iowagirl Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 What are the pros/cons of really thick (well, they look thick to me anyway) outlines like this? Chrysanthemum tattoo. November flower. | Inked. Is this a certain style? My husband was meh on it, but I like how it looks and thought I'd ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CultExciter Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 What are the pros/cons of really thick (well, they look thick to me anyway) outlines like this? Chrysanthemum tattoo. November flower. | Inked. Is this a certain style? My husband was meh on it, but I like how it looks and thought I'd ask. I believe that is called Sharpie. cltattooing, semele, Jessica McDermott and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iowagirl Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 Oh you fucker hahahahaha dammit I didn't even notice that. Shit. Nevermind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Bee Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I have one tattoo on my leg with a very thick outline. It's a style I'd be wary about overdoing, but I really like the way it works on my hand of glory. It makes a nice contrast from my other tattoos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Alex Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I have a fairly large piece with thick black outlines like this... upside - I think it looks cool and is a bit different, downside - it effectively doubled the lining time as the tattooist basically double outlined the piece and then filled it in. It's a kind of new school trad piece based on Fontinha flash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cork Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 The thickest of the thick. Koji Ichimaru Jessica McDermott, JBHoren, Lance and 9 others 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SStu Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I like it when it's done in conjunction with and contrast to normal outline in the same tattoo. I think Dusty Neil uses that technique. daveborjes, Stax138, Mark Bee and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cltattooing Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 The thickest of the thick.Koji Ichimaru I love his work. You just know it's going to age perfectly and read forever. Anyway, I think it's a stylistic preference, but I think it looks great. Of course you need to give the heavy lines room to breathe, but those are definitely tattoos that are built to last and be seen from across the street. Mark Bee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iowagirl Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm still laughing that I didn't notice the picture was in fact sooo not a tattoo, so will try to spend the whole 1 second to look a little further next time... Still think it looks neat tho..you'd definitely notice it! CultExciter and cltattooing 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colored Guy Posted December 29, 2013 Share Posted December 29, 2013 Thick outlines are a departure from what was popular 25-30 years ago. Thin single-needle outlines were the flavor of the day (I had some on me...) and they don't stand up over time. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffK Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Never too much black. Thick black lines hold up, look strong, and are awesome. ChrisvK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Stratford Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I read this thread and then stumbled across this. It's just far too much IMO Cork, mtlsam, Hands On and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookietruck Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 that's like a gorilla jesus hybrid Hands On and reaperz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sighthound Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Interesting comments on thick outlines in this video (starting at the 5:20 mark). Some pretty cool history, too Graeme, jetwash and SStu 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Interesting comments on thick outlines in this video (starting at the 5:20 mark). Some pretty cool history, too I can't find the post right now, but somebody here posted a video of old NY/NJ tattooers sitting down and talking and they said pretty much the same thing about line thickness. The one tattoo I have from an old guy (ie he's been tattooing over 50 years) is done with thin lines. I also have some really thick lined stuff on me, it's a much larger tattoo though. That monkey Jesus looks like it was made to get Instagram likes. Gregor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sighthound Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Yea, most of mine have a pretty thick outline too. It'll be interesting to see how they age - talking in 30-40 years. I wonder what some of the old timers would consider a "small" tattoo when referring to thick outlines. daveborjes 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfcody89 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Bold WILL Hold! I've got alot of stuff lined in Loose 8's and 9's but I've got a few that were lined with an 11 round shader that are tuff as Snuff buddy! If there is anything We can learn From Eric Maaske Bold, Bright, simple and always awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hands On Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have a strong feeling the client walked in, said "can I get something like this?" and handed the artist this reference from Chad Koeplinger... Synesthesia and sighthound 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Stratford Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Yeah that was my first thought, I actually met the guy this is on at Frith street a few months ago, He had it outlined by Chad a few days before. Done in some crazy time as you'd expect. He then got a badass looking panther on his neck by Bert Krak. Nice guy! Great tattoos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irezumi Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I have work that was done with a standard 5 over 20 years ago; it's been holding up just fine. To assume that tattoos done with middle line weight won't hold up would be incorrect. More relevant is type of skin, location of the tattoo, exposure over the years, what black the tattooer used, etc. plenty of other factors besides line weight. Stax138 and daveborjes 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Are you talking about that video with Mike Schweigert, Tony Polito, Pete Giaquinto, Mike Perfetto and Ronnie Dell'aquila?I think Rich Fie may have been involved as well and maybe Richie Montgomery. Anyway, I hope I'm not giving away too much info, but I believe the ones that came before us, used way smaller needle groupings to line the tattoos they were doing. 40 years down the road, the outlines look 1/4 inch think! I love the look of a fat outline, not a doubled-up outline, just a fat fucking outline. Think about how that may look 40 years from now. If you're still alive. Yeah, that's the video. Good stuff. With these kinds of threads I feel that we too often miss the point. When talking about Chad's tattoos, for instance, what makes his tattoos so great is that they have real power. Line weight plays into it, sure, but not as much as that his drawings are loose, they're big and bold, they're aren't picky or finicky, they're just straight up fucking powerful. Fat lines alone isn't going to make a tattoo good. daveborjes, irezumi and Hands On 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sighthound Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Oh, for sure. Chad's back pieces are always so freaking big that line weight thickness is not that big an issue. Everything has enough room to breathe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stax138 Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Dusty Neal does amazing work, he uses alot of line sizes you're right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irezumi Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Interesting comments on thick outlines in this video (starting at the 5:20 mark). Only just now watched this and I'm glad I did. Cool stories aside, what he said about line weight vs size of tattoo is something I would echo any day of the week. Not everything needs to be done with a sharpie. Or even a 8 or 9. Right size for the job is the key. One thing that I see a trend of is that some tattooers have become so isolated on one style that they have come to rely on thicker lines; names respectfully not mentioning. I can watch someone nail a tradish tattoo with a baggy 8 or 9 but completely blow it with a 5. Thick lines hide shaky or less-than-awesome linework and I see what some people are doing as turning into a crutch. There is a difference between 'this is my style' and 'this is all I can do' and that is what makes a more skilled craftsman than the next guy. In my opinion. Of course there are always exceptions; sometimes an artist unintentionally gets pigeon holed. It can't be helped if you just wanna do a smooth b&g tattoo with a 3 once in a while but everyone walking through the door wants to get a Japanese sleeve because that's the only stuff people see you do. sighthound, Graeme, daveborjes and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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