Neo-traditional tattoo in Madrid

More than a traditional piece of the same size, because there is volume, shadow and sometimes texture, and all of that is needle time. How much more depends on the detail it carries. We give you a closed figure before you book, free and valid for 30 days, with the number of sessions included. We work at Av. del Marqués de Corbera 33, La Elipa, Ciudad Lineal.

The outline. In traditional it is uniform and the fill is flat colour; in neo-traditional the line thickens and thins to give depth, and inside there is volume and shadow instead of flat colour. Neo-traditional keeps the legibility that an outline gives — which is what makes it last — but with far more body. It sits between old school and realism.

Yes, and considerably better than colour realism, because the outline still contains the ink as pigment spreads. It ages a little worse than pure traditional because there is more internal detail to lose. With the right size and sunscreen, a neo-traditional piece stays perfectly legible for decades. Size is decided with you before starting.

Yes, and it is one of the things it does best: a stylised portrait, an animal with character, a figure with presence. What this style does not chase is exact photographic likeness, which is realism's territory. If what you want is someone recognisable feature by feature, we will tell you and recommend the other path before you book.

A forearm piece usually comes out in one or two sessions; a thigh or a chest takes more. The volume and the wide palette force layered work, and the skin needs to recover between sessions for the next layer to hold. The quote tells you how many sessions we calculate and how long they are, before you book anything.

Yes, and it is worth doing early because it shapes the drawing. Neo-traditional is not limited to the five old school colours: there is room for muted palettes, earth tones, cool tones or high saturation. Tell us what draws you and we propose it in the design, which you see and can change as many times as needed before the first needle.

Forearm, upper arm, thigh, calf and chest: there is room for the volume to breathe and the skin is stable. On very small areas the style loses its point, because the internal detail does not fit. If your idea is small we will propose fine line or simple traditional. We tell you when we give the quote, at Arkadia, Ciudad Lineal, Madrid.

With care and planning. Neo-traditional sits well with traditional and blackwork because they share the logic of the outline. Mixing it with realism in the same composition almost never works: the eye detects two different languages. If you already have previous work in the area, send us a photo and we will assess it before drawing anything.

Two weeks of gentle washing, cream in a thin layer and nothing that submerges the area. After that, sunscreen whenever the area is exposed. Sun is what damages a wide palette most: light tones and reds go first. The full routine is published on the studio's aftercare page.

Send us the idea, the area, the approximate size and any references you have. We reply with a closed quote, free and valid for 30 days, without you booking anything yet. If it convinces you, the deposit confirms the date and is deducted from the final price. We are at Av. del Marqués de Corbera 33, open every day from 11:00 to 21:00.