I hope you don't think I'm trying to discredit realistic tattoos--as a former art major I see their merit and fully respect the style. Yes, they are tattoos, but I still think they draw a different crowd and subculture within tattoo collecting.
If you study old flash and new flash as well as old tattoos (check out the thread on this forum-- not sure how to link it) and the traditional tattoos members are posting here, there is a clear evolution of style, execution, and design while maintaining the traditional style and elements. Perhaps you should watch the artist interviews on this site, as most of the tattooers talk about this bringing the old into the new. As for realistic tattoos, they have all the boundaries of an oil painting or drawing. While many, if not all, tattooers create their own artwork, designing a tattoo utilizes a wealth of different design techniques. Realistic tattoos are simply paintings tattooed on the body. The actual execution of the tattoo requires tattooing skills, but tattooing, to me, is about the design. And tattoo designs are very different from paintings and the like.
Again, not trying to discredit the style, just my .02 on why I get traditional-esque tattoos.
