzarote cactus garden – cactlanzarote.com
6. Kew Gardens – kew.org
7. FLOWERS exhibition at Saatchi Gallery – saatchigallery.com