Tattoo styles
Engraving, Etching & Woodcut Tattoos in Somerset
Every blinc.ink tattoo is rooted in these old-world techniques: images made purely from line, hatching and negative space, translated into black ink on skin.
The examples below are original prints by the old masters, so you can see each technique at its source. In practice, many tattoos borrow from more than one, such as engraved detail with woodcut-bold outlines. We’ll settle on the right balance for your design, size and placement in your free consultation.
Close-up: the line work
01 · Precise, crisp and densely detailed
Engraving tattoos
How it was made
Engravers cut lines straight into a copper plate with a sharp steel tool called a burin. Every line swells and tapers as the tool goes deeper or shallower, and tone is built from rows of fine parallel lines and cross-hatching. It's the look of old banknotes, antique book plates and maps.
As a tattoo
- Clean, confident linework that swells and tapers
- Shading built from controlled hatching and cross-hatching, not grey wash
- Lots of fine detail: texture, fabric, fur, armour
Best for
Detailed subjects such as animals, portraits, armour and botanicals. Medium and large sizes give the fine hatching room to breathe as it ages.
Close-up: the line work
02 · Loose, expressive and sketch-like
Etching tattoos
How it was made
An etcher draws through a thin layer of wax on a metal plate with a needle, then dips the plate in acid, which bites the lines into the metal. Because the needle moves as freely as a pencil, etched lines are looser and more organic than engraved ones, with softer, scribbled shading.
As a tattoo
- Freer, flowing lines with an illustrated, sketchbook feel
- Softer shading from looser, layered hatching
- Lighter and airier than engraving, with more open skin
Best for
Natural and figurative pieces such as faces, landscapes, plants and creatures, and anyone who wants a softer, more hand-sketched look.
Close-up: the line work
03 · Bold, graphic and high-contrast
Woodcut tattoos
How it was made
A woodcut is carved into a block of wood: everything cut away stays white and everything left standing prints black. That gives heavy, chiselled lines, big areas of solid black and strong contrast. It's the oldest of the three, used for medieval prints and folk art.
As a tattoo
- Bold, chunky linework with a carved feel
- Solid black areas and strong light-and-dark contrast
- Simplified shading that reads clearly from across a room
Best for
Statement pieces and smaller tattoos alike. Animals, symbols, medieval and folk imagery. Bold black holds up very well over the years.
At a glance
Side by side
Engraving
- Lines
- Crisp, swelling and tapering
- Shading
- Fine hatching and cross-hatching
- Contrast
- Medium to high
- Feels like
- Banknote, antique book plate
- Ideal size
- Medium to large
Etching
- Lines
- Loose, free and sketchy
- Shading
- Soft, layered scribbled hatching
- Contrast
- Soft to medium
- Feels like
- Artist's sketchbook
- Ideal size
- Medium to large
Woodcut
- Lines
- Bold, heavy and carved
- Shading
- Solid blacks, minimal shading
- Contrast
- Very high
- Feels like
- Medieval print, folk art
- Ideal size
- Any size
Not sure which suits you? That’s exactly what the free consultation is for. Send me your idea and placement and I’ll suggest the style, or blend of styles, that will look best and age best.
Where to get one
Engraving, etching & woodcut tattoos in Highbridge, Somerset
I tattoo in these styles at Dermoda Studio, Market Street, Highbridge: private 1-to-1 appointments, just 5 minutes from Junction 22 of the M5 and a short walk from Highbridge & Burnham station. That makes it an easy trip from Burnham-on-Sea, Bridgwater, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Wells, Glastonbury, Street, Cheddar and Bristol.
Browse ready-to-tattoo designs in the Flash Vault, see recent pieces in the portfolio, or get in touch about a custom piece.