Style

Portrait

Portrait tattooing is a focused sub-discipline of realism dedicated to rendering specific faces with recognizable accuracy. The subjects are most commonly loved ones, pets, and celebrities — anything where the goal is a likeness so accurate the viewer can identify who is depicted. Portrait tattoo artists develop specialized skills in capturing the unique proportions of each face: the placement of eyes and nose relative to each other, the precise shape of a smile, the quality of skin texture and light. A portrait that does not resemble its subject has failed its purpose, making this one of the most unforgiving and technically demanding tattoo specialties.