I have recently stopped classifying my work as "tribal" art.

There are several reasons for this. Firstly and most obviously, a lot of my work doesn't coincide with what would typically be called "tribal work". I'll use two examples from Deviantart to exemplify this:

:thumb35665572: :thumb7346738:

There are certain lines, curves, shapes, and an overall structure that these - and many other pieces of tribal work that you'll find - adhere to. Neither are symmetrical.

Here are some of my pieces in comparison:

:thumb113376739: :thumb92223041: :thumb106927943: :thumb102880184:

They are, it is safe to say, completely different. The overall structures depend on heavy use of symmetry, and none of the curves, forms, or lines are the same as what one would call "typical tribal".

Additionally, there is a culture around the entire Tribal art form of tattooing. Indeed, practically the sole application of the art is for it to be put on flesh in ink. Many of my own pieces are not designed for this purpose, in fact, for a few it is impossible due to the problems of ink-running.

That means that my work is in most cases not tribal,and in most cases not tattoos. They are however, I'll agree, quite similar - although whether you'd call them an evolution of the form or a crude imitation is in the eye of the beholder (there is no science to art).