Tattoo styles

Pick a style to see the RequestInk artists who work in it. New to tattoos? Every style page includes a short guide to what makes it distinct.

Styles with artists

Solid black ink — geometric, ornamental, or bold graphic imagery.

Delicate single-needle linework — script, florals, minimal figures.

Custom lettering — cursive, serif, gothic, single-line, and calligraphic.

Bold black outlines, a tight color palette, and iconic imagery — roses, daggers, swallows, pin-ups.

Traditional's rulebook with modern color, dimension, and ornate composition.

Photo-realistic portraits, animals, and scenes in black-and-grey or color.

Grayscale shading with soft transitions — realism, religious imagery, script.

Dragons, koi, tigers, waves — bold outlines with long-form compositions.

Precise lines, dotwork, and shapes — mandalas, sacred geometry, ornamental.

Painterly, sketch-like, or storybook — a signature illustrator's hand.

Loose color washes and splashes — often paired with fine-line drawing.

Shading built entirely from dots — geometric, ornamental, or figurative.

Japanese subjects with modern color, illustration, and composition.

Dreamlike, unreal compositions — realism techniques applied to invented subjects.

Cultural tribal work — Polynesian, Māori, and neo-tribal blackwork.