1. Traditional (Old School):

• Characteristics: Bold lines, bright colors, and simple, iconic imagery like anchors, roses, and skulls.

• Origins: Rooted in Western tattoo traditions, especially popularized by sailors in the early 20th century.

• Artists: Famous artists like Sailor Jerry played a significant role in developing this style.

2. Neo-Traditional:

• Characteristics: Builds on traditional styles with more detail, depth, and a broader color palette. The designs often include more elaborate shading and realistic elements.

• Imagery: Still features classic motifs like animals, flowers, and portraits but with a modern twist.

3. Black and Grey:

• Characteristics: Uses varying shades of black ink to create depth and dimension. Shading is crucial, and the style can range from soft and subtle to highly detailed and intricate.

• Applications: Common for portraits, realistic imagery, and religious themes.

4. Realism:

• Characteristics: Aims to replicate real-life images, often in a hyper-realistic manner. Requires high skill to capture the intricate details and shading needed to create lifelike images.

• Subjects: Portraits of people, animals, landscapes, and objects.

5. Watercolor:

• Characteristics: Mimics the appearance of watercolor paintings, with soft gradients, splashes of color, and a lack of defined lines.

• Imagery: Often features abstract designs, florals, or nature-inspired themes.

6. Japanese (Irezumi):

• Characteristics: Traditional Japanese tattoo style known for large-scale designs covering significant portions of the body, such as full sleeves or back pieces.

• Imagery: Common motifs include koi fish, dragons, cherry blossoms, samurai, and geishas, often with a mix of bold lines and delicate shading.

9. Dotwork:

• Characteristics: Composed entirely of small dots to create patterns, shading, and images. This style requires precision and patience, resulting in a unique, stippled effect.

• Applications: Often used in geometric designs, mandalas, and abstract pieces.

13. Script/Lettering:

• Characteristics: Focuses on stylized text, whether it’s quotes, names, or single words. The choice of font, spacing, and size plays a crucial role in the design.

• Applications: Can be combined with other styles or used alone for a powerful, personal statement.

26. Blackwork:

• Characteristics: Involves large areas of solid black ink, often creating bold, graphic designs. It can include geometric patterns, tribal influences, or abstract forms.

• Imagery: Varies widely, from simple shapes to complex patterns, often covering large parts of the body.

29. Stipple Shading:

• Characteristics: A method of shading where small dots are used to create gradients and textures, similar to the dotwork style but often integrated into other tattoo styles.

• Applications: Often used in black and grey tattoos, especially for adding depth to portraits, landscapes, or geometric designs.

50. Horror:

• Characteristics: Focuses on macabre and eerie imagery, often drawing inspiration from horror movies, gothic art, and dark fantasy. The style can be realistic or stylized.

• Imagery: Includes skulls, monsters, demons, and other dark, spooky themes.

These styles show the incredible range of creativity and expression that tattoo art encompasses, catering to different tastes, cultural influences, and personal preferences. Whether you’re into bold, dramatic pieces or subtle, intricate designs, there’s a tattoo style to suit every aesthetic.