If Georges Seurat were alive today, he’d certainly be astonished by the influence his work has had on the current state of the tattoo world. Seurat’s famous pointilism paintings laid the ground work for what would become one of the most fascinating and breathtaking trends in the tattoo industry.
Dotwork tattoos, as they’re commonly referred to as, have been growing in popularity on a daily basis. Whether you’re looking for your first tattoo or just thinking about adding a dotwork design to your current canvas, we’ve rounded up some of the best examples of dotwork tattoos that we think you’ll more than enjoy.
Types of dotwork tattoo designs.
Abstract creations, geometric shapes, mandala flowers…you have plenty of ideas to choose from no matter what your particular style may be.
This mandala flower.
Be warned, this list is overflowing with mandala flowers! We usually try to make each list as diverse as possible but while we were putting this list together, there were just too many outstanding mandala designs to only sample a few. This design features negative space lines which are a common trend when it comes to these types of designs. (Photo: Mathieu Kes)
This Hokusai wave dotwork tattoo.
OOZY has a thing for the Hokusai wave and it seems as though each new design is more impressive than the last. Here we have a black and white wave artistically broken up into several segments that look as if they’ve just went through a paper shredder. Notice the small volcano on the subjects wrist done in the same style. (Photo: OOZY)
This jaw-dropping cat.
If you’re looking for a real boutique piece that’s truly one of a kind, then look no further than the talented Frank Carrilho. Frank is one of our favorite artists period, and is well known for his unique style and elaborate large scale dotwork designs. (Photo: Frank Carrilho)
This sun.
Mesmerizing, hypnotic, captivating. These are just a few of the words that come to mind when you realize that you’ve been staring into this expertly executed dotwork design for the better part of an hour. It’s designs like these that really take advantage of what the dotwork style has to offer. (Photo: Noksi)
This diamond-shaped lion.
By looking closely at the nose you can make out a variety of different shapes, like looking at the grain in a piece of wood or the random patterns of a tree’s bark and seeing other shapes hidden within. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice a gradual shift in contrast from the top of the piece to the bottom, as if a light was shining from directly above the animal. (Photo: Mathieu Kes)
This calf piece.
Fur is definitely one of Clara’s strong suits. If you’re considering getting a spirit animal tattoo and can’t decide which animal to get, why not just get them all? This is an awesome example of what’s possible when you don’t settle and instead choose to incorporate multiple animals into a single design. (Photo: Clara Welsh)
These abstract lips.
It’s easy to imagine each and every one of Pawel’s amazing works of art hanging in a modern museum somewhere with white walls and unnecessarily shaped windows. His unique abstract designs feature some of the most impressive examples of pointillism you’ll ever see in ink. (Photo: Pawel Indulski)
These dotowrk leaves.
If you’re one of those people constantly looking for sleeve inspiration, you might want to put this design in your folder of keepers. Russian tattoo artist Parvick is a wildly successful tattoo artist with a distinct style that can only be described as simply divine. These gorgeous dotwork leaves are one of Parvick’s signature elements which can be found throughout his body of work. (Photo: Parvick)
This small tree.
So simple yet so elegant. Trees always look amazing when done in the dotwork style. Tiny single needle designs are all the rage right now and artists like Zeke Yip and Brian Woo are constantly surprising us with the amount of detail they’re able to pack into such small spaces. (Photo: Zeke Yip)
Trapped.
Every once in a while a design comes along that’s so fascinating it immediately inspires a list of its own. While the concept of something or someone trapped inside the skin has been around for a while, being the first dotwork example we’ve come across really inspired us to take a closer look at dotwork tattoos which eventually led to this list. (Photo: Coyne)
