20 styles
The tattoo flash sheet
Every major tattoo style, explained plainly: what it looks like, what it costs in Seattle, how it ages, and which studios and artists do it.
- Fine Line 65 studios Fine line tattooing uses very thin needle groupings, often a single needle or a tight round liner, to create delicate lines, soft shading and small detail.
- American Traditional 77 studios American traditional is a tattoo style built on bold black outlines, solid color fills and a limited palette of red, yellow, green and black.
- Neo-Traditional 32 studios Neo-traditional tattoos keep American traditional's bold outlines but add varied line weights, dimensional shading, richer color palettes and more detailed subjects, such as animal portraits, ornate florals and framed figures.
- Japanese (Irezumi) 38 studios Japanese tattooing, or irezumi, is a large-scale style rooted in Edo-period Japan, built on bold outlines, flowing wind-bar, wave and cloud backgrounds and symbolic subjects such as koi, dragons, tigers, peonies and folk heroes.
- Blackwork 27 studios Blackwork is tattooing done entirely or almost entirely in solid black ink, from bold patterns and woodcut-style illustration to large blacked-out areas.
- Black and Grey 73 studios Black and grey tattooing uses only black ink, diluted into a range of grey washes, to build smooth shading, depth and realism without color.
- Realism 65 studios Realism tattoos reproduce photographs or lifelike scenes on skin, in black and grey or full color, using smooth gradients, precise contrast and little or no outline.
- Micro-Realism 6 studios Micro-realism shrinks photorealistic subjects such as portraits, pets, flowers and landscapes into very small tattoos, often a few inches across or less, using single-needle linework and fine shading.
- Watercolor 15 studios Watercolor tattoos imitate watercolor painting with soft color washes, bleeds, splatters and gradients, often with little or no black outline.
- Geometric 19 studios Geometric tattoos use precise shapes, straight lines, circles, symmetry and repeating patterns, from sacred geometry and mandalas to abstract linework and optical patterns.
- Dotwork 5 studios Dotwork builds images and shading from thousands of individual dots instead of lines or smooth washes, a technique borrowed from stippling and stipple engraving.
- Illustrative 41 studios Illustrative tattoos look like drawings from a sketchbook, storybook or engraving, combining linework, hatching, stippling and selective color or black and grey.
- Minimalist 7 studios Minimalist tattoos strip a design down to essentials: clean lines, simple shapes, negative space and usually black ink at a small size.
- Script and Lettering 11 studios Script and lettering tattoos turn words, names, dates and quotes into tattoo art, in styles from delicate handwriting and cursive to bold blackletter, Chicano script and brush calligraphy.
- Tribal 8 studios Tribal tattoos use bold, solid black shapes and patterns.
- Chicano 2 studios Chicano tattooing is a black and grey style that grew out of East Los Angeles's Chicano culture and California prisons, where artists made fine-line tattoos with homemade single-needle machines and black ink.
- Anime 18 studios Anime tattoos bring characters, scenes and symbols from Japanese animation and manga onto skin, in styles from clean cel-shaded color to black and grey manga panels and painterly, Studio Ghibli-inspired scenes.
- Ornamental 15 studios Ornamental tattoos use decorative patterns such as filigree, lace, mandalas, chandeliers, jewels and henna-inspired motifs, placed to follow and frame the body's lines.
- Color 10 studios Color tattoos use colored pigments, not just black and grey, to create everything from bold new school cartoons to color realism and vivid botanicals.
- Cover-Up 12 studios A cover-up tattoo is a new design placed over an old tattoo so the original no longer reads.
Styles at a glance
| Style | In one line | Palm-size cost | Ages well (1–5) | Artists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Line | Fine line tattooing uses very thin needle groupings, often a single needle or a tight round liner, to create delicate lines, soft shading and small detail. | $200–$600 | 2 | 116 Fine Line artists |
| American Traditional | American traditional is a tattoo style built on bold black outlines, solid color fills and a limited palette of red, yellow, green and black. | $150–$500 | 5 | 159 American Traditional artists |
| Neo-Traditional | Neo-traditional tattoos keep American traditional's bold outlines but add varied line weights, dimensional shading, richer color palettes and more detailed subjects, such as animal portraits, ornate florals and framed figures. | $350–$850 | 4 | 79 Neo-Traditional artists |
| Japanese (Irezumi) | Japanese tattooing, or irezumi, is a large-scale style rooted in Edo-period Japan, built on bold outlines, flowing wind-bar, wave and cloud backgrounds and symbolic subjects such as koi, dragons, tigers, peonies and folk heroes. | $350–$850 | 5 | 67 Japanese (Irezumi) artists |
| Blackwork | Blackwork is tattooing done entirely or almost entirely in solid black ink, from bold patterns and woodcut-style illustration to large blacked-out areas. | $250–$750 | 5 | 83 Blackwork artists |
| Black and Grey | Black and grey tattooing uses only black ink, diluted into a range of grey washes, to build smooth shading, depth and realism without color. | $350–$850 | 4 | 205 Black and Grey artists |
| Realism | Realism tattoos reproduce photographs or lifelike scenes on skin, in black and grey or full color, using smooth gradients, precise contrast and little or no outline. | $500–$1300 | 3 | 130 Realism artists |
| Micro-Realism | Micro-realism shrinks photorealistic subjects such as portraits, pets, flowers and landscapes into very small tattoos, often a few inches across or less, using single-needle linework and fine shading. | $450–$1300 | 1 | 13 Micro-Realism artists |
| Watercolor | Watercolor tattoos imitate watercolor painting with soft color washes, bleeds, splatters and gradients, often with little or no black outline. | $350–$850 | 2 | 24 Watercolor artists |
| Geometric | Geometric tattoos use precise shapes, straight lines, circles, symmetry and repeating patterns, from sacred geometry and mandalas to abstract linework and optical patterns. | $250–$750 | 3 | 26 Geometric artists |
| Dotwork | Dotwork builds images and shading from thousands of individual dots instead of lines or smooth washes, a technique borrowed from stippling and stipple engraving. | $350–$850 | 3 | 20 Dotwork artists |
| Illustrative | Illustrative tattoos look like drawings from a sketchbook, storybook or engraving, combining linework, hatching, stippling and selective color or black and grey. | $350–$850 | 3 | 123 Illustrative artists |
| Minimalist | Minimalist tattoos strip a design down to essentials: clean lines, simple shapes, negative space and usually black ink at a small size. | $100–$300 | 3 | 9 Minimalist artists |
| Script and Lettering | Script and lettering tattoos turn words, names, dates and quotes into tattoo art, in styles from delicate handwriting and cursive to bold blackletter, Chicano script and brush calligraphy. | $150–$400 | 3 | 33 Script and Lettering artists |
| Tribal | Tribal tattoos use bold, solid black shapes and patterns. | $200–$500 | 5 | 15 Tribal artists |
| Chicano | Chicano tattooing is a black and grey style that grew out of East Los Angeles's Chicano culture and California prisons, where artists made fine-line tattoos with homemade single-needle machines and black ink. | $350–$850 | 3 | 11 Chicano artists |
| Anime | Anime tattoos bring characters, scenes and symbols from Japanese animation and manga onto skin, in styles from clean cel-shaded color to black and grey manga panels and painterly, Studio Ghibli-inspired scenes. | $350–$850 | 3 | 25 Anime artists |
| Ornamental | Ornamental tattoos use decorative patterns such as filigree, lace, mandalas, chandeliers, jewels and henna-inspired motifs, placed to follow and frame the body's lines. | $350–$850 | 3 | 34 Ornamental artists |
| Color | Color tattoos use colored pigments, not just black and grey, to create everything from bold new school cartoons to color realism and vivid botanicals. | $450–$1000 | 3 | 168 Color artists |
| Cover-Up | A cover-up tattoo is a new design placed over an old tattoo so the original no longer reads. | $450–$1000 | 3 | 38 Cover-Up artists |
Costs are typical Seattle ranges for a palm-sized piece; see the price guide for details.