Notable and Popular Atlanta Tattoo Styles Explained

Getting a tattoo in Atlanta is a more involved process than people think.

After all, a tattoo is going to be with you for a long time, so you want to make sure you’ve made the best possible choice.

It’s not as a simple as throwing on a shirt.

There’s actually quite a variety of tattoo styles available, so before you make your decision, you might

want to know a little more about your options.

With this in mind, we’ve assembled here some of the most notable and popular tattoo styles.

Turn Your Body into a Sketchbook

One of the most common types of tattoo is the illustrative tattoo.

As its name suggests, these are designed to look like a drawing on a piece of paper, as they tend to have realistic shading and definitive outlines.

While these are often done with black ink, they can sometimes include dashes of color, wherever necessary.

Illustrative tattoos cover a wide umbrella of sub-styles and can be of almost anything.

One of the most common styles which can be illustrative is called blackwork. This means a tattoo which makes primary use of the color black. However, not all blackwork is illustrative, as some can fall into the tribal or abstract categories.

Illustrative tattoos are good for people looking to get a specific image which is detailed, but not too flashy.

From Tradition Tattoos to Neo-Traditional

Traditional tattoos can best be described by their two-dimensional design. The images are often simply colored, if colored at all, and usually have bold outlines.

Neo-traditional tattoos feature traditional designs, but are brought to life in a more modern way. This includes colors which pop and more detailed shading. For instance, instead of a red, two-dimensional rose, a neo-traditional rose would be three-dimensional and feature more shades of red, creating a more lifelike image.

These sorts of tattoos can fall under the illustrative banner, but they have more of a soft, airbrushed appearance than the hard lines of most illustrative work.

It’s the difference between pop-art and a pencil drawing.

These are perfect for people looking to get a tattoo which is eye-catching and fully realized.

What Are Black Dotwork Tattoos?

Black dotwork is one of the more unique styles of tattoo available.

It uses nothing but small dots to create geometric shapes, patterns or simple imagery. Think of cubism, but instead of creating a picture with shapes, pictures are compiled of little, black dots.

This style is perfect for creative types who are looking for the most artistic style of tattoo.

Dotwork can create some truly unique images, beautiful in their simplicity, so it could also be an option for those looking for a religious tattoo, as well.

Either way, it’s going to be a conversation piece.

Tribal Tattoos Are Among the Oldest Styles

Tribal tattoos go way back. In fact, the earliest tattoos we know of come from the Bronze age, and they look a lot like the modern tribal tattoo.

Historians believe these tattoos might have had some sort of social function, such as being an outward marker of your status.

Tribal tattoos are usually black, widespread, and made of abstract shapes.

Unlike most tattoos, which are of a particular image, tribal tattoos are about patterns and designs. They often have a free flowing structure that may span from the wrist to the shoulder.

Japanese Tattoos Are Unlike Anything Else

The Japanese tattoo, also known as Irezumi, is a centuries-old style native to Japan.

These tattoos are often widespread, much like tribal tattoos, only instead of consisting of abstract shapes, they consist of actual images.

These images are traditional Japanese artwork, and tend to be quite colorful and elaborate.

Originally, Irezumi was applied to the skin by wooden handles, metal needles, and silk thread – but most modern tattoo artists don’t do it this way, because it can be painful.

In Japan, these sorts of tattoos became so associated with criminality, they were actually banned by the government in the late 19th century.

Ironically, it then became more difficult to pinpoint criminals.