Some say that there's no difference between traditional tattoos and
neo-traditional tattoos; though the differences are slight, they are
still there. Traditional tattoos consist of dark heavy line strokes and
solid colors. They are intentionally kept simple in design and use a
limited color palette that consists of red, green, yellow, brown, and
blue with little to no shading.
Tattoo culture at the time was
very much fringe and on the outskirts of society, unlike the mainstream
appeal and fine art credibility it has today. These sailors would get
iconic images stamped on their body as a celebration of their service;
only accomplished sailors that have been to far away lands and traveled a
certain number of miles were able to get swallows, for example.
Traditional tattoos were not customly created, rather they were just
flash picked off walls.
"Traditional" adheres to specific imagery:
patriotic symbols like eagles, ships, anchors, the American flag,
daggers, pin ups, swallows and nautical stars. All of these symbols
stemmed from classic sailor and Navy icons that were prevalent in the
early 20th century when servicemen would return stateside and get
tattooed.
Neo-traditional tattoos pay homage to the classic,
timeless art form through the same techniques; bold lines and heavy
color saturation with minimal shading and detail. However, the imagery
and designs used are generally more diverse and the color palette used
is more diverse. A purely "American" tattoo style, neo traditional has
included candles, lighthouses, diamonds, coffins and other concepts and
rendered them in a "traditional" fashion.
Not to be confused with
"New-School", a more cartoonish, exaggerated and colorful style of
tattooing, Neo-traditional is a revival of the "Old-School", a
celebration of roots and origins.
The innate beauty that the
traditional tattoo style offers appeals across all generations of
enthusiasts; bold lines and solid colors tend to fade less, offering the
longevity and long lasting quality that so many desire.
Aside
from black and grey, traditional has proven to be the one of the only
tattoo styles that stand the test of time, and will always have an
audience to wear them. The beauty of traditional tattooing is just that;
there will always be artists looking to recreate the classic tattoos
and culture that helped pave the way and make the tattoo industry what
it is today.
No comments:
Post a Comment