What the Old School style means
Old School — also known as American traditional or Sailor Jerry — is the style that laid the foundation of modern tattooing. Defined by thick black outlines (bold lines), solid colours with a reduced palette (red, yellow, green, blue), and iconic motifs drawn from maritime and military culture: anchors, roses, swallows, hearts, panthers, eagles, daggers. The style was perfected in the 1930s-50s by Sailor Jerry Collins in Hawaii and became the visual language of Western tattooing until the rise of realism.
At Funky Tattoo we've been working in old school since our founding, and in 2024 we won 3rd place in the Best Old School Tattoo category at the Tattoo Expo Convention Bucharest. Proper execution demands precise line control (it must be uniform and solid, with no wobble) and a colour saturation that will hold up for 10-15 years without migrating under the skin. That's why we use machines with a needle stroke of up to 4mm, which deposit ink at the right depth without unnecessarily traumatising the skin.
Popular Old School motifs
The old school motif palette is relatively limited, but each element has a precise symbolic meaning inherited from maritime tradition:
- Anchor — stability, hope, firm ground for sailors
- Swallow — every 5,000 nautical miles sailed; the symbol of returning home
- Rose — pure love, balanced by thorns (suffering)
- Flaming heart — burning passion, often with a banner for a name
- Panther — courage, ferocity, revenge
- Eagle — freedom, homeland, power (especially in American style)
- Dice — luck, fate, gambling with life
- Spider web — time spent in prison (be careful with context)
- Snake — temptation, knowledge, rebirth
When you pick an old school motif, ask your artist about its meaning — many of these images were codified in subculture and can have meanings you don't suspect.
Choosing size and placement
Old school works best at medium-to-large sizes (10-20cm per element). Bold lines and solid colours need room to breathe — an old school piece under 5cm inevitably becomes muddy and loses visual impact.
Recommended placements:
- Forearm — flat surface, easy healing, maximum visibility
- Upper arm (biceps) — classic for panthers, eagles, hearts
- Upper back — for larger pieces or multi-element compositions
- Calf — thicker skin, holds ink excellently
- Chest — classic for hearts and anchors, but moderate-to-intense pain
Avoid areas with very thin skin or a lot of mobility (fingers, side of neck, elbows) if you want the piece to look good in 10 years — old school demands a stable surface.
Pricing and session length
Old school is one of the standard hourly-rate styles, since execution is relatively fast compared to realism. Our rate:
- Starting price (mini old school under 5cm): from 250 RON
- Black & grey hourly: 250 RON / hour
- Colour hourly: 250 RON / hour (old school uses solid colours, not realistic, so the rate matches B&G)
- Deposit: 100 RON (required to confirm the booking, non-deductible from final price)
An average old school piece (10-15cm, 2 colours) takes 1.5-2 hours. A full old school sleeve takes 4-6 sessions of 4-6 hours each, with 3-4 weeks between sessions for healing.
For an exact quote, send us a visual reference and the desired size at +40 731 525 808 (WhatsApp) or contact@funkytattoo.ro.
