What is Dotwork tattoo style?

Tattoos in the technique of Dotwork, which requires the master of enviable patience and spatial thinking skills, is considered today one of the most difficult.

Dotwork is the name of this style and it describes exactly the technique of applying images consisting of a huge number of dots. In this case, the intensity and depth of the shade depends on the distance between the points. Where did this style come from? What kind of expression does it offer to its fans?

In modern culture, the tattoo is considered the ancestor of the English tattoo master Xed Lehead, whose unusual work attracted the attention of fans of the original tattoo styles in the 1990s.

However, many experts believe that the body art on the skin, created from many separate dots, is only a new rethinking of one of the very ancient techniques used in the creation of ritual and clan tattoos. In addition, this technique was in demand in painting, where such a direction was called pointillism.

Such patterns on bodies, formed by a group of many dots, archaeologists found in African rock paintings, in paintings of Egyptian statues. A similar technique was used in Tibet to indicate membership of a particular clan, a religious direction.

Today, the dotwork technique is very popular in many countries of the world. And no wonder: it looks really impressive! Here are just a few characteristic features that distinguish the dotwork among other directions:

• Most often it is about large size;
• Volume and dynamics - dots allow you to perform tone transitions, create effects close to the shade;
• Compatibility with other styles, versatility - if you prefer to mix different techniques using maximum expressive techniques.

Tattoo made from a lot of dots allows giving such textures a special expressiveness.

Despite the fact that «canonical» dotwork involves the use of only black and red pigments, modern modifications of this style offer a much broader color gamut.

And, of course, the main feature of the dotwork style is the high requirements to the experience and skills of the master, who needs to pre-determine the distance between the dots of the drawing to create the desired color saturation. It is not easy to fix such a pattern: the pigment is injected to a significant depth. This is necessary to prevent the body image from fading out. The downside of this process is a higher intensity of pain.

Many artists prefer a hand-held technique, which, although more laborious, gives an excellent result, able to impress and please even the most demanding client. Using a tattoo device allows you to increase the rate of work somewhat. However, as is to be expected, the mechanization of the process often reduces the quality and accuracy of the design. As a rule, the price of a tattoo in this style is not the lowest, which is due to the laboriousness of the process.

Tattoos in the dotwork style are incredibly diverse, and the choice of subjects - inexhaustible.

The most popular motif, which is used for tattoos in the style of dotwork, are a variety of geometric patterns that remain at the peak of popularity for decades. It should be noted that the style, which has received recognition among both men and women, offers them a choice of sketches. They are perfectly adapted to the anatomical features and aesthetics of both male and female bodies.

Brutal men tend to prefer:

• Northern motives;
• Body images of large animals;
• Portraits;
• Body images of skulls;
• Abstract geometric patterns and ornaments.

In the «dotwork» tattoos we may see the traits of «old-school», «thrash polka» and «Polynesia» styles, because these directions perfectly harmonize and create a base of implementation for the most incredible ideas of the master.

Men may choose different parts of the body for dotwork tattoos. Here you may think about different parts of the hand, as well as the whole hand, in addition - back, neck, chest, less often - the neck with a transition to the back of the head. Dotwork allows to make the body image more stylish, corresponding to the modern aesthetics of tattoos.

Girls prefer more elegant, even refined body images that can emphasize the harmony of the lines of the female body.

As a rule, such tattoos are placed on the tibia or hip, on the back and under the breast. In this case, experienced masters strongly recommend both men and women, choose areas of the body, the least sensitive to weight fluctuations and age-related skin tone reduction. It could be wrists, neck, shoulder area.

Women’s favourite motifs include:

• Abstract motives;
• Mandalas;
• Fancy floral ornaments;
• Pets, birds;
• Portraits.

Especially effective and expressive combinations are with the «linework» style and geometric patterns.

When planning to make a tattoo in the style of «dotwork», it is extremely important to pay maximum attention to the choice of studio and master.

Be sure to study the reviews of other customers, consider several variants of sketches. Often, in order to achieve accuracy and clarity of the body image, the artist, in the preliminary stage of the work, creates a visualization of the drawing with the help of special programs. So, you can estimate how the tattoo on your body will look like.

At the design stage, it is very important to accurately observe the perspectives and proportions: this allows you to determine the required density of dots for the perfect implementation of the artistic design. And remember, the tattoo is a lifetime body image. Take the choice of theme and style with full responsibility, so that in the future not to look for opportunities to remove or change your tattoo.