Arguably one of the most popular tattoo styles today is the realism tattoo style. Unlike traditional, old-school, Japanese, or every other tattoo style in the ink world, realism tattoos, as you can tell by the name, distinguish themselves by their often hyper-realistic, lifelike appearance. Though the subjects of lifelike tattoos can be infinite, the only requirement is that the tattoo looks as close to photorealistic as possible.

How is that achieved? Photo realism tattoos ought to be as accurate and detailed as possible. Hence, it only makes sense that realistic tattoos require a highly skilled hand. Outlines do not exist in the real world; thus, they are rarely (if ever) used in realism-style tattoos. To separate the subjects of the tattoo, masters in the hyper-realistic tattoo style entail a lot of shading, way more than any other tattoo style would require. Thus, with the amount of shading necessary to achieve the desired effect, hyper-realistic tattoos take considerably longer to complete than other tattoo styles. And because of all the detailing, realism tattoos require extra aftercare to prevent them from fading. Therefore, getting a realistic tattoo as your first is generally not recommended, considering it’s not a “one-and-done” type of tattoo session. Still, the end result is very much worth it.

If you are considering getting one or simply enjoy looking at the lifelike ink reproductions on the skin, you will undoubtedly appreciate seeing the many realism tattoo ideas we have gathered below. What do you think about realism-style tattoos? Perhaps you’re planning on getting a realism tattoo yourself? Let us know in the comments! And, as always, let us know your favorite realistic tattoos from the list by giving them an upvote!