Tattoo styles
Blackwork
Heavy black ink compositions — often geometric, tribal-influenced, or illustrative in monochrome. Includes solid fills, dotwork-adjacent shading, and large-scale coverage work. No colour is used; contrast and form carry the whole piece. Popular for sleeves, back panels, and chest coverage.
Dotwork
Entirely composed of dots — pointillist stippling used to build tonal ranges and texture without continuous linework. Closely associated with geometric and blackwork aesthetics but can be used independently for portraiture and botanicals. Labour-intensive; density of dots determines depth of shadow.
Fine-line
Single-needle or ultra-fine-grouping work — thin, continuous lines with minimal fill. Often minimalist in composition but capable of detailed portraiture and botanicals. Healing requires care; fine lines can spread slightly over years. Popular for delicate florals, script, and subtle figurative work.
Geometric
Precise angles, symmetry, and mathematical structure — mandalas, sacred geometry, polyhedra, and tessellating patterns. Often produced with ruler-like accuracy using rotary machines and measured stencil work. Can be combined with dotwork for texture or kept in clean solid lines.
Illustrative
Editorial-style drawing translated to skin — mixed line weights, hatching, and fill that evoke book-plate illustration, comics, or editorial art. Subject matter is wide; the defining quality is the hand-drawn feel and visible mark-making. Sits between traditional and realism in technical demands.
Japanese
Rooted in irezumi — Japan's traditional tattooing lineage. Characterised by large-scale compositions, flowing wind bars, bold outlines, and iconic subject matter: koi, dragons, tigers, cherry blossom, peonies, and tengu. Suits bodysuit and sleeve formats; the interplay of positive and negative space is central to the aesthetic.
Lettering
Typography as the primary subject — script, blackletter, Old English, and graphic lettering styles each requiring different technical approaches. Quality varies widely between artists; a specialist letterer is worth seeking. Readability over time depends on scale, font choice, and placement on the body.
Minimalist
Small, spare, intentional — reduced forms, generous negative space, and deliberate restraint. Often a single clean line or a simple geometric shape. The placement and scale are as considered as the design itself. Works well on wrists, ankles, and inner arms where subtlety is the point.
Neo-traditional
A modern evolution of American traditional — retaining the bold outlines but expanding into a broader palette, finer internal detail, and more illustrative subject matter. Animals, botanicals, and portraiture are common. The look bridges classic flash and contemporary illustration.
Realism
Photorealistic rendering translated into skin — portraits, animals, objects, and scenes reproduced with careful attention to light, shadow, and tonal graduation. Requires precise needle control and a high degree of technical skill. Colour and black-and-grey variants each demand different expertise.
Traditional
American traditional — rooted in Sailor Jerry and early-20th-century flash. Defined by bold black outlines, a limited warm palette (red, green, yellow, black), and iconic motifs: anchors, eagles, roses, daggers, swallows. Built to age well; the thick linework holds over decades.
Watercolour
Loose paint-splash aesthetic — washes of colour, visible brushstroke feel, and blurred edges that mimic wet-on-wet painting. Often paired with a fine-line outline subject. Long-term durability is lower than traditional styles; the bleed and fade of colour is an acknowledged trade-off.