Styles
What the terms mean — and which hands are currently represented at the studio.
This list explains the common styles. Which of them we tattoo depends on who is working at the studio right now — the artist profiles will tell you exactly. Your style not here? Ask anyway.
Fineline
At the studioFine, continuous lines and almost no solid fill.
Very fine needle groupings, little to no shading. It lives on clean line work — and on not choosing the motif too small: fine lines set too close together bleed into each other over the years.
Ask for this styleBlackwork
At the studioLarge areas of solid black, hard contrast.
From geometric patterns to fully blacked-out areas. With hardly any gradients involved, blackwork usually ages well — but it demands a design that also works as a pure black and white shape.
Ask for this styleBlack & Grey
At the studioShades of grey, no colour.
Depth comes from shading rather than colour. A classic for portraits and realism, because transitions can be controlled more finely than with coloured pigments.
Ask for this styleRealistic
At the studioA photographic reference, a photographic result.
Portraits, animals, objects. It stands or falls with the reference: a blurry photo will not produce a sharp tattoo. It needs space — realistic motifs the size of a matchbox rarely end well.
Ask for this styleOld School
At the studioBold lines, clear colours, a fixed visual language.
The traditional American style: strong outlines, a limited palette, motifs with a history — anchors, swallows, roses. It demonstrably ages better than any other style, because line and fill are deliberately set coarse.
Ask for this styleNew School
At the studioCartoon-like, exaggerated, strong on colour.
Exaggerated proportions, bold colours, plenty of movement in the motif. Closer to illustration than to a reference image.
Ask for this styleNeotraditional
At the studioOld school with more detail and depth.
Keeps the strong outlines but allows finer shading and a wider palette. Common for animal and botanical motifs.
Ask for this styleJapanese
At the studioLarge connected motifs following a fixed pictorial order.
Irezumi thinks in body sections rather than single motifs: a dragon, koi or wave sits in a composition together with wind and water fields. Almost always a project across several sessions.
Ask for this styleLettering
At the studioType as the motif.
From calligraphy to Chicano script. The wording is settled before the needle starts — typos are the most common reason for a later cover-up. We send you the stencil to read first.
Ask for this styleOrnamental
At the studioPatterns that follow the body.
Mandalas, ornaments, borders. It is not laid onto the body but designed around it — which is why the final stencil often only takes shape on the day.
Ask for this styleDotwork
At the studioBuilt from dots, not fills.
Shading comes from the density of the dots. Time-consuming, but very even in its effect. Often combined with ornamental work.
Ask for this styleMaori & Tribal
At the studioSolid black patterns with a fixed formal language.
Strong, interlocking black shapes. With Polynesian motifs, part of the consultation is which forms carry cultural meaning and which can be used freely.
Ask for this styleCover-up
At the studioA new motif over an old one.
Not a style but a task: the old tattoo dictates how dark and how large the new one has to be. Best to ask with a photo attached — there is no judging it from a distance.
Ask for this style
Not sure what suits you?
That is the normal case. Just describe what you like in your request — sorting it into a style is our job, not yours.