"no outline" tattoos

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kuleighpaulsmith
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Fri Aug 26, 2005 4:15 pm

Ok, it seems that there's a shortage of actual discussion here...mostly home tattooers asking dumb questions...

So, skipping the "how to" part, since this isn't a forum for discussing the application process, I want to know other's opinions of "no outline " tattoos.

I have seen the emergence of this sort of style over the last 10 years or so.I'm talking about tattoos done to look more like oil paintings than "lined" images.

Although I find some of the fresh tattoos to be jaw dropping, beautifully executed pieces, I have to wonder if a replica of VanGogh's "Starry Night", put on completely free of outline, is gonna be recognizable 10 or 15 years from now.

The impoprtance of the outline, and it's role in making the image "readable" for years to come was stressed in my training.

Has this style been around long enough to really know much about the effects of aging on these tattoos?

What are your thoughts...
Jenna
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Fri Aug 26, 2005 7:40 pm

Good question!



I was just wondering the same thing last night. I'm still thinking about what I want for my tattoo.



I was thinking of my children's zodiac symbols done in their birthstone color and contemplating what It would look like without an outline OR lets say my peridot color outlined with a darker green, my purple color outlined with a darker purple, so on and so forth.



I can't wait for opinions... I'm trying to plan on early September for my tattoo.
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SharpTattoos
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Sat Aug 27, 2005 1:22 am

Personally, I like them. If I can get away without using an outline or one that's barely there I'm all for it... depending on the piece, of course. I find that tattoos done without lines work better if the piece is fairly large. Still, it depends on how it's done. It may need more touch ups as time goes on... but really I think it depends on the individual and the artist's style as well as the piece.
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BadWolf
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Sat Aug 27, 2005 12:59 pm

In my experience, they never hold up very well. The exception being red pieces...for some reason red seems to do better. I tend to talk people into outlines, even if it's a wash outline.
TheTattooArtist
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Sat Aug 27, 2005 4:41 pm

Yeah, the red seems to be the only color I have seen that seems to hold up over time also. I would recommend an outline on most all pieces. Most that I have seen, not all, have looked very bad a year to five down the road. Even though re-color is always an option, wouldn't it be nice to be setting down in the tattoo chair again, to get a new tattoo instead?
Jenna
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Sat Aug 27, 2005 5:30 pm

So does the outline have to be black? I mean, would a dark green outline for a light green tattoo work or a dark purple for a light green tattoo?
greaserdevil
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Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:13 am

my boss did a hendrix portrate on me all in purple,and after 7 years of good ol'wear n tear its still holding up nicely.its done w/a dark purple outline and purple wash shading.
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CxCx
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Sun Aug 28, 2005 5:13 pm

the only problem that I've seen with "no ouline" tattoos is that, when you look closely at them, they look blurry. I think it has to do with the way a "coloring" pigment spreads in the skin as opposed to an outlining ink. For me, personally, i LOVE outlines (especially thick and/or dual outlines), but that comes from my work in the graphic design field in the past.
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