June 17, 2023
Choosing a Tattoo Style
When you decide to get a new tattoo, there are many decisions that need to be made. What design you want, what size, and where to put it are some obvious questions a tattoo artist will ask you about your tattoo inquiry. Choosing a tattoo style is something you may not have known you’d need to consider. Tattoo style makes all the difference in how a design appears, and there are so many options to choose from! But first, there are a few things that are important to know.
Can I Get Any Style of Tattoo?
The short answer is, yes. However, you can expect that many tattoo artists specialize in one or two particular styles and avoid doing tattoos that aren’t in their repertoire. A traditional tattoo artist may not be the person to go to for a realistic animal portrait. Other times, tattoo studios require that their artists learn to tattoo in a wide variety of styles in order to meet more client demands. It’s important to keep in mind whether the artist you are seeing fits your tattoo needs.
Tattoo Styles You May Know Of
Some of the more well-known tattoo styles include black & grey realism, traditional tattoos, and fine line tattoos. Black & grey realism is exactly what you’d expect, extremely realistic photo imagery commonly used for portrait tattoos.
Bold outlines and bright colors are what categorize Traditional Tattoos. Generally, red, green, and blue are used in true traditional style tattoos as these were the ink colors most readily available when the style first came to be. More colors and more shading have adapted this style over time, giving way to New School and Neotraditional tattoos.
Fine line tattoos feature delicate linework and minimal shading. Some people might refer to them as dainty tattoos.
If you are interested in more tattoo styles, check out Tattoos Wizard’s comprehensive guide to tattoo styles. All Tattoo Styles Explained Visually | Extensive guide | Tattoos Wizard
Do All Tattoos Fall Into a Specific Category?
In the world of tattooing today, the reality is that many tattoos to not fall into a specific category. Rather, they are often a combination of elements from many different tattoo styles. As technology continues to improve, the limits of tattooing are less by the day. Today there are hundreds of different tattoo machines you can get, and each with different special capabilities. This allows for new styles to be created, and for multiple styles to be easily blended together. In fact, many artists will switch the machine they are using during a session depending on what part of the tattoo they are working on. When choosing a tattoo style, remember that it does not need to fit into one category, but it is helpful to reference certain styles so that your artist can design the right tattoo for you.
References:
A Beginner’s Guide: Popular Tattoo Styles Briefly Explained • Tattoodo
All Tattoo Styles Explained Visually | Extensive guide | Tattoos Wizard
