Glossary15 January 2026 · 1 min read

New School

New school is a style born in the 1980s-90s, inspired by comics, cartoons and graffiti, with exaggerated proportions, highly saturated colours and bold outlines.

Why it matters: In product descriptions it appears to indicate colour-rich work with heavy fills. It is a style label, not a technique.

Guide4 min readReading a style: six elements for looking at a tattooStyle labels help find one's way around, but they say little on their own: two tattoos called the same thing can be very different, and a work can sit between two styles. This guide proposes a method for looking at a tattoo by observing six concrete elements: line, colour, contrast, composition, depth and subject. With these elements the families of styles can be recognised, what is seen can be described, and one can understand from which traditions and influences they come. The styles mentioned have a glossary entry; here the interest is in how to look at them.

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New School

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