Blackwork tattoos are a classic. Popularized with Polynesian tribal tattoos, with roots centuries deep, blackwork has come to involve a variety of design styles.
Today, blackwork comprises a variety of tattoo designs that use only black ink for drawing and shading. The solid black ink is a bold look that is striking in any style.
We take a look at some of the most popular blackwork tattoo designs in Toronto & Vancouver:
Today, they are most commonly worn as half sleeve tattoos. However, Polynesian tribe used to have full body tattoos that would tell a story of the person, their origins, and life. Unlike full body Asian tattoos these are not designed as a single tattoo. Instead, they were several individual patterns that compliment each other and were added over time.
They are commonly used in mandala tattoos and are sometimes combined into realism tattoos for a stunning effect.
The background can be a complete blackout, or a pattern using thick black lines or sections. They may use black and grey tattoos as a background rather than a full blackout.
- Tribal
- Geometric
- Blackout
- Negative Space
- Cover-Up
Tribal Tattoo Patterns
In Toronto & Vancouver, tribal tattoos have fallen out of style over the past decade. However, we included them on this list, because of the importance of tribal influence on blackwork tattoos. Some of the patterns used in tribal tattoos date back as far as 2000 years ago. They can be simple with thick stripes and patterns, or intricate fine line tattoos.
Today, they are most commonly worn as half sleeve tattoos. However, Polynesian tribe used to have full body tattoos that would tell a story of the person, their origins, and life. Unlike full body Asian tattoos these are not designed as a single tattoo. Instead, they were several individual patterns that compliment each other and were added over time.
Geometric Tattoos
Geometric tattoos have had an upswell an popularity over the past couple of years. They are simple in appearance using geometric shapes. They make use of lines, circles, squares, and triangles to create beautiful, minimalistic designs. Tattoo artists need to have a thorough understanding of design for geometric tattoos. They break an idea or image down to just geometric shapes while still communicating the intended meaning. Done right, the results can be stunning.
They are commonly used in mandala tattoos and are sometimes combined into realism tattoos for a stunning effect.
Blackout Tattoos
Blackout tattoos contain large areas of solid black ink, often contrasted with fine line patterns. Because they have large areas of solid ink, these tattoos can take a long time to complete, although they can be any size. Armband tattoos are one of the smaller versions of a blackout tattoo. They are one or two solid bands of ink that wrap around the arm. And then, of course, there are more intense examples. Skateboarder Scott “Blackarms” Bourne has pure black half sleeves tattoos on each arm.
Negative Space Tattoos
Negative space tattoos are the reverse of a standard tattoo. Instead of the ink being the image, it creates the background and the bare skin (or negative space) is the subject. They are a form of blackout tattoo that is rising in popularity.
The background can be a complete blackout, or a pattern using thick black lines or sections. They may use black and grey tattoos as a background rather than a full blackout.
