Skip to content

Six disciplines · one book

Different work.
Different rules.

A style is not a mood board — it is a set of decisions about line, value and how the piece will read in ten years. Six disciplines run through this shop. Find the one that matches what you actually want, then open it and see what committing to it costs in sittings.

Style index

Six disciplines.

If two of them sound right, that is normal: most large work borrows from more than one. Pick the closest fit and say so at consultation — the plan gets built around the piece, not the label.

How to choose

Start from the subject.

  • Start from the subject, not the style

    Describe what the piece is of — the animal, the portrait, the cover-up underneath. The discipline follows from the subject far more reliably than the other way around.

  • Decide colour before size

    Black & gray and colour realism age differently and are built differently. Settling that question first changes the session plan, and the session plan is what you are actually booking.

  • Bring the placement

    Forearm, sleeve, back panel — placement constrains scale, and scale constrains detail. Every published project on this site carries its placement for exactly that reason.

  • Covering something? Photograph it first

    Send a clear, well-lit photo of the existing piece with your request. Cover-ups are a core specialty here, but nothing can be scoped from memory.

  • Not sure yet is a valid answer

    Bring the rough idea to consultation. You get a session-count recommendation with the reasoning behind it — before you pick a date.

Style questions

Straight answers.

What styles does Hardcore Tattoo 1982 specialize in?
Horror realism, black & gray, color realism, nightmare realism, portrait work, and cover-ups. Each discipline has its own page here, and carries photographed examples for the ones we have shot.
Do you cover up old tattoos?
Yes, cover-ups are one of our core specialties. No cover-up is published on the Work page yet — the catalogue only carries pieces we have actually photographed. Send a clear, well-lit photo of the existing piece and we will tell you straight what is possible.
I have an idea but I'm not sure how to describe it — can you help?
Yes. Tell us the concept, placement and size — references welcome — and consultation turns a rough idea into a clear plan with a session-count recommendation.

See it on skin

Judge the work.

See the workThe process