13+ Best Tattoo Styles For Men & Women
With tattooing culture becoming a trend in recent years, drawing inspirations from things that carry personal meanings is a common practice for many tattoo lovers. Other than that, tattoos can also act as decorations to your body or simply as an act of expressing yourself. Here are some common Tattoo styles and themes that may help you search for your next tattoo.
What are the common tattoo styles?
1. Traditional & Old School Tattoo Style
Traditional & Old School tattoos are more likely to have a bold and neat style of lines. The themes are also more masculine, such as sailor tattoos that use anchors and nude figures as a common topic, or the dragon, tiger and phoenix in Hong Kong.
2. Neo Traditional Tattoo Style
Neo Traditional tattoos are derived from traditional tattoos. By using similar subjects as traditional tattoos, mixed with modern tattooing techniques. Comparing the two, Neo Traditional tattoos usually have a finer choice of lines and aesthetic, bright and bold colours are also more commonly seen.
3. Fine Line Tattoo Style
Fine Line tattoos emphasize on depicting certain subjects through simple lines. It captures the subject in a smaller area, which gives the style a spatial feature.
4. Tribal tattoo Style
Tribal tattoos originated from the markings of traditional tribes, its main features include geometric lines and shapes that generate a sharp visual image.
5. Water-colour tattoo Style
Watercolor tattoo imitates the dispersing effect that real watercolor painting carries. The fluidity of shapes and lines are some of watercolor tattoos’ main characteristics.
6. Blackwork tattoo Style
Blackwork tattoos revolve around the usage of pure black ink. Pieces are mostly done in larger scales, which form unique shapes with the canvas’s body.
7. Realism tattoo style
Realism tattoos took reference from sketching, both going after the subject matter in its truest form. Portraits and animals are commonly used as inspirations for realism tattoos.
8. Japanese tattoo style
Japanese tattoos are known for their sharp lines and textured shading techniques. Often drawing references from Japanese myths and creating body-suits thats tell stories.
9. Trash Polka tattoo style
Trash Polka tattoo is a mixture of many modern art formats, such as detailed portraits and symmetrical lines and shapes. Art fusion would be a perfect description of the Trash Polka tattooing style.
10. Geometric tattoo style
Geometric tattoos revolve around the canvas’s body. By tattooing lines and shapes, a special form of visual art would be created.
11. Anime / Cartoon Tattoo Style
From Pixar animations to Japanese anime, your favourite cartoon series or characters are also great ideas for tattoo inspirations.
12. Abstract Tattoo Style
Abstract tattoos utilize graphics that defies any logical explanation, in order to depict personal emotions and messages.
13. 3D Tattoo Style
3D tattoos create visual illusions through constructing non-existent layers on one’s skin.
How to pick the perfect tattoo designs for you?
Before committing a body art that will be with you permanently, make sure you have conducted the below steps to know what you exactly want:
- Make a list of Your favorite things
- Refer to online inspirations
- Consult the tattoo designer
- Determine where you want to get inked
- Ref: byrdie
When trying to pick a new tattoo, you can list the things that are meaningful to you and you would like them to be presented. Contact tattoo artists that are familiar with that style, with their professional guidance, you can have a better tattooing experience.
How to choose the right tattoo designer?
- Things to consider when choosing designer
- reputation, previous work, etc.
When choosing a tattoo artist, there are a few things that you should put in mind. First, what kind of style would you like your tattoo to be presented in and look for the artists that specialize in them. Then, do a bit of research on the artist, like his or her past works and how they look after they healed. These steps will you find the suitable artists more easily.
Find out more Tattoo inspirations with TattooSays
Founded in 2020, TattooSays is the first media in Asia fully dedicated to tattoos as a form of culture and modern art. Along with Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and now TattooSays.com – a tattoo search engine launched in 2022 for the worldwide tattoo community.
