WHAT MAKES THIS STYLE SO SPECIAL?
Lettering tattoos often carry a very personal or profound message. The memory of a formative life experience, the name of a loved one or a clear statement that should reflect a certain inner attitude are often used as the basis for a lettering piece. However, the whole theme doesn't always have to be so loaded with meaning. The aesthetics of lettering influenced ornaments, can also work perfectly well without any concrete word, a sentence or a precise meaning is hidden behind it.
Black letters, dark calligraphy or even goth calligraphy are strongly influenced by gothic fonts of different style eras. Influences from hip hop and graffiti culture are also hugely important in the progression of various lettering styles. Calligraffity, style writing, tags and scripts are often brought under the skin by established writers who have found their new medium in tattooing.
Gangster milieu and Chicano culture in the USA and Latin America have been shaping the term 'Chicano Style' since the 70s in the tattoo world. Gang members and prison inmates wear (among other symbols) letterings as a mark of affiliation and religious and political sentiments. They are an expression of rebellion, hope for a better life and ownership of their own bodies.
