If the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve and you find yourself in the mood for change, then don’t be surprised if you catch yourself eyeballing the many chic tattoo trends of 2023. With so many to choose from, you might be inspired to get your first tat — or add to your already-growing collection.
While a lot of designs that reigned supreme in 2022 will continue into the new year, there’s a fresh crop of inspo for 2023. Typically, a lot of ink trends come from celebs and influencers who share their tattoos online, says Jingxi Gu, the owner and lead artist of Patch Tattoo Therapy. “But we are also now seeing more and more tattoo artists taking any art style from drawing and painting, such as surrealism, realism, impressionism, abstract, pop art, charcoal, oil painting, etc., and creating tattoos of that art,” she tells Bustle.
The end result? You’ve got a wide range of fun tattoo ideas to choose from, whether you’re feeling something small and dainty, bold and unique, or all of the above. And it’s totally OK to mix and match and get whatever catches your eye so you end up with art that’s uniquely yours.
Keep scrolling for 10 tattoos you’ll see everywhere in 2023 to help get your body art ideas flowing.
1. “Ignorant” Style Tattoos
If you have a friend with a bunch of mismatched tattoos down their arms or legs, then you may already know what the ignorant style looks like. According to Kasia, a resident artist at High Hopes Tattoo, this type of tat was put on the map by the graffiti artist Fuzi, and it’s all about that simple, one-off, hand-drawn, I-got-this-at-a-party aesthetic.
Many celebs have ignorant tattoos, from Scarlett Johansson’s horseshoe tat to the ink all over Harry Style’s upper body, which looks like it’s covered in stickers. “Those who like the style come for the context and simplicity, but also like how different it is from typical styles you’d see,” Kasia says. If you jump on the bandwagon and get an ignorant tattoo in 2023, simply choose whatever scribble, shape, or sentence you want — the more out there and random, the better.
2. Surrealism
A combo of ignorant and surrealist tats will also be trendy in 2023. “Now that the [ignorant] style is growing, collectors will look to differentiate themselves from others with ignorant ink,” Kasia says. “A surrealistic spin seems like the logical next step.” Think drawings of things you wouldn’t actually see IRL, like the flower-slash-record player in the above sleeve.
3. Hand Poke Tattoos
Hand poke tattoos (also called stick and poke tattoos) are also going to be a big hit, especially among folks who are looking for something simple. Instead of using a machine, “artists hold the needle directly and go dot for dot to create the image,” Kasia explains. “A quality hand-poke should be indistinguishable from ones done with machines.” There’s something charming about the organic, homemade style of these.
4. Micro Realism
If you love the look of hyper-real tattoos with a ton of detail, then ask your tattoo artist about micro realism for a cute take on the trend. “Micro realism tattoos, which are realism tattoos done on a smaller scale, will be popular for at least the next 10 years,” Gu says.
This style has been made possible thanks to upgrades in ink and tattoo machines, Gu explains, that allow folks to draw tinier designs than ever.
5. Abstract Tattoos
Gu also points to abstract tattoos, which she predicts will take off thanks to how creative and unique they look. “In recent years [this style] has started to gain traction in popularity as more clients start to select tattoos that reflect art forms they like, instead of only picking the standard tattoo styles,” she says. For inspo, check out this cat tattoo with an abstract body that looks like a cloud.
6. Painting Tattoos
Painting tattoos will also be everywhere come 2023. “Painting tattoos are just another example of an old art form converted to a tattoo style,” Gu says of the trend. “They are popular because they take a stiff style of realism and micro realism and make it more soft and flowy.” It ends up looking extra pretty with nature-inspired designs like flowers, which really pop when done in colorful ink.
7. Cultural Tattoos
According to Gu, there will be a big draw towards cultural tattoos that showcase one’s roots. “[This trend] comes from people being comfortable with themselves, who they are, and wanting to express it in a permanent way on their body,” she notes. These designs also guarantee you get a super personal tattoo that’ll never lose its meaning, so bonus points for the fact you won’t regret it in the future.
8. Cyber Sigilism
Tattoo artist Cassie May says she’s been noticing a lot of cyber sigil tattoos lately, and she expects them to be even bigger in the new year. “People love nostalgia, and this style is kind of how the teens of Y2K predicted the futuristic cyber punk era of today would look like,” May tells Bustle. “Growing up, a lot of games set in the future had options of customizing tattoos and these are comparable to the presets. We’re really just customizing our characters but in real life.”
9. Watercolor Tattoos
Lorena Lorenzo, a tattoo artist and owner of Indigo ArTattoos, says watercolor tats are becoming big thanks to social media where she says celebs and influencers are posting tons of colorful abstract designs.
10. Geometric Fine Line
Another fun option in the new year will be anything fine line or geometric, Gu says. Think shapes, designs, lines, and patterns with intricate detail. “These tattoos look great whether they’re small or very large,” she says.
Sources:
Jingxi Gu, owner, lead artist of Patch Tattoo Therapy
Kasia, resident artist at High Hopes Tattoo
Cassie May, tattoo artist
Lorena Lorenzo, tattoo artist, owner of Indigo ArTattoos
