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Underground Tattoo Studios

What are dotwork tattoos and the history behind them?

Dotwork tattoos are a style that uses dots and patterns of dots to create an image. This technique has roots in pointillism, a style popularised in the 1800s. Some of pointillism's signature artists were George's Seurat and Paul Signac. Later, similar styles were adopted by Vincent Van Gogh, Camille Pissarro and others. Van Gogh took the style in a more vibrant direction and his palette became much more luminous, a stark contrast to the typical black and grey style dotwork we see in modern day tattoos.

Dotwork tattoos can be tailored back to ancient times - various cultures worldwide used the skill to create complex body art. Ancient Egypt was one of the first - Egyptian female mummies and also the Iceman are classic examples of body art throughout history. Dots were used to decorate and emphasise the overall design of the tattoos and were often seen as a symbol of status.

Dotwork tattoos continue to grow and often can push the boundaries from mandalas to sacred geometry. Geometric tattoo designs are designs that utilise various shapes. The dotwork is then used to add depth and shade to the shape. Some geometric tattoos are solely created by Dots.

Mandalas can also look great cut into segments and because of the symmetry you can place them in interesting ways to fill a space. Mandalas can grab attention in an instant the geometric patten always draws the eye.

Mandala tattoos can be used to represent internal balance, your soul and eternity, or sometimes just something completely unique. I sometimes see mandalas that mimic the shape of a flower, a simplistic translation of nature into geometry.

The process is to create and showcase the artistic skillset and attention to detail is imperative to produce a mesmerising design, using meticulous and intricate patterns created by dots to represent a story. This could be a personal journey, spiritual belief or cultural heritage. The story is the wearer.

One of our dotwork tattoos using the idea behind the flower of life represents the cycle of creation and the interconnectedness of all life. Spiritually, some say the symbol can be used as a focus for attaining a sense of enlightenment and the awareness.