Fall 2023's Biggest Tattoo Trends Are Begging You To Go All Out

Whether you're adding ink or simply doing a bit of research while considering your foray into the world of tattoos, it goes without saying that your choice will end up being a commitment. But what about style? Trends come and go, and if you're following today's permanent tattoo creations, people aren't holding back. Are you ready to go for it and do the same? If so, what better way to emphasize your personal aesthetics, beliefs, and values than to have them displayed on your skin?

Fortunately, quality is a trending theme, and the work is pretty solid all around in terms of creativity and technology. Many skilled graphic designers and illustrators are setting down the pen and picking up the needle. And consumers are more discerning with their ink as tattoos are becoming a way to memorialize and celebrate life's milestones and boost mental health through self-expression. Ink might just be your best way to communicate who you are and how you want to share that. So, before you take the chair, consider what you'd like to commemorate for years to come, and check out these examples of trending 2023 tattoo designs that encourage you to go all out.

When you Google famous artists who are known for the convention of realism, they are mostly male-identifying, dead, and often not tattoo artists. However, with the popularity of our skin as a replacement for the traditional canvas, realism in a work of visual art is presented in an actual living form. The art inherently becomes modern, gender neutral, and alive. When tattoos are in a hyper-realistic form, it's an especially impressive way to experience a new dimension of visual art. The more detailed the tattoo, the more there is to appreciate and catalyze the conversation for years to come.

"The benefit of having a custom tattoo is the ability to express yourself in such a unique way," says Brian Bennett, a veteran tattoo artist working at Ink and Dagger in Atlanta, Georgia. Original, one-of-a-kind tattoos can feel more personal and have more of an emotional element to them. Many people memorialize a lost loved one with a commemorative tattoo such as a unique portrait or quote. Remembrance tattoos are even considered a benefit to help with the grieving process. Original art can also seem more valuable as they are one-of-a-kind and, not only do you own a unique piece of visual art, but you're wearing it 24/7.

As the popularity of tattoos themselves have increased, so have the skills and techniques that challenge traditional styles. One of the most innovative ink trends is the advent of the "watercolor" look. Although watercolor painting has been around for thousands of years, the style is new for tattoos. Rather than the cartoon vibe of harsh dark outlines traditionally known, watercolor is a more subtle blending and fading of colors, emulating the look of a watercolor wash.

With the popularity of anime on the rise, so is the trend of tattoos inspired by it. One of the reasons anime is so popular today is its diverse characters and mass production. Within the many subgenres of anime, there are so many talented artists and relatable stories that anime fans can capture forever, putting their soul into wearing this exceptional art.

It goes without saying, the health of your spine is a factor in your quality of life. The trends in posture health and the Westernization of chakra alignment practices have had a profound emphasis on the zeitgeist recognizing what body parts need prioritizing. So, why would tattoos be any different? Spine tattoo designs are becoming more and more commonplace in association with power, myth, and mysticism. Spines being an essential core part of our very skeleton, this trend is most certainly begging for its wearers to "go all out."

If you're going with one piece to cover your entire arm, you could feel a certain limitation going with one design and one tattoo artist. Sleeves are a big commitment geographically and artistically. However, the latest trend in sticker sleeves — a combination of small tattoos in a collective sleeve — can eliminate the worries of limitations of a larger piece as well as downplay the fear of impulsive smaller, flash pieces. When it comes to permanent tattoos, sticker sleeves can help you mitigate paralysis from analysis. Melissa Phillips of Club Tattoo Las Vegas advises of sticker sleeves, "Don't think it. Ink it!" 

You can also stop adding pieces at any time without compromising the work or leaving a piece to look unfinished. With a collection of tattoos like a sticker sleeve, you can increase your messages and take more time curating what you'd like to say with the art you wear.