TATTOOS- You love them; we adore them. Tattoos are a form of art that can last forever, but on living, breathing canvases. They can also be used as a form of self-expression and creativity, especially with all of the endless possibilities. Over the years, the art of tattooing has adapted and changed, giving the world numerous new styles. Some of the most popular styles being American traditional, Neo-traditional, Japanese, realism, black and grey, color, new school, watercolor, abstract and geometrical.
American Traditional:
American traditional was created in the 1930s by a tattoo artist named Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins. It is known for having bold, black lines and very saturated primary colors. Some common designs include gypsies, pinup girls, eagles, skulls, anchors, and other animals.
Neo-Traditional
Like traditional tattoos, Neo-traditional uses bold lines and colors. The main differences are the wider variety in color use, and the artists experiment more with shading than in American traditional. They are created to last a long time and to take up large spaces as well.
Japanese (Irezumi):
Modern day Japanese tattoos are inspired by the ancient tebori (hand carved) tattooing techniques. The traditional style was was made popular by the Yakuza (The Japanese Mafia). It also is known for bold lines and being extremely colorful, with the subjects often being nature related or traditional Japanese images such as Koi, Geishas, Samurai, lotuses, and waves.
Realism:
Well, the name “realism” kind of speaks for itself. They can be portraits, flowers, animals, black and white, or even color. Realism has endless options, but it is one of the hardest tattoo styles to master due to the amount of precision involved.
New School:
New school is known for having very vibrant, comic book-like characters. They are often extremely colorful and exaggerated, making it a very fun style of tattooing.
Watercolor:
Watercolor tattoos are very fun and vibrant; they have bright splashes of color that immediately grab attention. There can be designs or even full blown images created to look like watercolor paintings. Some watercolor tattoos are even designed to specifically look like splashes of paint. There are many fun options with this tattoo style.
Realistic Trash Polka:
Originally created in Germany by Simone Plaff and Volko Merschky in Beuna Vista Tattoo Club, this style is known for using collages and splashes of color. It is very unique and easy to spot with its very specific elements. Artists often sample photographs, typing, and even full documents in their tattoos.
Geometrical:
Geometrical tattoos require a very steady hand and extreme precision. They are often symmetrical and most tend to be strictly line work.
With all the styles of tattooing, it is hard to argue that it is not an art form. Tattooing takes precision and skill because unlike a canvas, it is much harder to fix your mistakes when it is on someone’s skin.
Here are some tattoos that our lovely writer’s have!
HCXO
Photo Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10