Are you about to get your first tattoo? You’ve come to the right place. Getting inked is a lifelong commitment. That’s why you want to think about your first tattoo for a long time.
To help you choose the design that will welcome you to the tattoo club, we have jotted down some popular tattoo styles. So, even if you’re not sure what you want to get, knowing the style will at least help you narrow it down. Here are six types of tattoos that can be your first tattoo.
1. Black-and-Grey Realism
Black-and-grey realism tattoos involve realistic designs with a black and grey colorway. They are celebrated for their ability to capture beautiful subjects without needing any colors to bring them to life.
These tattoos are highly detailed art pieces and take several hours, if not sessions, of tattooing time. So, as a first-time tattoo design type, it sounds daunting. You can consult any professional tattoo studio if they can do black and grey realism.
2. Color Realism
If you aren’t afraid of boasting colored ink, then color realism might be the one for you. These tattoos are like realistic paintings on your body. Color realism tattoos can even be portraits of real-life people, while most people prefer flowers, pets, or even random objects.
3. Neotraditional
Neotraditional tattoos are increasing in popularity daily. They look very much like traditional tattoos, except tattoo artists add plenty of modern design elements:
- thinner lines
- more bright colors
- more details
- prettier highlights
- Lines with different thicknesses
Neotraditional is easily the most popular style among younger people. They have some of the appeal of traditional design, but freedom from traditional rules allows for more creativity.
6. Traditional
Traditional American tattoos have a strict set of rules that most people who want them adhere to. To help you recognize the style, here are some of those rules:
- All lines must be the same size
- Only use the colors red, yellow, green, black, blue, and purple
- No grey shading
- No white, even for highlights
Keeping these rules in mind helps you distinguish between traditional and neotraditional American tattoos. Most people prefer the neotraditional style, but many have a nostalgic love for traditional tattoos.
5. Surrealism
Surrealism involves elements that are both abstract and realistic. Surrealism tattoo designs are great for anyone bold enough for fantastic artwork displayed on their body. These are the most free when it comes to design and usually employ both color and black and white inks, though it could be either.
These tattoos are best for people who want a bold tattoo to match their strong personalities. People who choose surrealism instead of realistic tattoo designs want their tattoos to stand out from the crowd.
6. Script
Script tattoos are tattoos that are words in a specific font. They say a picture is a thousand words, however, for some people, words can hold so much sentimental value a word can be worth a thousand pictures.
If that is your case, you can immortalize your favorite quote or a loved one’s name on your body as your first tattoo. Script tattoos can also feature images that could be realistic, cartoon-style, or simple black outlines.
