Embroidery Tattoos: Everything You Need to Know - Tattooing 101 (2024)

Embroidery tattoos, also known as patch tattoos virtually exploded in popularity almost overnight. And many people are still wondering, “How did they do that?”

By taking inspiration from the classical art of embroidery, tattoo artists are creating designs that look like they have been stitched into the skin, combining an ancient art with something more modern.

Embroidered patch tattoos have the appearance of a patch you might put on clothing…just on your skin.

Tattoos that look like embroidery patches are relatively new, and their unique, three-dimensional look makes them “pop.”

Brazilian tattoo artist Eduardo “Duda” Lozano is one of the most talented tattoo artists doing this kind of work today. Duda says that he did not invent the style, but that he is one of the first tattoo artists to embrace the latest embroidery trends of designs depicting old cartoons like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, video game characters, characters from kids’ movies, etc.

In addition to Duda Lozano, some of the best tattoo artists doing these patch tattoos are Ksu Arrow, Russell Van Shaick, and Fernanda Alvarez.

One of the most interesting things about this trend is that patch tattoos use two art forms - tattooing and embroidery - to seamlessly blend the past and the present. On the surface level, these tattoos feel very modern. They’re a trendy new style and a way for younger tattoo fans to stand out from their elders.

However, embroidery is an ancient art that has been around since the 14th century, and it’s a skill that is often passed down from generation to generation. Turning embroidery into a tattoo style is a great idea that helps to bridge classic and modern art.

The most important part of doing embroidered tattoos is making it look like the tattoo was done with a needle and thread.

Eduardo Duda Lozano explains that embroidery tattoo design can be very difficult because the three-dimensional effect requires the tattoo artist to have a really in-depth understanding of light and shadow. In order to get the desired effect, the artist needs to layer different colors of tattoo ink.

One of the important things to remember in an embroidery tattoo design is that the simplicity of the design itself is key. You’ll need to use a lot of small strokes in different colors to get the tattoos to look like embroidered patches, but the design itself doesn’t need to have a ton of detail.

Patch tattoos incorporate embroidery designs by using black ink to mimic thread lines. Some tattoo artists will add lines to look like loose threads, which makes them look even more like embroidered patches.

Because there needs to be so much detail for embroidery tattoos to look real, they need to be done with smaller tattoo needles like a 3RL. Tattoos that look like patches require a lot of very careful line work and attention to how light and shadows can create a 3D effect.

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One of the risks of embroidery tattoos is that so much line work in a small space might eventually blend together and lose definition. Because embroidery tattoos are so new, there’s not a lot out there about how well they hold up over time.

Tattoo artists currently doing embroidery tattoo design have reported that the tattoo may change a little bit over time, but not a lot. You can expect to see the normal amount of fading overtime and some spreading of the line work.

When any new kind of tattoo becomes popular, we get the same question: “What are the best designs for these tattoos?”

While people can (and do) get just about everything as an embroidery tattoo, a lot of clients like nature-inspired imagery, like flowers.

Similarly, animals or recognizable cartoon characters make for great subjects, like Winnie the Pooh and Spongebob.

Understanding tattoo trends is an important step in your journey towards a tattoo career, but it can also be pretty eye-opening to how difficult tattooing can be. Without the right knowledge, it’s impossible to level up your skills and become a professional tattoo artist.

However, finding the straightforward information you need to progress is difficult. And with so much out there online, it’s hard to avoid picking up bad habits from incorrect and outdated resources.

This is one of the biggest struggles new tattooers face, and too many talented artists have given up their goal of getting into tattooing because of the years it would take to unlearn their bad habits.

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With the Artist Accelerator, you can stop wasting time searching through incorrect information. You just get the clear, easy-to-understand lessons you need to start improving fast… along with support and personalized feedback from professional artists in our online Mastermind group.

Over 2500 students have already gone through the course, with many of them opening up their own studios. If you want to join them and learn the skills you need to start tattooing full time faster…

Click here to learn more about the Artist Accelerator Program.