Traditional & Neo-Trad Tattoos

Bold outlines and a limited palette, and the richer, deeper neo-traditional work that grew out of it.

27 pieces from the Legian studio

Neo-traditional colour half sleeve tattoo of a civet with coffee cherries, shown from three angles

Neo-traditional forearm tattoo of a woman's face with a teal snake and yellow roses

Neo-traditional orange tiger head tattoo on the back of the hand

Colour neo-traditional chest and arm tattoos including a roaring panther

Blackwork traditional full sleeve tattoo with a panther and feather headdress, three angles

Blackwork traditional arm and leg tattoos on a woman, seated

Neo-traditional colour calf tattoo of a woman in a headscarf with red flowers and a teal rose

Blackwork forearm tattoo of two hands clasped in a handshake with lace cuffs

Colour neo-Japanese full sleeve tattoo with a kitsune fox mask and florals, two angles

Bright colour neo-Japanese full sleeve tattoo of a kitsune fox mask, two angles

Colour traditional rib tattoo of a moth on a dagger

Upper arm tattoo of a skull with a snake and a gold crescent moon

Neo-traditional thigh tattoo of a fox head with a blue ribbon and skull

Blackwork scorpion tattoo on the inner arm

Colour traditional forearm tattoo of a mermaid

Colour traditional forearm tattoo of an anchor with a Steadfast banner and flowers

Colour traditional forearm tattoo of a tall ship with a banner and flower

Neo-traditional thigh tattoo of a black panther head with a red rose

Neo-traditional thigh tattoo of a roaring tiger head with ferns

Colour traditional upper arm tattoo of a skull with a dagger and banner

Colour neo-traditional upper arm tattoo of a shrunken head with pink flowers

Colour traditional upper arm tattoo of a ship in a bottle at sunset

Colour traditional rib tattoos of playing cards, a skull, a dagger and a skeleton

Colour traditional thigh tattoo of a tiger head pierced by a dagger

Colour neo-traditional calf tattoo of a pirate ship above a flaming skull

Colour traditional calf tattoo of a woman's head in a feather headdress

Matching colour tattoos of a sugar skull in a red rose on each knee

Traditional is the old-school language of tattooing. Heavy outlines, a small palette, anchors and roses and panthers. It was designed to stay readable across fifty years of a person's life and it does exactly that, which is why the flash from the 1940s still looks right today.

Neo-traditional keeps the bold line and opens up everything else. Richer colour, more depth, far more detail, and subjects that traditional never covered. It is the best of both, the longevity of a strong outline with the range of modern colour work.

If you want something that will still look deliberate in thirty years, this family is the safest bet after black and grey. The heavy line holds the shape as the tattoo settles, so it reads clearly from across a room long after finer work has softened.

This gallery covers both ends of the family, from clean old-school flash through to full neo-traditional panels with brush shading and layered colour.

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Traditional & Neo-Trad Tattoos

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