The realistic tattoo, as its name suggests, is a tattoo that captures a real image, either from a reference photo or directly from something natural, like some remarkable artists do.
Those who do it portray life as it is: nature, people, animals, things… The expert must have the ability to capture what is on the photo so that it looks the same on the skin. Some tattoo artists are able to achieve impressive effects on their clients; they prepare themselves for years to master all the necessary techniques and the use of color for doing this type of work.
Unlike common lines, shadows or fills tattoos, realistic tattoos have a more three-dimensional appearance, so the sensation of being alive on the skin is palpable as long as the work is well executed. One of the most important aspects of realism is the quality and execution of the shading, it takes a lot of knowledge, talent and patience, as well as skill to be able to shade in a clean and precise way.
As a general rule, it is more common to see this type of work in black and white, with grayscale, since limiting the use of color makes it easier to achieve the desired effect; however, they can also work with colors, which requires much more details and knowledge about coloring, its application and tones.
The realistic tattoo is characterized by having no defined lines, so the artist can make use of water lines that will delimit the areas with the certainty that they will disappear during the healing process or will be disguised with the correct use of contrast through the application of black or shadows.
Taking good care of a tattoo and making sure that the healing process goes smoothly is essential for the final result to have sufficient quality and for the design to remain in perfect conditions during a longer period of time, without needing to be reworked. In the case of realistic tattoos, this care is even more important.
