Black and Gray Tattoo Ideas

The tradition of black and gray tattoo designs believed to be rooted in prison art — inmates had no access to inks of different colors and thus the flashes were usually made in black and the shades of gray. Jack Rudy and Charlie Cartwright are the people who made the technique a mainstream: they upgraded a single-needle tattoo machine to ink highly realistic images. Portraits made in this technique look amazing.

One of the best things about black and gray tattoos — they are not limited by typical designs. You can embody any idea in black and gray tattoo style and it will look very realistic: the tattoo master should just water down black ink to create a whole spectrum of shades.

So do you want to make some oriental tattoo? Or maybe you’re fascinated with math and harmony and prefer geometric or abstract tattoo designs? If you are a fan of traditional or old school tattoo designs — you may definitely ink your tattoo in black and gray. Even your name can look impressive made in black and gray!