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Inked Mag Staff

November 13th, 2015

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Tattoos Without a Black Outline

While there are hundreds of different tattoo styles out there, most of them follow the same principles of design. Smooth shading, bold color saturation, and a steady black outline. Yet…

While there are hundreds of different tattoo styles out there, most of them follow the same principles of design. Smooth shading, bold color saturation, and a steady black outline. Yet what happens when you remove one of the elements of a classic tattoo? You’d expect chaos to ensue but it is actually quite the opposite. Over time, artists have developed new techniques and styles which shine without a black outline. They went against the rules of tattooing and came up with something beautiful and original. Some styles work well without a black outline because they rely on either strong color packing techniques to create graphic imagery or the artist is going without the outline to show incredible photo-realistic techniques. These artists prove that a tattoo can stand alone without the constraints of an outline.

Editor's Picks

Heartless Ink Banner Art
Bridging Classical Art and Modern Tattooing

Esteban Rodriguez brings the discipline of classical fine art to the living canvas of skin, creating hyper-realistic tattoos that merge technical mastery with emotional depth.

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Show Your Ink Fashions Brings Custom Style to Tattoo Culture

Show Your Ink Fashions creates custom shirts designed to showcase your tattoos as wearable art, blending fashion with personal expression.

Culture
The Ultimate “Superman” Tattoo Roundup: Just in Time for Superman’s Return to Screens

With Superman’s big return to theaters, fans are revisiting some of the most iconic ink inspired by the Man of Steel.

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