Final answer:
Dotwork tattoos employ the technique known as Pointillism, which involves applying small dots of color that our eyes blend together to form an image. It is distinct from other techniques like linework or crosshatching, which use lines to create textures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dotwork tattoos utilize a technique called Pointillism, which comes from the Dutch word for "dot." This technique involves the application of tiny, precise dots to create an image. Unlike other methods such as linework, which uses continuous lines, or crosshatch, which relies on intersecting sets of parallel lines to produce texture and shading, pointillism focuses on the placement of individual dots. Complementary colors can be used side by side to enhance the visual impact and depth—our eyes blend these colors from a distance—creating a full image from the accumulation of these tiny points. The result in both tattooing and painting is a piece that often has a more subtle gradation of tone and color than those achieved through traditional shading techniques like hatching.