Diverse Tattoo Styles: How To Choose Yours? All about tattoos

Our catalog of tattoos contains all the most popular tattoo styles with their descriptions, sketches and photos of the best tattoos from around the world.

The art of tattooing originated among primitive tribes, and expressed the social status and achievements of a member of the tribe. It is not known which directions in tattooing were the first to emerge, but the oldest is considered to be old-school (old-school) - such tattoos were worn by sailors to protect themselves from misfortunes, to mark an important event in their difficult life, or simply not to forget the faces of their loved ones for long voyage. At that time, there were not so many tattoo styles, there were even fewer masters, so there were no problems with the choice. Now everything is completely different. no problem.

Old and new tattoo styles

At the moment, there are more than 40 different tattoo styles that are difficult for an uninitiated person to understand. Biomechanics, graphics, tribal, Japanese and biker tattoos, etc. Search for them on the Internet, together with the masters, examples of works, etc. - titanic work. Therefore, on our website in the catalog you can not only see examples of the best works from all over the world in the chosen style, but also learn about its history, characteristic features, places where the tattoos of the chosen direction will look best and choose the type of tattoo that suits to your liking.

Remember that a tattoo is once and for a long time, so its choice should be approached responsibly.

Here are some basic rules that might help:

  • Choose those styles of tattoos that you really like, and not "cool", "which everyone has," "someone suggested," etc. Otherwise, after a couple of weeks, you can ask for a tattoo mixing.
  • The tattoo should be meaningful and fit your physique. A strong and tall man with a small hieroglyph on his shoulder will not look as cool as the same man with a "sleeve" or an aggressive plot.
  • If you do not know what you want to do, you can always look through the catalog on our website or consult with someone who will help you choose the style and drawing.
  • Remember that masters are creative personalities, and we all have different ideas about beauty and acceptability, moreover, they may prefer some areas to others and specialize in them (for example, tattoo the old school style, but not transfer to the spirit of tribal ). So in the execution of a tattoo according to your sketch, they can either refuse or offer a compromise option.
  • Regardless of which tattoo, style or artist you choose, the tattoo you get has only the meaning that you put into it. No more, no less.
  • Saving on a tattoo is not worth it, it should be adequate. It will remain with you, if not for life, then for a very long period, so it is better to take care in advance so that it does not turn into a blurred spot in a year or two.
  • The most obvious, most important, but often ignored rule is not to get a tattoo in a completely inadequate state (being in a state of intoxication, "just for fun", angry, to spite someone).

Body decoration tattoo is unlikely to ever go out of style, but tattoo styles change from era to era. Nowadays, more than 40 directions are known to exist. Each has key features, characteristics.

The path from old school to fantasy

Since ancient times, fine arts have come a long, painstaking, persistent path. Remember: millennia ago there were obscure sketches on the walls of caves, which were drawn with enthusiasm by savages. Now in the best art museums in the world you can see the creations of great painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali.

Over time, tattoo styles have also changed dramatically. At first, the masters painted ordinary nondescript pictures, sailors decorated themselves with them. So the navigators tried to capture the events that happened to them on long wanderings. Now such illustrations - slightly ridiculous, defiantly bright, with a modest color palette - are called "old school", which means "old school" in Russian.

However, do not think that this is a relic of the past. In the 21st century, there are many people who call themselves ardent adherents of "old-scud" in all its manifestations. Despite the fact that this direction is one of the very first tattoo styles, it still remains popular among men and women. What are the goals of people who want to decorate their bodies with such images? It is difficult to get a definite answer to this question. It is possible that with such a wearable pattern, its owner wants to emphasize that new styles of tattoos are alien to him.


As time went on, over the years the tattoo industry was actively developing, the latest sketches appeared. Most of the experts have learned how to make neat overflows from one shade to another. Frankly speaking, the lion's share of the pictures remained the same, but they became more colorful, brighter, more enchanting.

In subsequent years, super-powerful modern tattoo machines were invented and hit the international market, thanks to which it was possible to create an imitation of drawing with the following tools:

  • With slate pencils;
  • Sweeping brushes;
  • "Children's" markers;
  • Rounded charcoal;
  • Multi-colored crayons that take us back to childhood;
  • Paints.

Thus, new styles of tattoo have emerged.


New tattoo styles and their features

How many styles of wearable designs have been recorded today? It is simply impossible to say the exact amount. There are so many of them that it can take several hours to enumerate a detailed explanation. However, let's hasten to outline the main tattoo styles.

Ethnic tattoos do not go out of fashion. Their main task is to adequately reflect the culture, traditions, characteristic features of certain peoples. Ethnic style, in turn, is divided into several subcategories, which include Indian and Celtic.

Oriental motives deserve special attention, which combine several directions at once:

  • Japanese;
  • Chinese;
  • Indian.

Such styles imply the application of hieroglyphs to the body, symbolism similar to them. Such pictures are in demand among everyone, however, most of all they are appreciated by the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity. However, before applying the tattoo, do not forget to find out its meaning. After all, a good-natured man or pretty woman is absolutely not suitable for a hieroglyph that carries an evil intent.


List different tattoo styles, but especially the following areas:

  • Dotwork (the basis of such tattoos is geometric shapes, drawings are made in black, red);
  • Fantasy (fantasy-themed drawings are becoming more and more popular among young people);
  • Black-work (exclusively black paint is used to create tattoos, as a result of which the body painting is sustained in a strict style);
  • Biomechanics (a rather spectacular direction of tattoo art, it is a combination of a person and a mechanism);
  • Tribal (is an interesting pattern created using many lines with pointed ends);
  • Trash polka (bright, unusual tattoos, the main task of which is to discourage others, express a kind of protest to society, stand out from other people);
  • Realism (the name of the style speaks for itself, the resulting wearable images resemble high-quality photographs, drawings of talented artists).


How to choose the right tattoo style for you?

The choice of a wearable pattern should be approached with the utmost responsibility. After all, the process of pricking is quite long, painful in places, and the procedure for correcting, mixing or removing a picture from the skin is unlikely to give you a lot of pleasant emotions.

There are several basic rules for choosing the direction of the tattoo. Tip number one - try to choose tattoo styles that you really enjoy. You should not give preference to some "cool" directions, listen to the generous advice of relatives, loved ones, the recommendations of "experienced" friends, acquaintances. Otherwise, in a few weeks you will run to an appointment with a specialist, trying to somehow change, modernize, and improve the body pattern. Or even remove it altogether. It should be meaningful, fit your body, figure. Agree, a strong tall brutal guy with a tiny ornate hieroglyph on his shoulder, chest, back will look rather strange.


For representatives of the stronger sex, body painting in a rather aggressive style is more suitable, which can emphasize their strong-willed character, truly masculine features, strength. Try not to forget that the masters who apply underwear drawings are creative personalities, each of them has his own idea of ​​acceptability and beauty. In addition, everyone can specialize in a particular direction of tattoo art. For example, someone is the best in the city to make drawings using the "old-school" technique, another perfectly makes watercolor pictures, for the third there is nothing better than graphics, and the fourth prefers rather rare tattoo styles. Therefore, make sure that your desires coincide with the skills of your chosen specialist. Otherwise, try to negotiate a compromise. Another important tip is that you do not need to save money on a tattoo, choose a small black and white image, for which the master has assigned an affordable price, if you have dreamed of a large colorful picture of a ship entering the harbor all your conscious life.

Remember that the tattoo will remain with you, if not for life, then for a long time. Therefore, try to apply on the skin such a pattern that you yourself want, what your soul desires, at the sight of which your heart will begin to beat faster. A well-chosen tattoo will definitely become a real talisman designed to protect its owner from problems, troubles, misfortunes, shocks. If you decide to get a tattoo, do not waste your time! Take a close look at the currently existing tattoo styles and make the right informed choice.

Initially, tattoos had rather a conditional meaning. We can say that they were certain symbols or adornments on the human body. Now, tattoos can be safely attributed to a certain type of art, rather than just drawings on the body. A huge leap in the development of application technology over the past decades has led to the emergence of certain styles of tattoo, known around the world. You can even find directions that did not exist before.

Chicano style

It originates in Latin America, and its rapid development began in the state of California in the middle of the last century. Images in this style originated in American prisons, they were applied to themselves by Mexicans who served time there. Chicano-style tattoos are images on a sacred theme. They are all with graceful thin lines. This feature is due to the fact that tattoos were applied using ordinary improvised tools - a sewing needle and ink. Usually, Mexican prisoners painted images of symbols that were important to them: images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, women they liked, some phrases that had a special meaning for a particular person.

Style watercolor

The emergence of this design completely changed the attitude of humanity towards tattoos. Now they are regarded as works of art, and not just blue-black drawings on the body. The graceful watercolor rainbow tattoos are more reminiscent of under-skin body art than regular tattoos. The vibrant colors and patterns applied with a needle, like a brush, provide the effect of a painting painted by an artist that has not yet dried. Such tattoos can be viewed for hours and get aesthetic pleasure.

The history of the creation of the watercolor style

Its ancestor is Amanda Wachbob, who lives in New York. It all started with the fact that one ordinary morning Amanda discovered unusual patterns on her hand - traces of folds of bed linen. This inspired Amanda to apply such designs under her skin to perpetuate them. She decided to imitate brush strokes with an ordinary tattoo machine and got an unexpectedly great result. Now her work is estimated at $ 350 / hour, and the queue is signed up for six months in advance. Almost everything can be depicted in watercolor: from a flower to a portrait, everything will look very elegant and unusual. Therefore, the watercolor style is becoming so popular all over the world so quickly, and the masters are trying to master a new method. Despite many other sophisticated tattoo styles, images of this particular type are indisputable proof that tattoos are real works of art, and refute the idea that they can disfigure the body.

Trash polka style

This look was created by a couple of tattoo artists from the city of Wüzburg, West Germany. This name gave rise to their love for the folk music of the Gypsies and Germans. The style emerged as a result of photo manipulation: artists from magazine clippings and photos, and then applied the image on top. Suddenly, a new style of tattoos emerged from this. Today, many artists around the world use this unique genre. Trash tattoos are usually made up of two colors - red and black.

The symbolism of death is necessarily associated with this design - images of skulls, crosses, red flowers. These original, stylish tattoos will never go unnoticed by others.

There are various tattoo styles - even a relatively experienced craftsman sometimes finds it difficult to navigate and understand them. What can we say about the beginner. The tattoo-sketches portal will take you on a tour of the world of tattoos, talking about different styles.

In particular, on the pages of our website you will learn:

  • what styles of tattoos exist;
  • how they are applied to the body;
  • what is their difference and features;
  • to whom they are suitable and why.

Such information will be extremely useful to those who are just looking for “their own” style and want to apply a unique, inimitable pattern to the body that accurately reflects the character and inner world of a person.

Variety of tattoo styles

Perhaps, it is impossible to name the exact number of styles. There are so many of them that listing all of them will take a long time. Let us briefly mention only the main ones.

So, for example, one of the most popular areas is ethnic tattoos that reflect the cultural characteristics of a particular people. In turn, the ethnic style is subdivided into several sub-styles:

  • Celtic;
  • Indian;
  • other.

Also in demand are tattoos in the style of old school, characterized by the brightness and saturation of the patterns. Interestingly, such images can be worn by representatives of absolutely any social strata.

Oriental motives also deserve mention. They combined several directions at once:

  • Chinese;
  • Japanese;
  • Indian;
  • and many others.

This direction implies the application of hieroglyphs, appropriate symbolism, and so on. For example, hieroglyphs like to be applied to visible parts of the body, both men and representatives of the weaker half of humanity. The main thing is to first find out what this or that hieroglyph means.

In general, you can still list the styles for a very, very long time. So, among other most demanded and popular, such directions deserve to be mentioned:

  • fantasy;
  • dotwork;
  • black work;
  • biomechanics;
  • other.

More details about each style mentioned in this article, as well as many others, are described in the thematic materials on the Tattooink website.

After reading our materials, you can more accurately understand which direction attracts you more than others. And you shouldn't chase after "fashion" - the world of tattoo is specific, and the tattoo that is fashionable today will not be like that in just a year. You have to wear the image for many, many years, so it is important that it matches your soul and inner world.

Tattoo styles are a vibrant variety for your body. Things to Consider When Choosing Tattoo Styles

People began to decorate their bodies with drawings many centuries ago. Today there are various styles of tattoo, among which even the most fastidious and demanding person will be able to choose the direction that he likes and corresponds to his worldview.

In this article, we will look at the most popular directions, and also talk about how to choose the right pattern for your body. The page features different styles of tattoos.

How tattoo styles have evolved

Over the years of its existence, tattoo styles have come a long way of development. If initially wearable drawings were simple tattoos from lines, then later they became full-fledged paintings.

Today tattoo styles are so diverse that there are even realistic images among them. Sometimes you wonder how the masters manage to create masterpieces of incredible beauty. Fantastic colorful drawings with smooth color transitions, shades, shadows. And there is no need to talk about symbolism at all - a certain meaning is hidden in the pictures!

If you look at the styles of tattoos from the photo, you can find many interesting directions. Each of which has a special philosophy.

Basic tattoo styles with examples

Let's take a look at the main areas of tattoo art that are most popular today. The formation of the styles listed below was influenced by various national, cultural, youth and even criminal trends and trends. As a result, truly unique types of tattoos were formed that took over the world and won the love of millions of people in all corners of the globe.

  1. Old-school - appeared almost 100 years ago, but today it is again at the peak of popularity. The main elements are anchors, sailboats, swallows.
  2. New School - this direction is not even 50 years old. Its formation was directly influenced by the rave culture of the 80s of the last century.
  3. Celtic - intricate patterns, weaves, spirals and ornaments. And also patterns formed by individual patterns of leaves, birds, etc.
  4. Oriental Tattoo Style or Japanese - the main elements of this trend are samurai, dragons, marine themes. It is assumed that such tattoos should cover the whole body.
  5. Biomechanics is one of the most striking types of tattoos. It involves the image of gears, mechanical devices that seem to tear the skin. If you look at these styles of tattoos from a photo, you can understand how difficult it is to apply them.
  6. Chicano - this trend appeared in the Latin American ghettos in the United States of America. If you look at the sketches of Chicano tattoos, then, despite their criminal origin, you can see that the faces of the Virgin Mary, Jesus are widely used in them. This is due to the religiosity of Hispanics.

Of course, there are other styles of tattoos that are still popular among fans of this art form today. More details about them are described in the thematic articles of our portal. There you can read about the history of the direction, the features of drawing, about the most characteristic images for this direction and about their symbolism.

How to choose tattoo styles for yourself

The main thing is your own taste. You do not need to arrange interrogation with addiction to all your friends, which direction they like. Wearing a drawing on your body is therefore the main thing that you like it!

On our site you can see different styles of tattoos with examples - this will allow you to understand which direction you really like. After all, one drawing of a specific style will not be enough to realize whether you liked the direction or not.

Five rules for choosing tattoo styles

We have prepared five rules for you, guided by which, you can understand which direction to choose.

  1. Do not rush to go to the master as soon as you have chosen a drawing. Wait a few days or weeks. This way you can clearly understand whether you really like the chosen direction. By the way, during this time you will also be able to understand whether you want to go with a tattoo at all or whether it was a momentary impulse.
  2. When choosing a tattoo style, you should definitely consult with the tattoo artist you want to contact. Firstly, it is not a fact that he works in the direction you need, and then you will have to look for another master. Secondly, he will tell you what and how to change in the sketch so that the drawing looks perfect.
  3. By the way, when looking at tattoo sketches in a style that appeals to you, remember that temporary tattoos do not exist. And if you suddenly change your mind after the tattoo has already been applied to your body, you will have to endure the picture! So choose carefully!
  4. Consider your lifestyle. For example, some styles involve painting over large areas of the body. If your work has a strict dress code, then you need to choose only those sketches that can be hidden under clothes.
  5. Don't choose a tattoo of the same style as your close friend. Believe me, you will not look very good next to you. To put it mildly. In general, those around you may get the impression that you belong to some kind of brotherhood or sect.

Tattoo styles as an opportunity to demonstrate your worldview

Each tattoo style is a separate world. It reflects a certain philosophy, worldview. When choosing a specific direction, it is imperative to take into account your life principles and priorities. Only in this case can you choose a drawing that will correspond to your inner world.

On our site, various tattoo styles and their detailed descriptions are presented. A lot of drawings, sketches will allow you to better understand the philosophy of a particular direction and realize whether it is right for you!

If you want to get a unique sketch that has no analogues, use the corresponding button on our website. The master will contact you and, after listening to your wishes, will draw a really original sketch!