An overview of different tattoo styles

In this blog post, we take a look at some of the most popular tattoo styles and explain how they differ.

What tattoo styles are there?

Many tattoo styles have a long history, many of which have been around for decades or even centuries. Some are more traditional than others and correspond to the original tattoo designs, others are more modern in nature and reflect today’s advances in technology.

Here is a list of the most popular tattoo styles that we offer at our tattoo studio in Lucerne:

• Realistic Tattoo
• Neo-traditional Tattoos
• Graphic and Geometric Tattoos
• Lettering and Fineline Tattoos
• Polynesian Tattoo
• Cover up Tattoos

Realistic Tattoos

Realistic tattoos depict people, animals, or other figures in great detail. Thanks to advances in color pigments, needles and tattooing techniques, realistic portraits can now be applied to the skin that appear true to life.

This style requires tremendous artistry and years of experience, as it requires good shading and line work to create the desired effect. Realistic tattoos can take several sessions to complete due to the high level of detail, so you should allow a little more time for this type of tattoo.

Neo Traditional Tattoos

Neo Traditional tattoos are a modern classic and an evolution of the traditional tattoo style. The designs are often influenced by old and new school tattoos. They use clean lines, saturated colors, and clean shades.

Flowers and animals are among the most common neo-traditional motifs, and there are no limits to the choice of motif. The result is a unique design that is both traditional and contemporary. Neo Traditional tattoos are for people who prefer a nostalgic look and want something modern at the same time.

Graphic and Geometric Tattoos

Graphic tattoos are often very abstract and usually consist of different patterns or geometric figures. With graphic and geometric tattoos, it is especially important that the tattoo artist works cleanly. A graphic or geometric tattoo can only achieve the desired effect with exact, straight lines.

There is a wide range within this style. Most of the time it is a matter of form and color reduced tattoos.

Lettering and Fineline Tattoos

The demand for lettering and fineline tattoos has been increasing for several years, and more and more tattoo artists are specializing in these tattoo styles. Fineline tattoos represent a design in its simplest form. This creates filigree, delicate tattoos with thin outlines. The tattoos have a very understated look compared to other tattoo styles.

Lettering tattoos often contain only single words or short texts to express a message. The text can be anything from quotes to names.

Polynesian Tattoo

Polynesian tattoos have also become a big trend worldwide. They are also known as Maori tattoos. These are complex designs that have their origins in the culture of the Polynesian islanders and have a history that goes back thousands of years.

Each tattoo design has its own meaning, often representing important aspects of life. It is important that you are well informed about the motifs and work with a tattoo artist who is familiar with the meanings of the tattoos.

Cover up Tattoos

Cover up tattoos are a great way to hide old or badly done tattoos. In order to cover the old tattoo, the tattoo must be integrated into the new design. In most cases, this requires more space. Therefore, the tattoos are often slightly larger than the original tattoo. Strong colors and detailed designs are often used in order to cover it completely.