Tribal Symbols

• Tribal tattoos are simple and elegant.Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Tribal symbols are a very common type of tattoo. Tribal tattoos consist of a solid shape filled in with ink. This style of tattooing uses simple geometric shapes and two-dimensional representations of three-dimensional objects. For example, a tribal tattoo of a snake does not have any detailed scales or body markings. The snake tattoo consists of an outline of a snake's body filled in with black ink. Other common tribal shapes include spikes and spirals.
  
  

Washes

• Wash tattoos use black ink with shades of gray to create a subtle, watered-down look. This style of tattooing has the loose feeling of a watercolor painting done strictly in blacks, whites and grays. The artist uses heavy blacks to give the tattoo depth and white ink to indicate the light source. Wash tattoos work well with portraits or images with a dramatic light source.
  
  

Japanese Lettering

• Kanji gives you the opportunity to tattoo something personal that not everyone can read.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  During the late 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, kanji, a style of Japanese lettering, became a popular type of tattoo. Tattoo enthusiasts receive kanji tattoos for many different reasons. Some people get tattooed with the names of loved ones while others choose personal phrases or expressions.
  
  

Biomechanical Artwork

• This style mixes human skin with robotic parts. Biomechanical tattoos were popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s because of the "Alien" and "Terminator" films. The most popular biomechanical tattoos strive for a sense of realism, but bright colors and abstract designs add a sense of originality to the tattoo. One type of biomechanical tattoo makes the person's skin look cut or torn away, revealing mechanical tendons and body parts underneath.