The most popular tattoo trends for 2022
The tattoo scene continues to evolve, with new techniques and styles emerging all the time. What's in demand this year? At Premier Products, we've asked around and here are the most popular tattoo trends for 2022.
Minimalist tattoos, jewellery tattoos, 3D line tattoos, metallic tattoos, holographic or psychedelic tattoos, single line tattoos, abstract blackwork, modern tribal, flash tattoos, sketch tattoos, self-love tattoos, cuff tattoos or mash-ups with iconic motifs from art and pop culture - there is a lot to discover for you and your customers!
Some international trends may be a little too colorful for Europe due to the EU tattoo REACH regulation, but the most important trend in 2022 is fortunately not affected by this:
Trend No. 1: Small and Fine - Minimalist Tattoos
Instead of big, colorful tattoos, dainty little designs in fine-line style are all the rage at the moment. So minimalism remains mega hot - and is now rising to the level of absolutely minimalist micro tattoos: a simple little star on the finger or ankle, a short word or just a single letter, a number or a dainty symbol, placed somewhere on the body ... The main reason for the great popularity of the inconspicuous and restrained miniature tattoos is not only that they can be easily concealed if necessary for professional reasons; the small but fine eye-catchers on the skin at the same time arouse a lot of interest, they invite you to get very close to see the motif properly - and that can be very tingling!
Micro tattoos are quick to make and can always be placed somewhere on an already richly decorated body. Above all, they give those who have never dared to go to a tattoo studio the courage to get their own individual body decoration, because the risk is low. The stitching doesn't hurt much, and if you don't like them, minimalist motifs can be removed relatively easily by laser. If you like them, you can add more small or larger motifs.
One-line or single-line tattoos: a challenge for masters
Single-line tattoos, also known as one-line tattoos or fineline tattoos, have been very popular for quite some time and are very much in line with the minimalist trend of 2022. The special thing about these filigree images is that the entire motif consists of a single continuous black line. This technique is particularly suitable for depicting faces, plants or animals, which can be rendered in light squiggles. One of the first to work in this style was the Berlin tattoo artist Mo Ganji.
For single-line tattoos you need a steady hand, a lot of manual skill and some experience. The delicate single-line tattoos can be done relatively painlessly because they only consist of thin outlines. Therefore, they have the disadvantage that pigments get lost over the years and gaps appear in the line, but single-line tattoos can also be refreshed much more easily than more complex motifs.
Jewellery tattoos and cuff tattoos: real pieces of jewellery!
Jewellery tattoos are also one of the most popular styles worldwide at the moment. According to individual wishes, gossamer black lines and dots are engraved on the fingers, on the wrist up to the upper arm or on the ankle. As more delicate ornaments, they then decorate the skin like a ring, a bracelet or an anklet. They can also be placed on other parts of the body, such as under the breast.
The decorative ornamental jewellery style is certainly more suitable for delicate ladies. The cuff tattoo, which is also very popular at the moment, looks more powerful. It is stitched around the wrist, arm or ankle and encloses it all around. The currently very popular flower tendrils or ornaments, but also waves, chain links, traditional symbols and much more can be arranged as ink cuffs.
Metallic Tattoos and Holographic Tattoos: polished to a high shine
A very sophisticated variation of Jewelry Tattoos are Metallic Tattoos, which simulate gold, silver or bronze effects in such a way that they actually seem to shine in the sun.
Metallic tattoos are a job for real artists, however, because the texture is extremely difficult to master. In EU countries, the trend may also fail because of the color availability. The same goes for another current international hit, holographic tattoos. They look like stickers stuck on and shimmer like a DVD - a real challenge!
3D Line Tattoos: double is better!
Tattoos with a 3D effect are also great eye-catchers that are very much in vogue. However, this does not mean realistic tattoos, i.e. lifelike images of people, pets or even mythical creatures, which ideally not only look like a photo, but even three-dimensional; rather, it means quite minimalist, rather comic-like motifs, which are designed as overlapping lines in typical 3D colors such as red and blue.
Psychedelic tattoos: skin-deep fantasy journeys
Psychedelic tattoos - also called "trippy tattoos" - really do look as spaced-out as the impressions one can gather on an LSD or mushroom trip: bright neon colors glow in rhythmically pulsating shapes, wondrous beings appear, from Hindu elephant god Ganesha to various little devils and magicians, eyes, eyes again and again, with pleasure also the magic mushrooms themselves - a wild rush of colors full of esoteric allusions.
Pop culture mash-ups: fun, fun, fun!
The latest trend in mash-up tattoos is also completely freaky.
Mash up (from "to mix together") originally meant mixed media tattoos, i.e. tattoos in which several different styles are combined, for example very realistic motifs with abstract geometric shapes.
Now, however, pop culture icons are mixed with quotes from the fine arts - or even with each other. Albert Einstein sticks out his tongue in front of Van Gogh's spiral sky, Disney's princesses wander across the zebra crossing of Abbey Road like the Beatles, Spiderman mutates into an antique bust, the Masters of the Universe meet Bart Simpson - there really are no limits to the imagination. From Botticelli to Picasso, from the Marvel heroes to Donald Duck, from Klimt's Kiss to the Minions - you can assemble everything your customer has in mind in terms of favourite painters and cartoon childhood heroes. Great fun!
Sketch Tattoos: the fine art of semi-finishing
The world of traditional arts is quoted quite differently by sketch-style tattoos, which are also very effective and decidedly up to date. The good thing is: here there are no problems with the permissible color, because Sketch Work works best in pure black.
As the name suggests, Sketch Style tattoos look as if they came straight out of an artist's sketchbook. They look like a preliminary drawing that has not yet been fully worked out and only captures the essential characteristics of the planned work. The lines of the motif overlap each other or remain unfinished, shadow areas are only hatched here, perspective auxiliary lines are almost always included as an important feature. The point is to create the perfect illusion of the imperfect. This is what makes sketch tattoos so complex and unique - and a challenge for expert hands. The Polish tattoo artist Inez Janiak is considered a pioneer of sketch work.
Black remains beautiful: Abstract Blackwork, Modern Tribal, Tramp Stamp and Flash Tattoos
Pure, shadeless blackwork has been in high demand for some time now. In 2022, black ink tattoos will preferably develop in the direction of abstract shapes - be it as delicate small areas in the head area or as larger, sketchy-looking lines on the body.
Tribal is also back, but in a new, much more delicate and abstract way as the Modern Tribal Tattoo of 2022. In this context, some tattoo trendsetters are also propagating the return of the Tramp Stamp from the 1990s. Here, too, the motifs, such as tribal, butterflies or tattooed charm bracelets with various symbols, are designed with finer lines and softer shading in 2022 than in the past.
Another interesting new tattoo trend are the lightning tattoos, which - simply pure in black - trace the fine ramifications of a lightning bolt on the skin. Whether on the hand or close to the heart - an eye-catcher that currently strikes like lightning!
Self-love tattoos: a heart for the not-so-perfect you
The last trend we would like to introduce to you is not so much a style as a big topic: self-love or self-acceptance - this is currently on the minds of women in particular, but not only. And what better way to express your willingness to fully accept and love yourself with all your weaknesses and (apparent) blemishes than with a tattoo?
Self-love tattoos can be designed in various styles that are particularly trendy in 2022: for example, as a minimalist little heart with the word "Me", as a single-line tattoo showing a self-embrace, or as a sketch tattoo featuring a curvy model in lovely lingerie. But all self-love designs have one thing in common: they serve as a daily reminder to their wearers to accept themselves as they are and to treat themselves with care and love. Here, your work becomes a life coach, so to speak, who stands by your customers at all times.
We hope you have fun exploring new styles and motifs - and we would love it if you could tell our Premier Products Community more about your darling trend in the comments to this post.
Pictures: adobe stock / pixabay
