Illustrative Tattoos

Illustrative style is a mixture between traditional/sketch work and realism. By using color saturation, bold outlines and realistic shading techniques, the tattoo looks more like an illustration rather than a tattoo, which is the goal of the style.

Illustrations are straightforward, hand-drawn depictions of subject matter, often walking the line between realism and sketch work.

To illustrate means to offer clarification by showing an example. Visual illustrations maintain a level of accuracy of the subject matter, with consistent and realistic proportions. The line work is typically much cleaner and polished than a sketch tattoo, while still appearing very much hand-drawn (as opposed to photorealism).

These tattoos have no single aesthetic, as they’re entirely dependent on the point of view and unique style of the illustrator(s).