Traditional Tattooing Was More Of A Business Decision Than An Artstyle - Chris Dingwell Fireside Tattoo Network

Traditional Tattooing Was More Of A Business Decision Than An Artstyle

[36:45] “You have to be able to take this idea, simplify it down to its most basic elements, but every one of those elements has to be just perfect.”

— Chris Dingwell

Traditional styles of tattooing are very deceiving. Though these designs tend to be on the simpler side, they are far from simple to design or execute. It’s about boiling an image down to its most basic ideas and elements and making it extremely readable or clear from any distance. And, to track that even further you have to be extremely precise with those elements because the tiniest mistake can end up being pretty glaring.

Traditional Americana tattoos are particularly special because they were purposefully created and simplified so that tattooers could move fast. Sailors or military personnel weren’t around for weeks or days at a time so that an artist had time to finish a large scale piece. They had to work quickly and with precision so they could get clients in and out before they had to leave port. It’s not like it is today where most artists tattoo clients for months or even years at a stretch.

Watch the full episode:

Tattooing Through a Painter's Eye | Chris Dingwell | EP 271