Traditional
American traditional: bold black outlines, a short palette, and designs that have looked good on skin for a hundred years and still do.
The style
Bold will hold
Traditional is the grammar of tattooing: a heavy black outline, black shading, and a handful of colors (red, yellow, green, sometimes blue) packed solid. Eagles, roses, daggers, swallows, ships, panthers, pin-ups and banners with a few words.
The rules exist because they work. Thick lines stay crisp as skin ages, solid color stays bright, and simple shapes read from across a room. It is the style we recommend most often for a first tattoo, and the one that still looks right thirty years on.
Work
Traditional work from the shops
What to expect
Who to ask for traditional
Arty
Neo traditional · Black and grey · Cover-ups
Madison Sweet
Neo traditional · Illustrative
Slaine
Neo traditional · Illustrative · Black and grey
Fast to tattoo, slow to fade
Most traditional pieces are done in one sitting. Flash from the wall is tattooed as drawn; custom pieces are drawn in the same language. The artist will push you toward fewer elements and bigger shapes, and that advice is the whole style.
Slaine, Arty and Madison work in traditional here, each with a different hand: Slaine leans into characters and creatures, Arty into clean classic shapes, Madison into saturated color on a classic frame. Flash days are built on this style.
At a glance
- Lines
- Heavy black
- Palette
- Red, yellow, green, black
- Sessions
- Usually one
- Ageing
- Excellent
- Walk-ins
- Yes, flash and small custom
Questions people ask
What is the difference between traditional and neo-traditional?
Traditional keeps the palette short and the shapes simple. Neo-traditional keeps the bold outline but adds more colors, depth and detail. Same bones, more flesh.
Can I get a traditional piece as a walk-in?
Yes. Flash and small custom traditional pieces are what walk-in days are for. Bigger custom work books a consultation.
Will the colors fade?
Solid traditional color is the longest-lasting color in tattooing. Sunblock after healing keeps it that way.
