The Best Colors for a Watercolor Tattoo
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So You Want a Watercolor Tattoo?
Watercolor tattoos are all the hype for a modern style of tattoo that has been popping up on skin for over a decade now. And pop they do; watercolor tattoos are known for their vibrant colors that jump off the skin. Besides the vibrant colors, watercolor-style tattoos can be recognized by using less solid black outlines found in traditional tattoos. The limited outlines gives a more free-flow feel. This style creates a unique vibe that distinguishes them from traditional styles.
Oftentimes, watercolor tattoos encompass similar imagery to each other amongst which include abstract shapes, nature (like flowers or animals), or other painting-like designs. The absence of a complete solid outline around the tattoo gives any design a more whimsical feel as the image flows across the skin.
A contentious topic in the tattoo industry is that watercolor-style tattoos tend to blur a bit more than a traditional tattoo due to the note using solid black outlines to maintain the boundaries of the tattoo over time. Some artists would fire back, however, that watercolor tattoos are no different in how they age compared to traditional tattoos.
Either way, the colors used in a design are extremely important and can help increase the pop and longevity of a watercolor tattoo. The optimal coloration for your tattoo, though, can change depending on your specific skin tone. Let’s explore the common colors used in watercolor tattoos and which of those colors work with the multiple varieties of skin tones.
Common Colors Used in Watercolor Tattoos
If you look around at watercolor tattoos online, there aren’t many colors that you won’t see utilized. Traditionally, tattoo artists like to use colors like black, yellow, red, and green for classic styles of ink. These colors are great options for watercolor-style as well, but you can also choose to incorporate whites, oranges, purples, and blues. These days, you can find almost any shade of these colors you want! However, based on your skin tone, not all colors will appear the same on your skin. Your skin tone will effectively be providing a filter through which the tattoo will be seen. Let’s explore which skin tone works well with which ink color that can be used in a tattoo.
Selecting Color Based on Skin Type
When choosing your tattoo’s colors, considering how it’ll look under the filter that is your skin tone is extremely important. Often called your undertone, the color of your skin and veins can compliment or obscure a tattoo. There are three main categories of undertones to start this discussion:
Cool Undertones:
A cool undertone refers to people with a blush or reddish skin tone with blue veins underneath. Typically, people with a cool undertone can be the most flexible in their coloration as most colors can pop out from the skin canvas. The color exception that wouldn’t work too well under cool undertones is yellow ink.
Warm Undertones:
A warm undertone refers to people with a peachy, golden, or darker complexion with green veins underneath. This type of skin undertone works well with darker ink like your dark blues, reds, greens, purples, and blacks as they are able to shine through the darker filter. Lighter colors, like pastels, would be overpowered by the dark filter causing those colors to appear less bright and ultimately fade faster than darker inks.
Neutral Undertones:
A neutral undertone is typically described as an even complexion with veins that are not super noticeable underneath. Neutral undertones allow for tremendous flexibility when dealing with tattoo color choices; most inks will pop off the skin canvas. Even still, you and your artist should talk about how your color choices will work behind the filter of your skin to make sure the colors pop and won’t fade over time.
Choose First Class Tattoos for Your Next NYC Watercolor Tattoo!
If a watercolor tattoo is what you want, contact the watercolor tattoo specialists at First Class Tattoos! Your tattoo will last the rest of your life, so choose the best in the business with First Class Tattoos to ink you up today. We cater to you with everything from the design to the service; let us show you what a first class tattoo looks like.
