Style

Realism

Realism tattooing is the art of making a photograph come to life in skin. Realist tattoo artists work with a full spectrum of gray tones or vivid color to build depth, shadow, and dimension — producing portraits, wildlife, food, and natural scenes that look three-dimensional under any light. The style demands mastery of color theory, skin behavior, and composition; the finest realism artists can reproduce a face with enough accuracy to identify the subject from across the room. Black and grey realism and full color realism are both well-established sub-disciplines.