Tattoo trends and tattoo ideas come and go, but 2020 had some amazing styles and design advancements. Take a look at some of the coolest tattoos of 2020.

Cool Tattoo Trends of 2020

Though the art of tattooing is eternal, tattoo styles and subjects are definitely wont to come and go in popularity. After all, like fashion, tattooing goes through waves of trends that ebb and flow as the years pass. As we come to the end of this year, let’s take a look back at some of the top tattoo trends that were particularly big in 2020.

Everyday Object Tattoos

Minimalist Coffee Mug Tattoo — Source: https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/247698048242919859/

While traditionally, people tend to choose beautiful, special subjects for their tattoos such as animals, classic symbols, and nature imagery, 2020 saw a rise in people tattooing simple, everyday objects such as mugs, mirrors, avocados, toothbrushes, and so on.

2020 Was the Year of Color Tattoos

Color Tattoo of My Little Pony — Source: https://www.tattoodo.com/a/uk-female-tattoo-artists-you-need-to-know-toni-gwilliam-10833

This year, the use of color in tattooing was bigger than ever. In particular, pastel colors, as well as bright, multicolored hyper saturated tattoos, had a moment. This is a major contrast to last year’s minimalism trend when black and grey ruled.

Tattoos became Ignorant

Stick and Poke Dinosaur Tattoo — Source: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0015/6234/5549/articles/79748784_443769279623875_1673629333685534720_n_1200x630.jpg?v=1577042641

While it is by no means a new tattooing style, the ignorant style, a minimalist linework style characterized by rough drawings expressing humor or irony, was particularly big this year, building upon the popularity it started to gain last year.

Embroidery Tattoos Are Here to Stay

Flower in an Embroidery Style — Source: https://mymodernmet.com/fernanda-alvarez-embroidery-tattoo/

One tattooing style that really came into its own this year was embroidery, a look that combines realism with a cartoonish or more graphic look to create a piece that resembles a patch that was sewn onto the body.

Combined Style Tattoos

Mixed Media of a Bird. — Source: https://www.inkedmag.com/tattoo-artists/75-gorgeous-mixed-style-tattoos-by-some-of-the-worlds-best-artists

Naturally, not everybody kept to one distinct style with their tattoos this year. A common trend in 2020 was to combine multiple tattoo styles such as using an old school drawing style with a more pastel or brighter color palette or a black and white realism piece with animated, elements woven throughout.

The Rise of Korean Tattoos

Korean Tattoo Style of the New York Kiss — Source: https://thesmartlocal.com/read/korean-tattoo-artists/

This year, Korea and Seoul in particular really emerged as a tattooing hub innovating and pushing the art form forward. The world really fell in love with Korea’s cute, dainty, colorful tattooing style this year, which found popularity internationally.

Large Scale Tattoos

Full Back Tattoo in Black and White — Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVgmH9YnEsUk4vHY7HImyUFVstlgylBk0Eug&usqp=CAU

While for years it’s been common for people to fill up their skin with lots of small tattoos in something like a sticker book style, 2020 saw people being much more deliberate about planning their tattoos, often opting to go for larger pieces that really filled up the canvas of their skin. These tattoos will take an entire body part, like the back for example, as their working space, following the contours of the body as a cue for the design.

All in all, it was an exciting year for tattooing that saw both new and old styles come to the forefront. With a lot of playfulness and color, people seemed to respond to the strange nature of the year by getting more experimental and creative with their tattoos.