Glossary
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Biomechanical
Biomechanical fuses organic and mechanical elements, such as muscles, gears, tubes and cables, creating the effect of a machine emerging from the body. It draws on science-fiction art and often uses realism in black and grey or colour.
Chicano
The Chicano style arose in Mexican-American communities in California and typically uses black and grey with subjects such as female portraits, religious symbols, lettering and images of urban life. It is tied to a specific cultural history.
Lettering
Lettering is the making of writing and typographic characters, in styles ranging from script to gothic, from minimal to decorative. It requires precision and consistency of line.
Anime and Cartoon
This style reproduces characters from anime, manga, comics and cartoons, with clean outlines, flat or graded colours and characteristic proportions. It often relies on third-party drawings, so copyright can be relevant.
Celtic
The Celtic style uses knots, interlacing and continuous motifs inspired by the art of the Celtic peoples and the Irish and British tradition. The design follows lines with no beginning or end, with alternating over and under passes.
Floral and Botanical
The floral and botanical style has flowers, leaves and plants as its subject, rendered in very different ways: fine line, illustrative, realistic, watercolour. The subject is very widespread and often associated with delicate forms.
Ignorant Style
Ignorant style is a deliberately naive style, with simple drawings, imprecise proportions and irregular lines, inspired by naïve art and by childlike or street drawings. The apparent simplicity is an aesthetic choice.
Cyber Sigilism
Cyber sigilism is a recent style, born in digital circles, that joins sharp and curved black lines, often symmetrical, inspired by sigils and futuristic aesthetics. It is based on fine, high-contrast lines.
Flash
Flash is a ready-made design meant to be tattooed as it is, traditionally offered on sheets or boards displayed in the studio. The term comes from the flash-sheet tradition of traditional tattooing.
Abstract
The abstract style does not depict recognisable subjects but uses shapes, lines, colours and textures as expressive elements. It can be made with different techniques, from brushstrokes to geometric forms.