Born in the neighbourhoods and prisons of Southern California, Chicano style is a visual language of identity, rooted in Latin culture and strictly executed in black and grey. Lettering, saints, religious symbols, sensual women, clowns, and street references are its distinctive features.
Today, this style has evolved into a contemporary form, blending with realism and absorbing influences from other visual worlds. Some tattoo artists reinterpret it by adding realistic animals, skulls, or portraits that go beyond the classic female figure.
Others fuse Chicano aesthetics with Asian iconography: Buddhas, deities, lotus flowers, or dragons intertwine with calligraphy, faces, and shadows, creating a powerful hybrid that retains the rebellious soul of the original style while opening up to new layers of spirituality and symbolic depth.
IS THIS THE GENRE FOR YOU?
You can find great inspiration in our digital library tattooebooks.com. Find your favourite style, by choosing from the categories where the ebooks, created by the big international names in tattooing, are divided.
