Style Guide
Are you considering getting a tattoo but unsure about the style that suits you best? In this article, we will explore a variety of tattoo styles to help you discover the perfect one that truly speaks to your individuality. From traditional to neo-traditional, realism to watercolor, there's a style out there waiting to adorn your skin and tell your unique story. Dive in and uncover the world of tattoo artistry!
Intro to Tattoo Styles
Understanding the diverse range of artistic styles in the world of tattoos can greatly enhance your communication with your artist and ensure you get the tattoo of your dreams. From traditional to neo-traditional, realism to watercolor, each style has its own unique characteristics and techniques that can drastically impact the overall look of your design. By familiarizing yourself with these various styles, you empower yourself to effectively convey your vision to your tattoo artist, facilitating a smoother collaboration process that results in a tattoo that truly reflects your personality and preferences. Whether you're drawn to the bold lines of traditional tattoos or the intricate details of realism, being informed about different artistic styles is key to achieving a tattoo that you'll cherish for a lifetime.
Illustrative Tattoos
Illustrative tattoos are one of the most popular styles of tattoos and encompass many different techniques and themes. The following are some of the most popular sub genres within this style.
Illustrative w/ stipple shading Exp.1 & 2
Illustrative tattoos in general are basically defined as a tattoos where the design of the tattoo is made up of lines and shading. In other words it looks like a drawling. For this one specifically the shading is done out of dots instead of the smoother style shading typically see in a traditional tattoos.
Illustrative w/ smooth shading Exp. 3 & 4
This style of Illustrative tattooing is the most common. It basically just means that the design looks like a drawing and is composed out of lines and shading and in this instance, the shading looks smooth. This type of shading is achieved with what it’s called a mag needle, which is a large combination of needles, that packs the ink in consistently and smoothly to create a flawless finish.
Color Illustrative Exp. 5 & 6
Much the same as other types of Illustrative tattoos this is a style that is based around line work. The only difference is that this one is colored in, instead of shaded with black ink. There is a wide variety of colors and textures that can be used within this style, but as long as it has lines and color, it’s basically a color illustrative tattoo. The only exception would be color realism, or specialty styles such as neo-traditional or American traditional, which have very set rules as to how they are designed that sets them apart, instead of under the umbrella term of Illustrative.
Illustrative w/ Mixed Shading Exp. 7, 8 & 9
This one is simply a illustrate a tattoo with hybrid shading, meaning that It can have a mixture of different types of shading, including both stippled and smooth or possibly areas that have color and also areas that have black and grey, commonly described as tattoos with a “pop” of color.
Watercolor Exp. 10
There are many different ways to do a watercolor tattoo, but the most common is to have an illustrative design with color added to it and the color being done to look as though it is watercolor splatters or watercolor painting. This look usually includes coloring outside of the lines and adding specs of color here and there, as well as one color blending into another color in a loose and flowing fashion.
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Realism Tattoos
Realism, in its simplest definition is the exact and unaltered depiction of real life imagery. In tattooing this is most easily recognized by the lack of any hard lines in the tattoo. The design is accomplished solely from shading. The goal is for the tattoo to look like a photo instead of a drawing. There are sub categories within the style and I will describe and give examples of the most common realism styles below.
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Realism Exp. 1 & 2
The most general term used is just “realism”. For this term we’re assuming the most common type of realism. A tattoo that lacks any lines, is made entirely from shading, is meant to look exactly like a photo of a real life item, person, or landscape.
Pointillism Exp. 3 & 4
Pointillism follows all of the above requirements, but the shading is made entirely from the use of small dots instead of from smooth shading. This is obtained by using a small combination of needles typically used to do Linework instead of a large combination of needles referred to as a “mag” that is normally used for smooth shading. Instead of lining with the small needle, the machine is turned down, and the needles move quickly across the skin to create small dots, and then the image is made from the tones, values and concentration, or lack there of, of dots in certain areas.
Color Realism Exp. 5 & 6
Color Realism is just like a regular realism in simplest form except it is obtained by the use of colors. This style is characteristic of the precise use of multiple colors, attention to the hues and tones that are in the original image that is being matched. It encompasses intricate, blending and color theory to make a precise reproduction of the colorful reference image.
Micro Realism Exp. 7 & 8
A newer trend in realism is micro realism. This style is basically exactly what it sounds like. It is the execution of a realism tattoo at a very small scale. This tattoos are usually under four inches. It is common for these tattoos to be ever so slightly simplified due to size restraints.