“Blackout Tattoo” Trend Cloaks the Body in Black Ink to Make a Bold Visual Statement

As tattoos continue to grow in popularity, artists push the envelope with the color, complexity, and scope of their designs. The classic Sailor Jerry style of tattooing–which champions dark outlines and a limited color palette–is joined by other styles such as dotwork, watercolor, and cross stitch. Another popular and striking approach that has been gaining recent attention online is called blackout, which covers the skin with solid fields of black ink.

Like any technique, how a blackout tattoo looks falls on a spectrum. Some artists will fill their client's skin with large areas of ink that turns entire body parts another color. Others might shy away from that much black, and they'll instead use it as a bold design element that's coupled with intricate lines, geometric shapes, or dots. But no matter how the tattooist approaches blackout, one thing is certain: these tattoos are nothing short of stunning.

Check out 17 of our favorite blackout tattoos, below.

Above: @oddtattooer


@oddtattooer


@i_am_mora


@alex_arnautov


@blackbird_tattoos


@nissaco


@neotattoos


@neotattoos


@nissaco


@nissaco


@yoshikyu_tattoo


@yoshikyu_tattoo


@jartattoo


@jartattoo


@roxx_____


@roxx_____


@ingahannarr

via [Mashable]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content