Where Did Black and Grey Tattoos Originate?

There is a style of tattooing becoming more popular today. It is called black and grey realism. It started in East LA in the Chicano culture. It then moved to prisons in California in the 1970s. This particular style of tattooing became popular in areas where colored ink was not able to be found. In some places, tattoo artists were known to use cigarette ash to get the desired color and shading. It is now found in tattoo shops around the world. Today, you can look around and see many people with tattoos that are black and grey. Black and grey tattoos created today are done with real ink, as it is more readily available today.

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These types of tattoos are highly versatile. It may be surprising to find out that black and gray tattoos provide more options for shading, detail, and style. Many people feel that this style has the ability to create a more stunning tattoo. Those with tattoos that have color in them often find that colors fade and easily. Black and grey tattoos do not fade easily. This type of tattoo is not exempt from fading, but it usually does not happen as drastically as with color tattoos. This type of tattoo is intended to last a lifetime.

When you want a black and grey tattoo, the technique the artist uses makes a difference in the quality of the tattoo. The technique makes a difference in your satisfaction with your tattoo. A typical style is a single needle and shading is important. You want an artist that is able to create hard and soft shadows. This will improve the quality of your tattoo.

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There are a number of styles from which you can choose when you want a black and grey tattoo. There are even some styles that are best for black and grey tattoos versus color ones. Realism tattoos are better done in black and grey and not color. Color does not allow you to recreate the likeness of a person, as well as black and grey, does. There are traditional tattoos. These are often called old-school tattoos. This is what you will commonly find of someone in the military. They tend to be bold and grayscale. There are some other styles that are called Neo-traditional, Chicano, and Japanese that are more commonly done in black and grey versus color.