Different styles of tattoos

As we all know, tattoos are permanent. Once inked, we have to either like and accept it or hate and regret it. Getting a tattoo requires a lot of thought put into it. The location of the tattoo on your body is important and needs to be put into consideration. Then you need to determine the size, color, and most importantly, what tattoo design you want to permanently mark onto your skin. Many people that want tattoos know what they want and tend to search for a tattoo artist that has a certain style that matches the piece of art they want. Most tattoo artists are able to tattoo many different styles of art but there is always that one style that sets apart that tattoo artists’ work from everyone else’s. There are many styles of tattooing out there such as the old school traditional Americana style, New school, tribal, and Japanese, just to name a few. These styles are the ones most people know about and seek out reputable artists to ink such pieces of art.

 Old school traditional Americana tattoos feature really bold outlines, a lot of black shading and minimal color (usually only up to four colors). Norman Keith Collins who is also known as the famous “Sailor Jerry”, is well known for his “old school” tattoos. Another well known artist specializing in the “old school” tattoos is Bert Krak from Smith Street Tattoo in New York City.

 New school tattoos are much more vibrant and have a more illustrative look to them than the traditional Americana style of tattooing. Salem632 of Ocean Avenue Tattoo in San Francisco is a prime example of this style.

 Tribal tattoos have been around for thousands of years. In the old days, people from different tribes would have their own different markings to distinguish social standing and most importantly what tribe you were from. These tattoos determined life or death for some people. Now a day’s tribal tattoos are more of a fashion statement than anything else. Orly Lacquio of Humble Beginnings Tattoo in San Jose is considered one of best modern Polynesian Tribal tattoo artists. He even practices the tapping method of tattooing where he has two sticks, one with needles and the other to tap with. The word tattoo is thought to have come from the word tatau which means “to tap”. 

 Japanese style tattoos are often full-body masterpieces that often include mystical animals and demons. In Japan there is a strong tie between tattoos and criminals (the Yakuza). In the old days of Japan, criminals would get tattooed by city officials as a mark of disgrace. To cover these tattoos up, the criminals would get more intricate and elaborate designs tattooed around and would usually end up covering their whole bodies. One of the masters of Japanese style of tattooing is Horiyoshi III a.k.a. Yoshito Nakano. Horiyoshi tattoos like they did in the ancient days of Japan known as “tebori” where he hand pokes the pigment into the skin. 

 So the next time you decide on a tattoo, think about the different styles and do a bit of research on different artists before you commit. When you have chosen the style, you shouldn’t skimp on the price of your next tattoo because in this case, you really do get what you pay for! More about that on my next post.