tattoo styles

When choosing a tattoo, or getting a custom temporary tattoo designed for you it’s good to have an idea of the actual tattoo style you like, here we cover some of the main ones:

Minimalist

This refers to tattoos that are made up of very simple lines and shapes, almost like a logo or icon, they would have little to no shading and usual no colour.

Blackwork

Again these tattoos are based on more simple shapes and patterns but blackwork uses bolder, solid blocks of black ink. There is usually a heavy contrast between the tattoo and the skin tone, making for a striking effect.

Chicano

These tattoos came about from LA street and prison culture, mainly from Latin criminal gangs in the 1950s. They Usually include stylised portraits, religious or cultural themes and gang symbols / lettering.

Realistic

Again self-explanatory this one, where the tattoo is as photo- realistic as possible. Usually used for portraits or meaningful art pieces.

tattoo styles

Custom Script

Self explanatory really, these tattoos have a custom made style of font used to create a nice piece of lettering or a meaningful sentence of text.

Illustrative

Essentially like an illustration in a story book or piece of art, these tattoos are created in a drawing style that looks to capture realism and traditionalism using linework and blackwork as some of the key tattooing techniques.

Neo Traditional

These tattoos use bold, complex colours with rich shading and depth. The designs are often based on animals, people and plant life but can be pretty varied.

tattoo styles

Tribal

Much like Blackwork, tribal consists of bold black shapes and patterns that would usually be a sign of a person belonging to a particular tribe or clan. But they can also simply be a block design that has no specific meaning.

New School

Quite similar to neo traditional, these tattoos are very bold, using even more vibrant colours and heavy outlines. They are often based on pop culture themes, with exaggerated versions of characters.

Japanese

These tattoos use large shapes and motifs that are based around Japanese cultures, mythology and religious themes. They can also depict historical characters, fables or scenes from nature (such as Koi carp fish).

tattoo styles

Traditional

Traditional, or old school are quite often what you would see as flash designs or single pieces you could choose from a tattoo book. This style uses bold, black outlines, simplistic images and limited colours (usual black / red or yellow).

Watercolour

These are essentially just like a classic watercolour image or painting – so bright, vivid images, made up of gradients and gradual colour fades.

Any of these tattoo designs can be created as a custom temporary tattoo, so either get in touch with us or order your design today.