Whether it’s mainstream small wrist tattoos or full sleeves and a back piece, tattoos are as present in our society as ever. However, much to most people’s oblivion, tattooed people and tattoo artists have cultivated an entire subculture within our society.
The tattoo world invites lovers of art and body modification. It makes way for like-minded people to connect over a mutual interest.
Possibly the most significant aspect of tattoo culture is the various styles of tattoos.
There is a vast array of different types of tattoo styles ranging from traditional, neo-traditional and Japanese tattoos to realistic, watercolor, new school and script tattoos.
Although there are some others, these are the most prominent among heavily tattooed people and they all have their own distinct characteristics.
Traditional tattoos tend to stick to the same types of designs and the same black, green, red and yellow color palette.
Neo-traditional tattoos are a bit more adventurous with colors and don’t stick with standard designs. They do, however, have the same bold lines and shading as traditional tattoos do.
Japanese tattoos are distinctive in nature.
They’re designed to cover huge portions of the body and, therefore, they connect various images together to form one cohesive tattoo.
Realistic tattoos are pretty self-explanatory.
They are realistic looking designs with shading and depth. This is the style most often employed in portrait tattoos.
New school tattoos are much more cartoon or graffiti-like.
Watercolor tattoos explore more dainty designs with bright watery looking colors.
And lastly, script tattoos are words or a quote designed according to the artist and the customer’s personal taste in fonts and size.
David Carter, local tattoo artist, based out of Against All Odds Tattoos offered insight into his approach to style.
"I try my best not to get stuck doing only one certain style but I've been doing much more neo-traditional & American traditional based tattoos lately," Carter said. "I like doing bold designs that will not only look good fresh, but will also hold up years down the road. I'm still evolving and learning as an artist so it may be a little while before I have a trademark style of my own."
As images of small bird tattoos and tattoos of the moon phases circulate the Internet, many people who are unfamiliar with tattoo culture are unaware that directly stealing intricate tattoo designs is extremely taboo. A script tattoo or a small basic image is one thing, but for custom pieces, copying is widely unacceptable.
For most people, their tattoos were designed by their chosen artist to suit them specifically, and in some cases, tattoos are extremely personal.
For a permanent piece of someone’s body to be directly taken and put on someone else without any changes or personalization is seen as disrespectful.
Tattoo artists themselves also have a huge issue with this because it borders on the line of copyright infringement. A copied tattoo is stolen artwork. This topic sparks a lot of controversy within in the tattoo community; artists who have been known to tattoo stolen pieces are, in some cases, forced out of the industry because people will stop going to them for tattoos.
There are many taboos and customs in the tattoo world completely foreign to most people.
When asked what his biggest pet peeves are regarding what people don't know before getting a tattoo, Carter said, "I could list about 12,528, but I'll start off with the seven most important," Carter said. " One: Choose the right artist for the job. Two: Be patient. Tattoos only last forever. Three: Eat a meal before your appointment. Four: Bring only one friend if you need to. Five: Sit still. Six: Once you get your new tattoo make sure to follow aftercare instructions. Seven: If you have a question about aftercare that hasn't been answered, then simply get ahold of your artist. Trust me on this one; there is no such thing as a stupid question."
On a lighter note, flash sheets are also a really interesting aspect of tattoo culture that even people who don’t want to personally be tattooed can partake in.
Tattoo artists create flash sheets of sketches and small designs customers can walk straight into the shop and get tattooed.
Flash sheets are popular at tattoo conventions and when tattoo artists are traveling to tattoo customers in a host shop.
All flash sheets are collectable as well. Lovers of art can buy and collect sheets of a couple of their favorite tattoo artist's designs. Flash sheets are a great way to support talented tattoo artists even if ink in your skin isn't quite your thing.
Tattoos, overall, are an amazing outlet for self-expression. They allow people to appreciate beautiful artwork and embellish their body with it. Personally tattooed or not, there is room for everyone to understand and appreciate this unique art form.
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