Fads come and go. Now and again, there would be a new style form when it comes to tattoos. However, getting a tattoo is a big commitment if you have not heard that enough times already. You don’t want to climb a bandwagon that will soon be discarded.
Careful deliberation and consideration are required before deciding on an art style and design of the ink. You would want to do a lot of research and also do a lot of introspection before nailing down a decision. While you acquaint yourself with your raw visual ideas about things that inspire you, you should also consult an artist about the art style.
The best way to make an informed decision is to get online and look at reference pictures of your preferred art style and picture your idea. Listen to podcasts, get on social media to discuss with your friends and audience, heck, ask your mom.
After all, decisions require a lot of insight. To collect that valuable insight, you need a seamless internet connection like Spectrum. So, you don’t make a hurried decision that lands you with a fad that will go away soon. We have curated a list of tried and tested tattoo art styles.
1. Realism
Tattoos made in the realism art style are of two kinds:
- Black and Gray Realism: Only uses black and gray ink
- Colored Realism: Uses a wide variety of color palettes to capture the full and realistic color of the object.
Realism plays on the shading and contrasts more than it does on the lines. In fact, bold lines are pretty much absent in this kind of tattoo art. This is the defining feature of Realism that sets it apart from other art styles.
Another major thing to note is that because of the specific techniques that make a realism tattoo look true to life, these same traits make them susceptible to fading. You may require touch-ups after five or six years.
Getting a tattoo done by an inexperienced artist or an artist who hasn’t trained in that particular style can be disastrous, so choose your artist very wisely.
2. Trash Polka
It is a style of tattoo that originated in Germany, and it aims to tell a story where the designs are usually chaotic and collage-style. The designs are most often abstract with elements of realism, so there’s a lot of juxtaposition going on within the design. They’re confusing and yet very beautiful.
The conventional trash polka tattoo is made in two-tone ink; red and black. There are often splatters and smudges in the design. However, you should keep in mind the fact that the bold appearance and stark contrasts that make them stand out do not last forever, so getting touch-ups after a few years is a great idea.
3. Japanese
This is a whole different world of tattooing and a very rich history behind it, dating back centuries. However, I will just give you the gist of it, and for the sake of simplicity, we will categorize traditional and new traditional Japanese tattoos into the same group.
In Japanese culture, tattoos were made to signify social and spiritual symbols. They were also used as protective charms.
Though, in Japanese culture, tattoos are synonymous with criminals and the Yakuza, these days, it’s one of the most popular styles out there.
It is heavily inspired by oriental things and mythical creatures. Japanese tattoos are 2D designs, heavy in line work, high contrast saturation in color, and greatly detailed.
Fun Fact:
In detailed traditional Irezumi tattoo art, a combination of tools was used. These included wooden handles and metal needles connected through silk thread. Luckily, these days you can get a Japanese tattoo with a modern tattoo gun.
4. Geometrics
A geometric tattoo is a set of lines or a combination of different shapes. In ancient times, they used to signify spiritual or religious concepts. In this day and age, they are used to represent abstract and concrete ideas like balance, strength, intellect, wealth, stability, happiness, and many more.
When choosing an artist for this style, make sure you pay very close attention to their line work. The finer the line work, the better chance you have at being happy with your tattoo.
5. Chicano
This art style hails from New Mexico, Texas, and California in the 1940s. They can represent many different things: family, neighborhood, culture, emotions, and memories. Chicanos are made from fine black and gray lines and soft shading.
As for the lettering, it’s often bold to create impact or a fine, elegant script to add softness. These letterings or words can stand alone, behind portraits, or be incorporated into the grand design.
6. Biomechanical
This is a style of tattooing in which a tattoo artist designs a piece based on the client’s body flow to recreate a robotic or cyborg-like aesthetic to the skin. The complexity of designs and the creative application of colors make the biomechanical tattoos more interesting and captivating.
When choosing an artist for this particular style, make sure they’re good at giving depth to the tattoo, making it look 3D, like it’s popping out of your body, or making it look like it’s a part of your body.
7. Traditional American Tattoos
Traditional American tattoos are up next. So, when we’re talking about traditional tattoos, you’re looking at bold lines and bright, solid colors. The tattoo isn’t overly detailed like a realism piece; it should be a good size and easy to see and understand, with minimal shading.
The main governing color in this kind of tattoo is black. Other than this there is some use of simple colors like green, yellow, red, and blue are also used to accentuate.
When choosing an artist for this style, make sure their work isn’t patchy; instead, they should have solid colors with very clean and smooth line work. The next style I want to talk about is tribal.
8. Tribal Tattoos
In ancient tribal cultures, tattoos carried huge importance. Getting tattooed was and still is a rite of passage, social status, and family identification.
They’re usually inked in only black, and they tend to age very well. However, at the same time, for that same reason, they are difficult to remove and cover up, especially if they include thicker lines and larger designs.
Tribal tattoos used to be a very popular choice for first tattoos before other styles gained popularity. Polynesian style of tribal is becoming the more popular one these days.
9. Neo-Traditional
To the average person who doesn’t know much about tattoos, this style looks very familiar to the old school; however, it’s actually quite different. This style originated as early as the 1970s and was influenced by some features of the old school tattooing in the United States.
They have a vast color palette. Additionally, there is also a wide range in the shapes and sizes of the motifs. They are rich in decorative details and incorporate heavy natural imagery like animals, flowers, trees, clouds, and rainbows.
They often have a broader color palette and a broader range of motifs. Pieces done in this style are known for their lush, decorative details, as well as the use of natural imagery such as floral and animal and exaggerated depictions of the subject.
10. Script Tattoos
You must have a set of words, phrases, or even a sentence that inspires you or takes you back to a treasured moment, object, or person. These are words that you might not want to forget, and you will want to see and have with you everywhere you go.
Whether they’re from the Bible or a quote in a foreign language that you like, script tattoos offer the best way of ensuring that you will always remember them.
Once again, these tattoos are also very hard to remove because of how dark the ink is and how far deep it is injected into your skin. So, choose with a lot of consideration.
Bottom Line
There are even more liberal tattoo art styles to discuss. However, we would advise you to go for a style that has stayed in style for a long time and will persist in the future. Tattoos are not a seasonal accessory. There is not enough room for drafts and overhauls. There is no shortage of tried and tested art forms that have little room for mistakes and no room to go out of style.
