Kraken tattoo designs

What each style does to this motif

Style is the decision that changes a tattoo most, and it is the one people spend least time on. Here is what each of the fourteen actually does.

Black & Grey

Soft shading and grey washes instead of hard outlines. Ages well and reads clearly from a distance, which is why most large pieces are done this way.

Fine-Line

One thin, even line weight and almost no shading. Elegant and quiet on skin — but hairline detail can close up over the years, so keep the drawing simple and the size generous.

Watercolor

Loose, translucent colour washes with soft bleeding edges and lots of open paper. Needs a confident artist: without an anchoring line the shapes have to hold themselves together.

Traditional

American traditional: bold outlines, a small flat palette, no fuss. The most durable way to wear a motif — the design is built to still read in thirty years.

Geometric

The subject rebuilt from straight lines, arcs and repeated shapes. Suits symmetrical motifs and placements with a clear axis, like a forearm or a spine.

Illustrative

Storybook or engraving feel — fine hatching, drawn rather than photographed. Sits between fine-line and black & grey in both detail and durability.

New School

Exaggerated cartoon proportions and thick outlines. Loud on purpose, and very legible at small sizes.

Tribal

Solid black interlocking shapes with sharp points, following the muscle rather than sitting on top of it. Simple to read, hard to draw well.

Dotwork

Every tone built from stippled dots, no solid fill. Slow to tattoo and beautifully soft — the density of the dots is what creates the shape.

Blackwork

Large areas of opaque black with the subject cut out as negative space. Extremely graphic, and the strongest contrast of anything here.

Cybersigilism

Spiky neo-tribal filaments and barbed, thorn-like points. The newest style in this set and the one that changes a motif the most.

Trash Polka

Black and red only, realistic elements collaged with brush strokes and smears. Chaotic by design — it wants a lot of skin.

Realism

Photographic tonal rendering, no outline. The most demanding style to execute and the one that depends most on the artist.

Ornamental

Symmetrical filigree and lace, closer to jewellery than to a picture. Made to wrap a limb or frame a joint.