The legs often experience less friction than other parts of the body. This is due to regular rubbing against clothing or impacts, like sliding into a home plate. This makes legs an ideal candidate for tattoo placement.
For your tattoo design, it’s helpful to map muscle contraction lines. Look for spots where these lines overlap. They create an offset perpendicular grid of lines crossing over each other. These can be foreground or background elements to guide the viewer around your tattoo design.
Old School
“Old School” refers to traditional elements or those reminiscent of the past. The time also applies to with bold outlines and solid colors. These are commonly found among sailors or pin-up girls and are known as old-school .
For example, consider this coffin tattoo on an upper arm. It suggests the owner’s comfort with the idea of death. It’s a compelling and charming personal statement.
Bow are often linked to femininity. They’re commonly associated with women as a statement of their feminine identity. When combined with garters, they can symbolize both sexuality and power. These tattoos can also represent a strong affiliation with feminism or women’s rights movements.
New School
New School feature bold colors. They incorporate elements like traditional tattoo motifs and pop culture references. This makes them an effective form of self-expression through body art. These are great for anyone wanting to show their individuality.
New School draw from traditional American designs. They add a modern twist with artistic techniques like anthropomorphic imagery. This style depicts non-human subjects with human characteristics, creating a modern, edgy look.
Like Old School, New School style draws heavily from popular culture. Gamers, comic book and graphic novel readers, and anime fans influence this style. Young people especially favor New School because it lets them express their passions through body art and show their personality.
Realistic
The hamstring is an ideal canvas for realistic tattoo designs. It has plenty of space for a wide range of designs. These range from traditional American sage snakes and Japanese Irezumi to modern, practical dot work designs. A good example is this Zodiac Sagittarius-linked constellation tattoo.
At first glance, this tattoo may seem simplistic. However, its scale, balance, and patterning use are impressive, considering the small space on the subject’s leg. The thin black lines are etched with precision using a TV snow technique. Dot work and negative space keep everything transparent and tight, producing exquisite animal realism. As of now, this piece remains an outline. However, it would make an excellent half-sleeve design once completed.
