Sketch style tattoos have that unique “sketched” appearance that’s often associated with an artist’s preliminary drawings. You know, those drawings with the trailing lines that keep on going when only a portion of them was actually needed. Well, it turns out they make for some pretty interesting tattoo designs when executed properly.
Sketch style tattoos are not as popular as say, watercolor designs but they’re quickly gaining traction in an industry with only a few solid styles of design. While numerous artists create sketch style tattoos every now and again—perhaps at the request of a client—only one artist has truly embraced the style and ran with it. Meet Inez Janiak. An uber-talented Polish artist that’s constantly creating jaw-dropping, game-changing sketch style tattoos that you really have to see to believe.
Based on the sheer number of sketch style tattoos in her portfolio, this list is populated mostly by Inez Janiak ink. But don’t worry, there are a few other pieces by top-notch artists Frank Carillho, Kamil Mokot, and more. Enjoy!
This half a kitty.
Possibly the coolest cat tattoo that money can buy. Inez is a Polish based tattooist working out of Lodz, Poland that just gave you the only reason you’ll ever need to visit Chopin’s homeland. (Photo: Inez Janiak)
This intertwining unicorn and dragon piece.
Good versus evil. A yin and yang symbol created by intertwining a two-horned dragon with a single-horned horse I mean unicorn. This piece is definitely deserving of some sort of award. Possibly best tattoo ever? Or was that already claimed by Ron Burgundy? (Photo: Frank Carrilho)
This doberman.
This hummingbird.
This cabin in the mountains.
Some of our favorite examples of Inez’s work are these fascinating diamond-shaped forearm tattoos. This one features an almost surreal landscape scene of a cabin built at the base of a steep mountain range. (Photo: Inez Janiak)
These geometric wings.
Well, the wings aren’t geometric but the mesmerizing ball that they emerge from is. Talk about your cool back pieces. (Photo: Frank Carrilho)
This sketch style wolf tattoo.
Here we have a striking wolf design done in the sketch style. Notice the superbly executed glare bringing the wolf’s eyes to life. (Photo: Kamil Mokot)
This Edward Scissorhands sketch style tattoo.
What a cool design. We’d be constantly filling in the negative space with our best attempts at creating passable faces. (Photo: Inez Janiak)
This sketched mountain range.
This cool hand.
This amazing forearm piece.
This starburst design probably has a proper name that’s escaped us. Anyone? (Photo: Inez Janiak)
These holding hands.
We’re not sure if this technically qualifies as a sketch style tattoo in the way that the others on the list do but we thought we’d include it anyway. (Photo: Malamarta)
These sprawling lines.
Windswept lines dance across the subject’s back and onto the arm. (Photo: Inez Janiak)
These matching mountain tats.
Another amazing diamond-shaped glyph housing a set of mountainous peaks and a few pine trees. Who says couple tattoos can’t be cool? (Photo: Inez Janiak)
