The main tattoo styles
Most tattoos fit one of a handful of styles, and knowing the names makes it much easier to find the right artist, because most artists specialise. The Washington Post guide by Bonnie Berkowitz and Alberto Cuadra shows nine of them on a single tattooed statue. These are the styles you will hear about most often, with what sets each one apart.
American traditional (old school)
Bold black outlines, a small range of solid colours and simple, instantly readable designs: anchors, swallows, eagles, roses, pin-up girls and “Mom” in a heart. The style grew out of sailors’ tattoos and the printed designs of early 20th-century American shops, and artists such as Sailor Jerry (Norman Collins) in Honolulu helped define it [4][5]. As the Post guide puts it, before the 1970s this was the only true style in the United States, when people collected small tattoos like stamps [1]. It has had a strong revival, and well-made traditional pieces tend to age better than very fine work because the lines are thick and the colours solid.
New school
New school keeps the heavy outlines of old school but uses bright, varied colours and exaggerated, cartoon-like subjects, often with influences from graffiti and hip hop lettering. It grew up in California from the 1970s onwards and took off in the late 1980s and 1990s [6].
Japanese (irezumi)
Large, flowing designs that often cover a whole arm (a sleeve) or the whole back, built around traditional motifs such as dragons, koi, tigers, cherry blossom, waves and figures from Japanese folklore [7]. The Post guide calls large Japanese designs timeless and notes koi turning into dragons as a popular theme for sleeves [1]. Traditional irezumi is applied by hand, using metal needles attached to a wooden handle [7].
Black and grey
Designs and portraits shaded in black ink diluted with water to give a range of greys, with no colour. The style started in prisons and in the Chicano community of Los Angeles in the 1970s, where tattooists had only black ink, and was brought into tattoo shops in the late 1970s and early 1980s by artists including Jack Rudy and Ed Hardy [8]. The Post guide calls it fine line black and gray and dates it to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s [1].
Realism
Realistic tattoos copy a photograph as closely as possible, usually portraits, animals or landscapes, in either colour or black and grey. Modern inks and finer needle groupings mean realism today is far more lifelike than anything tattooists could manage a few decades ago [1]. It needs a specialist and tends to be expensive, because the detail takes many hours.
Tribal
Bold, solid black geometric patterns. Many cultures have their own tattoo traditions, from Polynesian and Maori work to the tattoos of Borneo, and the modern Western “tribal” style borrowed heavily from them. According to the Post guide, the US trend took off in the mid-1980s [1].
Biomechanical and surrealism
Biomechanical tattoos look as if the skin has been torn open to show machinery, pistons and cables underneath. The Post guide credits the Alien films with inspiring the style [1]. Surrealist tattoos borrow from the art movement of Salvador Dalí and from fantasy and nightmare imagery [1].
Flash
Flash is not a style but the name for the ready-drawn designs displayed on the walls of a tattoo shop, many of them in the American traditional style [1][4]. Picking flash is quicker and cheaper than a custom design, but the Post guide warns that flash designs go in and out of fashion; it gives the Tasmanian Devil, popular in the 1980s, as its example [1].
How to choose a tattoo style
Start with what you want the tattoo to show, then look at how it will age. Bold styles with thick lines and solid colour, such as traditional, Japanese and tribal, generally hold their shape for longer than very fine lines and small detailed lettering, because ink slowly spreads in the skin over the years. Wikipedia’s summary of the research notes that pigment tends to move deeper into the dermis over decades, which is why fine detail on old tattoos goes soft [3].
Then look for an artist who specialises in that style and study their healed work, not just fresh photos. A strong realism artist may not be the best choice for a traditional piece, and the other way round.
How tattooing works
A tattoo machine pushes ink through the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, into the dermis below. According to the Post guide, the needles go about 1 to 2 millimetres below the surface and can puncture the skin up to 3,000 times a minute. In the dermis the body’s immune cells surround the ink particles and hold them in place, which is what makes a tattoo permanent; the epidermis on top then acts like a tinted window over the design. If the needle goes too deep, into the fat below the dermis, the ink spreads and blurs [1][3].
Artists switch needle groupings for different jobs. Outlines are drawn with a small group of needles, often three and sometimes one, while shading and colour use larger groups of up to 32 needles set in rows like the bristles of a brush [1]. The electric tattoo machine dates from 1891, when Samuel O’Reilly adapted Thomas Edison’s electric pen to put ink into skin and patented it. In London, Thomas Riley built a rival machine from a modified doorbell, and the basic design has changed little since [1][9].
Does it hurt, and where hurts most?
Everyone feels it differently, but the tattoo artists consulted for the Post guide gave some general rules. Work done with fewer needles, such as outlines, tends to hurt more than shading. Bony areas do not necessarily hurt more; soft skin is a better guide, and the inner thighs, inner arms and torso are often very tender. Artists also told the Post that women tend to handle the pain better than men [1].
A reputable studio will use sterile, single-use needles, disposable gloves and antiseptic, and you should walk out if it does not.
Where to put a tattoo
Placement affects how long a tattoo stays sharp. The Post guide gives four things to think about [1]:
- Sun. Sunlight fades tattoos, so either use strong sunscreen on it every time or choose a spot that is usually covered.
- Ageing. Tattoos on softer areas such as the stomach lose their shape faster than those on bonier areas.
- Wear. Tattoos on hands and feet fade or go patchy quickly because those areas get so much use.
- Fashion. Some placements date quickly; the guide gives armbands and lower-back tattoos as examples.
How common are tattoos, and are they safe?
Very common now. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found 32% of American adults have a tattoo, and 22% have more than one. Women (38%) are more likely to have one than men (27%), and 46% of adults aged 30 to 49 have at least one. About a quarter (24%) of people with tattoos say they regret one or more of them [2].
The US Food and Drug Administration treats tattoo inks as cosmetics, while tattoo studios are regulated locally. It warns that no colour additive is approved for injection into the skin, and lists the possible risks: infections, allergic reactions, granulomas and keloid scars, swelling or burning during MRI scans, and difficulty removing a tattoo later [10]. Check that your studio is licensed where you live and ask what inks it uses.
Questions about tattoo styles
How many tattoo styles are there?
There is no fixed list. American traditional, new school, Japanese, black and grey, realism and tribal are the long-established ones, and newer styles such as fine line, watercolour and geometric are often added. The Post guide picks out nine [1].
What is the oldest tattoo style?
Simple black marks made by hand. The oldest tattooed human found so far, Ötzi, who lived in the Alps around 3250 BC, had 61 tattoos [3]. The Post guide also shows animal designs from a 2,500-year-old mummy found in Siberia [1].
Which tattoo style lasts the longest?
Styles with bold outlines and solid colour, such as American traditional, tend to stay readable longest. Very fine lines and small detail blur more as the ink spreads over the years [3].
What is the difference between old school and new school tattoos?
Both use heavy outlines. Old school (American traditional) sticks to a small palette and classic designs like anchors and roses, while new school uses bright, varied colours and exaggerated cartoon-like subjects [4][6].
Where is the most painful place to get a tattoo?
According to the artists who advised the Post, soft skin hurts more than bony areas, with the inner thighs, inner arms and torso often the most tender [1].
Sources
- Bonnie Berkowitz and Alberto Cuadra, The Washington Post, Thinking of inking? A guide to tattoos, 2011 (the infographic, with sources including the American Academy of Dermatology, the FDA, TattooArchive.com and seven professional tattoo artists).
- Pew Research Center, 32% of Americans have a tattoo, including 22% who have more than one, 15 August 2023.
- Wikipedia, Tattoo.
- Wikipedia, American traditional.
- Wikipedia, Sailor Jerry.
- Wikipedia, New school (tattoo).
- Wikipedia, Irezumi.
- Wikipedia, Black-and-gray.
- Wikipedia, Tattoo machine.
- US Food and Drug Administration, Tattoos, Temporary Tattoos and Permanent Makeup.
Last reviewed 3 November 2026
