What Is Neo-Traditional Tattooing? (And 3 Artists Crushing It Right Now)
What Is Neo-Traditional Tattooing? (And 3 Artists Crushing It Right Now)
So what is a neo-traditional tattooer? A neo-trad artist pays homage to the past — lady faces, floral and ornamental work, bold and large layouts, beautiful flowy ornamental detail wrapped around the outside, and big, bold, unapologetic color packed into the tattoo. Also known as neo-trad.
Here are three of my all-time favorite neo-trad artists right now:
1. Gian Karle — So good, dude. Not only is he great to be around, his work is next level: giant skulls, full-torso pieces, beautiful smooth black and gray (a great skill set to bring into neo-trad), and then that big, bold color on top — huge chunks of yellow and orange, gorgeous solid reds.
2. Travis Brown — My homie down in Florida crushes it. He's got his own unique, illustrative touch — I'm a sucker for anybody who can put their own twist on the genre and make it fun and fresh instead of just repeating what's already been done.
3. Levi Murphy — A slayer, local to Las Vegas and tattooing over at One Block. One of our artists at Studio 21 Tattoo has her whole leg done by him, and it's gorgeous top to bottom — beautiful, soft black and gray, incredible texture, next-level snakes, and lady faces that just hit different.
There's an endless list of talented neo-trad artists out there. Who are your favorites? Tag your homies below — I'd love to see who's out there crushing it in this genre.
— Austin