A style that really emerged in the 80s and 90s, the new school style is very much a child of its time. Drawing inspiration from popular culture around that time, the new school aesthetic is highly influenced by video games, comic books, tv shows, Disney movies and graffiti.

Like the traditional and neo-traditional, new school tattoos use heavy black borders and a vibrant colour palette but combine this with a distinctive cartoonish and animated style. Themes and characters taken from pop culture, games, TV / film and comics are often used for this style of tattooing.

New school artists tend to use large shapes and designs to form easily legible tattoos and are best suited for larger surfaces, including arm, back and leg.