Realistic Tattoos

Tattooing something so it looks photographic. A face, an animal, a statue, a scene. The most technically demanding work in the studio.

27 pieces from the Legian studio

Colour realism upper arm tattoo of Kratos from God of War in orange firelight

Colour realism full back tattoo of a mandrill among tropical leaves and toucans

Colour realism leg sleeve tattoo featuring the Joker and the Flash

Realism full back tattoo of a dog portrait with red trash polka elements

Colour realism leg tattoo of a masked superhero in gold and red

Black and grey horror tattoo of a hooded faceless figure with clasped hands, on the upper arm

Colour realism forearm tattoo of the Flash

Colour realism upper arm tattoo of the Joker with a clown money box

Black and grey realism leg sleeve tattoo of hip hop portraits

Black and grey realism upper arm tattoo of a woman wearing a wolf headdress

Black and grey realism leg sleeve tattoos shown on both legs

Black and grey realism tiger tattoo on the upper arm

Black and grey realism leg sleeve tattoos of animals and ornamental work, on both legs

Black and grey realism leg sleeve tattoo with a kookaburra and a carved mask, three angles

Black and grey horror leg tattoos of a screaming ghoul and a sinister clown

Black and grey realism leg sleeve tattoo of carved faces and a bird with a torn skin effect

Black and grey realism chest tattoo of a Balinese bull with temple and landscape detail

Black and grey realism thigh tattoo portrait of Marilyn Monroe laughing

Colour realism upper arm portrait tattoo of John Wick

Black and grey realism thigh tattoo portrait of a woman with sunglasses pushed up

Black and grey realism calf tattoo portrait of the Godfather with Corleone lettering

Black and grey realism leg tattoo of a woman in a headdress above a cityscape

Black and grey realism leg sleeve tattoo of hip hop portraits, shown from the side

Black and grey realism forearm sleeve tattoo of a Greek statue head with ornamental work

Black and grey realism arm sleeve tattoo of religious statues and angels

Black and grey realism full back tattoo of a lion's head

Black and grey realistic snake tattoo coiled around the forearm

Realism is the style where the gap between a good artist and an average one shows immediately, because the eye knows instantly when a face is slightly wrong. Everything depends on the artist reading values correctly and laying them down in the right order, with no outline to hide behind.

It rewards size. Give realism room and the detail carries, which is why most of the realism work in this gallery ended up as a half sleeve or larger. A portrait squeezed into a small space loses the very detail that makes it convincing, so part of the consultation is agreeing on a size that lets the piece work.

We cover both black and grey realism and colour realism. Portraits of people, film and music subjects, big cats, snakes, classical statues and mythological scenes all live here.

If you are bringing a reference photograph, bring the highest resolution version you have. The quality of the source is the ceiling on the quality of the tattoo, and a sharp, well lit reference gives the artist far more to work with.

Book this style

Realistic Tattoos

Other styles