The old school tattoo for women is an artistic expression that dates back to sailors for many years. The designs and colors convey a strong and rebellious identity from the time of its foundation.
Despite not being a current trend in the female universe, old school tattoos for women have never stopped being present on the skin of many of them. Somehow, it has always been present in the history of tattooing.
In fact, tattooing is a very ancient act in history. Fashion has gained, over time, different styles, shapes and techniques. The style discussed here is the result, above all, of the boldness and rebellion of the 1980s.
It is very easy to associate the features with its now deceased founder, as it is very similar to the types most used by sailors. Normally, to identify the old school well, just observe if there are thicker lines with a predominance of black.
Of course, over the years, the model gained different colors and designs, but the soul of the creation is still there!
Norman Keith, the creator of old school tattoos
Firstly, getting a tattoo is synonymous with a lot of courage and the sailors certainly had it in spades. However, although merit has always been attributed to the seafaring classes, the old school tattoo dates back to the 1890s. It looks new, but its origins date back decades and decades.
Now, if it takes courage to create a new style, it takes initiative to buy and proliferate the idea. Tattoos are forever and Norman Keith knew this very well when he decided to revive this way of tattooing and take it to the North American Navy bases.
It was exactly there that popularization increased, as sailors began to embrace the old school in their lives as a strong expression of their personalities.
At first, reinforcing the old school tattoo was not just a personal manifestation. The drawings, the lines represented in themselves a revolt embedded in the youth of the time. The period after the Second World War was marked in the history of many people and recording on the skin became a means of reporting the entire experience of conflicts.
Characteristics of the old school tattoo
First of all, the following characteristics apply to both old school tattoos for women and men. There are two moments that shaped the style: old school and new school. The first maintained the current features, but the colors available and explored at the time were only black.
After popularization, new school introduced new colors and designs to the style. In this way, women also began to have their niche of choices for tattoos. However, basic designs such as anchors, wind roses, skulls, among others, remain at the top of preferences, regardless of gender.
Therefore, if you want to identify the model from afar, focus on the following predominant colors of the thick lines: red, green, yellow and blue. In fact, thanks to the improvement in tattoo techniques, other colors such as orange have finally been adopted by the old school, which has given an added charm to the intimate and aggressive designs.
List of traditional old school tattoos
Let’s talk a little about tradition! Old school tattoos for women have a huge list of options and ideas such as drawings of pets, pin-ups, striking female figures and many other illustrations. However, the original designs derived from sailors continue to be the most chosen.
Each symbol below has a meaning linked to life on the high seas. Therefore, if you choose one of the following options, know that you will not just be tattooing an image, but a story of the life and resistance of the guerrillas of the great world wars.
- Dagger
- skull
- heart
- swallow
- Barber
- Ships
- Writing
- Birds
- Butterfly
- Crossed cannons
- Anchor
- wind rose
Inspirations for you to see and fall in love with
Finally, we have put together a sequence of brilliant images of old school tattoos for women made with great creativity using the famous thick and incisive strokes of the style. The gigantic diversity of designs that emerged over the years of consolidation of the style is incredible. In fact, creativity has no limits when it comes to creating a tattoo and having it engraved for the rest of your life.
Woman and nature
Initially, the relationship with nature has been quite recurrent in the features of old school tattoos for women. In addition to symbolism related to the sea, women innovated with new meanings using the style as the basis of their tattoos. However, as we can see, some references such as the bird and the color black continued in the illustration above.
Dagger with swallows
Before all this has certainly been one of the old school designs chosen not only by women, but also by men. The dagger with swallows is the association of two strong representations of the style, therefore very common among tattoo fans.
Anchor with flowers
Firstly, there is no old school tattoo illustration for women more traditional than the anchor. Over time, other adornments were added to the design, as in the tattoo above. And as we can see, the orange color also expanded the color palette, giving the flowers in the art more charm.
Fox with flowers
In fact, other animals were included in the old school tattoo design options for women. It’s incredible how easy the style is to adapt to other formats. The combination of shades of green, red, blue and orange is certainly a great choice to represent movement.
Wolf and sheep
Now, if the subject is rebellion, the tattoo above is perfect to make your personality clear. We are never fans of just one side of life and good and evil managed to be well represented in the drawing of the wolf and the sheep. With the thick lines and the predominantly black color, this revolt was very clear in the message.
romantic heart
The romantic heart and well marked on the skin in the old school tattoo style has been reproduced en masse among women. If you stop to notice the lines, they are very reminiscent of comic books. The style is a way of bringing to life the passion for comics while maintaining the identity of traditional lines and colors.
Tigress in black color
Strength and virility is a perfect way to associate yourself with the old school. Its founder and his clients were courageous and determined people. The fierce animal above is not the most common for the tradition, but it still represents all the bravery expected from a tattoo derived from the brave sailors of the Second World War.
Old school mini tattoos
Surely you who are passionate about tattoos have already seen this new way of collecting designs on your body. Old school small tattoos for women are dominating market trends. Each illustration is part of the personality and mini drawings with thick strokes have been a challenge for tattoo artists.
swallow
In principle, the swallow is a very traditional option for those who design to take their first steps in the old school style. When you have one of these tattooed on some part of your body, know that you are not carrying just one figure, but an entire story from several lives of several sailors.
Cat Woman
The cat woman is, finally, another variation of old school tattoo style designs for women. The sensual and powerful touch is highly recommended for brave and daring girls who want to innovate in their tattoo.
Old school tattoo for women who are mothers of pets
It’s impossible to talk about tattoos without bringing up the records of passionate pet mothers. The old school style kitten above is the most affectionate way to immortalize your pet for the rest of its life. Many people don’t understand this love, but the art of tattooing clearly conveys what these pets mean in the lives of their owners.
Old school tattoo for women of wild animals
For those who want to get a tattoo on their hands, know that above all it takes a lot of courage. In fact, the location has been chosen to record the design with old school features like the illustration above. Regardless of the image, colors will always be present when it comes to maintaining the identity of the style.
Dagger with flowers and rose
Once again roses and daggers gain space and different creations on the skins of old school fans. There is no more incredible option to make and impress as it is impossible for features like this to go unnoticed.
Old school tattoo for travel-loving women
Of course, the list of old school tattoos for women could not miss illustrations that represent the love of traveling. Who has never had the desire to take a kombi and go out into the world discovering cultures, people and adding experiences to their lives?
Old school red rose tattoo for women on hand
Finally, for rockers out there, the red rose is a great option as an old school tattoo for women. After all, there is nothing more daring and courageous than the record above. It is certainly a form that does not go unnoticed and contains a huge amount of personality.
Furthermore, read more about artistic expressions in Artistic makeup – What is it for, how to do it + 35 inspirations
Sources: Blend Up, Minha Tattoo, Ratraca Livre, Tattoo To Me,
Image sources: pinterest, Dicas de Mulher, Minha T, Amo T, pinterest 2, Blend Up, Dicas de Mulher 2, Diário Prime, Pinterest 3, Tudo Ela, Masters of the Old School, Good Beauty Tip, Tatto Catalog, Dicas de Mulher 3, Loja Virus, Universo Retrô, Minha T 2, Pinterest 3, Ratraca Livre, Toda Teen
