A Top Tattoo Artist in NYC Reveals the Ink Worth Pinning This Year

Updated on 3/29/2020 at 3:30 PM

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Navigating the plight that is choosing your next tattoo can feel like a solo journey in mapless territory. There is no GPS to meaningful body art; no Complete Encyclopedia to Dainty Ink You Won't Regret, like the one Hailey Baldwin has seemingly forgotten to release to the public.

What you can do, of course, is look to the pros to tell you which designs to keep on your radar in the coming months, plus which ones to ditch, and let that be your tattoo guide. After all, you'll have some time to plan. That's where we come in.

"Watercolor tattoos are slowly disappearing, as well as the hype of the stick-and-poke tattoos," said Trudy Lines, a top tattooist at the celebrity-favorite Bang Bang Tattoo in New York City. "But minimalistic tattoos will continue in the coming months. The illustrative black line-work style will stay."

She added that this year, more and more people will be going back to "thoughtful and strategic tattoo planning" than they have in the past. "The design process and the pre-tattoo phase will become more important as opposed to just getting a bunch of smaller tattoos to start with."

Ready for some inspiration? Ahead, Lines breaks down the raddest designs, placements, and color trends to inspire your next tattoo when shops open up.

2020 Tattoo Trend: Hypercolor Realism

The future in colored tattoos, according to Lines, is looking colorful — and wildly realistic. "2019 was the year of boundless possibilities of micro tattoos, which started in black and gray and will turn into a trend of hypercolor realism done with single needles," she said.

2020 Tattoo Trend: Hypercolor Realism

2020 Tattoo Trend: Modern Objects

Henri Matisse need not apply; modern objects are getting their own callouts in tattoo form come 2020. "We'll be seeing traditional flash designs simplified and re-created in a modern way — like everyday objects such as a coffee mug, or a planted pot — which are a meaningful or ironic choice to the person wearing it," Lines said.

2020 Tattoo Trend: Modern Objects

2020 Tattoo Trend: Peekaboo Designs

"People are getting more visible areas tattooed, but not extensively," she said. "Delicate and simple tattoos in visible and unique placements that aesthetically emphasize the body part are going to be a major trend this year. For example, a flying bird, placed off-centered on the back of the hand as opposed to placing it on a more discreet body area."