Palettes

Black and Gray

A palette of black ink and dilutions of it, with no other colour. The cited source defines it by exclusion: “this style involves using a palette consisting of black and shades of gray, and does not involve the use of other colors”. Its reference image is photographic: “Black and Gray tattoos are most similar to black and white photographs, in which the volume of the image is conveyed by smooth gradients from light gray or even white to black.” Enriched from the T11.6 SPLIT-DERIVED seed; the ID and label are unchanged.

Full Color

A palette using coloured pigments across the whole range. The cited source treats it as one of the three trunks of the craft: “Colored tattooing is one of the three main stylistic branches of tattoo development.” It is a palette and not a style, and the source itself says so by listing the styles that use it: “It includes a range of styles such as old school, color realism, watercolor, new school, neotraditional, and many others.” Enriched from the T11.6 SPLIT-DERIVED seed; ID and label unchanged.

Solid Black

Black ink and nothing else, with uninked skin as the only second value. The cited source definition is exclusionary and deliberately narrow: “Blackwork refers to any tattoo style that uses exclusively black ink.” Distinct from palette_black_and_gray, which admits dilutions as a middle tone.

White Ink

White pigment used either as a highlight inside another palette or as the whole palette. The cited source gives both uses: “White ink can also be used to create contrast in black or more colorful tattoos.” and “white is becoming popular as a standalone color both for small tattoos and bigger, all-white pieces for clients who want a softer appearance to their tattoos”

Limited Value Range

A palette deliberately reduced to a few tonal steps rather than a continuous gradient. Registered because the cited source states it as a RULE INDEXED TO SKIN TONE, which no other palette fact in this batch is: “the darker the skin tone, the fewer values you should incorporate”

Limited Color Palette

A palette restricted to a small fixed set of hues. Attested by the cited source as a defining property of American traditional work, stated as a contrast with what came after: “While American traditional tattoos are known for their limited color palette, black shading, and consistent line weights, neo traditional tattoos add a level of intricacy and modernism.”

Pastel

Pale, low-saturation colour, produced by heavy dilution rather than by pigment choice. The cited source ties the look to the method: “pale blue, pale pink and so on, in which the same watercolor tattoos are most often performed, which are performed without the use of dense staining, with a high degree of paint dilution to preserve the airiness of the tattoo”

High Saturation

Colour at or near full saturation, up to the point the cited source calls acidic: “bright and sometimes even acidic colors in new school tattooing”. Registered as the opposite pole to palette_pastel on the axis this contract calls saturation_behavior.