Fingerstyle or fingerpicking guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers. Where flat picking is the technique of playing individual notes with a single plectrum, commonly called a “pick”). Fingerstyle really has a more tactile feel then playing with a fingerpicks or a plectrum. Players such as Chet Atkins or Jerry Reed use only a Thumbpick and rely on their natural nails to play other strings.
Check out this Encyclopedia of fingerstyle guitarists below: