Fine-line tattoo. It has become a familiar genre to many in recent years. As a newer genre in the world of tattoos, Fine-line tattoos started to spread as a trend worldwide, bringing a fresh wind to the tattoo culture. In the midst of it all, tattooists who stood out began to emerge and gained a huge following and support from many of those who received their tattoos. Many of these artists worked tirelessly to explore new limits and strived to exhibit better results to prove that this genre is indeed possible.

However, with it being a relatively new genre, many still have doubts about it. Some of those who get their first fine-line piece worry about how it might heal and whether or not it will stay as intended by the artist. This concern is understandably due to the nature of fine-line tattoos and the history of tattoos. The newer refined fine-line tattoos have many different elements never seen before. For example, using pale yet bright colors, single thin lines in a watercolor feel rather than the bold black lines with highly saturated colors that traditional tattoos tend to have. This difference allows the artist to produce smaller and more detailed results, thus giving a more realistic feel.

New theories and ideas always take time to be accepted by the mass and are always subject to controversy. The fine-line tattoo is definitely going through this process. Although contrary to these misunderstandings, the satisfaction level of many who received the fine-line tattoos is very high, and many of us see firsthand that these tattoos stand the test of time.

We asked clients who received tattoos from the artists of Vism Studio and here is what they had to say.

Q. As someone with fine-line tattoos, what do you think about the opinion that Fine-line tattoos fade more than traditional tattoos?
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A. I just got my 4th piece from Saegeem at Vism. she is fantastic. Of course, tattoos change over time from when you first get them. It can be said for all types of tattoos. It is a misconception that fine lines fade and are less likely to hold their shape than other styles. She has an in-depth understanding of the Fine-line tattoo and has never let me down. I am highly pleased with her work every single time.

Q. What do you think of the comments that the Fine-line tattoos are more likely to fade over time?
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A. I got more than a handful of tattoos from Vism artists. I've heard these stories about fine-line work in other places, but that's completely different from the experiences I had getting them. It all comes down to the individual artist's skill and understanding of this style. All my tattoos healed perfectly and are holding up well, including the first one from 7 years ago. What more can I say?

These artists have become experts and mastered the coloration issues derived from the fine-line process while taking advantage of the fine-line tattoo's intricate application. Therefore, fine-line tattoos offered a new direction, broadened the range of choices for consumers, and attracted a new crowd to the tattoo culture.

We asked some of the artists about their thoughts on these misconceptions.

When people question the quality of my fine-line work, I just ask them to look at all my healed photos. Some people think tattoos with desaturated color palettes with super thin lines cannot heal well, but that is precisely how I approach my tattoos. I wanted to be able to play with the density of the ink, just like a painting. It's about the control of the amount of ink that is applied to the skin to control the contrast of the work. This allows the healing to vary in different parts of the piece, thus creating more realistic and natural-looking results.

I want to approach this from a Fine Art perspective. The fine-line tattoo is no different from any other style, as any art form is considered equal, and the element that separates these is the difference in expression. Therefore, I believe it is just a matter of perception that the fine-line tattoo cannot be recognized as a genre, which stems from a misconception. As for the fine-line work from a technical perspective, my work is proof as many artists at Vism Studio.

The majority of my work is done in blue ink. So I get a lot of questions about how it will show on different skin tones after they heal. Some might think all blues are the same, but I mix different blue colors every time according to each person's skin tone and condition. Doing so, I devised my method to anticipate how the tattoo would be after it heals and how much the colors would hold up over the years.

It is thought-provoking to see these artists' different takes on this subject. I wonder, as much as the tattoo industry has changed over the last decade, how we will keep up with these changes and avoid getting stuck in the past. It begins with accepting the new, cherishing the old, and respecting different ideas.
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All changes come with challenges, and we must view this as a positive change to tattoos as a whole rather than with misconceptions.