Sean has been tattooing since 1989. He was the former owner and originater of Darkside Tattoo in East Haven. After owning a shop for over 10 years, and a slew of personal problems on his plate, sean opted to take the relaxed approach and work for someone else. For the next few years, he worked at Second Skin Tattoo in Meriden, CT. The guys there were great to work with, very talented, and true friends. Eventually, the time had come to move on, and Graphic Images Tattoo was opened with long time friend, David Hennessy. As time went on, it was time move forward once again, and Sean was to re - open the famed Darkside Tattoo!

Sean specializes in large custom work and has extensive portfolios, both at the shop and online. He prefers to work with bold color, but any style will spike his interest in a tattoo. Sean also enjoys the challenge of small intricate tattoos as well. "I love the challenge of getting details so small that people can't believe it's possible." So if your thinking of putting together some extensive work, give him a call, or come down and speak with him in person, and while you're there at the shop, check his portfolios of tattoos.

Biography information coming soon!

Living, painting, tattooing, and destroying in Deventer, Netherlands. Metal and paint pour through my veins. I've been tattooing almost twenty years and ready for twenty more. I work at Kynst Tattoo here in Deventer with Thomas Kynst. I specialize in fully custom, large scale work with an illustrative edge and excessive color. Email me for tattoo availability or painting commisiions. 

Shane O'Neill is a very talented self-taught artist excelling in all mediums, but his true calling lies in the art of tattooing. He credits his brother with motivating him to learn how to tattoo. Shane's experience as a professional illustrator seemed like a natural transition into tattooing. He has a bachelors degree in fine arts from the Philadelphia University of the Arts. He then began tattooing in the spring of 1997. Shane specializes in realism, portraits, wildlife, and horror but is very capable of  creating any style of tattooing . Shane travels around the country and internationally to tattoo conventions. While attending these events you can find him teaching seminars and producing some of his best work. Shane has been featured in many magazines and has won countless awards for his tattooooing . He has achieved far more than he imagined and truly appreciates all of the recognition.     "Thanks to everyone for all of your support !" — Shane

available by appointment at: studio evoLve tattoo 512 s.independence blvd. virginia beach, va 23452 www.studioevolvetattoo.com studioevolve.llc@gmail.com 757.497.1865 gabrielcece.llc@gmail.com

Russ Abbott is a Georgia native and has been tattooing since 1997. When he opened Ink & Dagger Tattoo in 2007, he envisioned a studio that embodied sophistication and creativity in a down home atmosphere.  Russ specializes in illustrative, ornamental, realistic, and geometric tattoo styles. In addition to tattooing full time, Russ travels the world teaching educational seminars to fellow tattooers.

I have been tattooing for 15 years now. Color is my main thing. Requiem Body Art is a beautiful studio that i co-own with two great friends. We keep a really chill vibe there at all times, and it's super clean, due to 3 germaphobes! LOL So if you're ever in the Tampa/Orlando area come check it out. Or better yet, make a special trip to come check it out!!! www.requiembodyart.com

i am currently working on this project!! check it out

http://hannyamaskproject.com/

Larry Brogan is a Chicago Southsider born November 27th, 1969 sharing his Sagittarian birthday with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee. He enjoys oil painting, playing hockey and traveling.

Larry has owned and operated Tattoo City since 1994 and has been tattooing since 1990. An artist since he could pick up a crayon and scribble on the walls, he has pushed himself to create some exciting artistic images. An honors graduate from the School of Airbrush Arts in 1991, Larry has applied much of his airbrush knowledge to tattooing. In an effort to expand his tattooing skills he has attended many seminars hosted by the biggest names in the tattoo world and has steadily improved on his knowledge and tattooing ability. He attended art school at JJC in Joliet Illinois where he made the Dean's List with a 4.0 grade point average. Larry has been a member of the Alliance Of Professional Tattooists "A.P.T." since 1993.

Larry's art has been published in countless tattoo magazines worldwide and has been featured in books and publications throughout the tattoo industry. He had a chapter dedicated to his tattoo work in the book, Advanced Tattoo Art, How-to Secrets from the Masters, was included among the 101 Most Influential People In Tattooing on The Vanishing Tattoo Web Site and he has won national and international awards numbering well over a hundred. As a convention road warrior, he spends much of his time traveling and tattooing, working as many as 21 tattoo conventions in a year.

Larry teaches his "101 Tattoo Tips That Can Change Your Career Forever" Seminar at Tattoo Conventions worldwide.

"My preference of tattoo art would be a more realistic or painterly style although I have a very well balanced portfolio of color and black and gray work covering many different styles. I have never wanted to specialize in just one form of tattooing; preferring to stay well rounded which keeps the ideas and inspiration fresh and different. The working relationship that sometimes develops between artist and client can drive me and feed my imagination into creating some really fun art. From a good mix of ideas to stimulating conversation during the tattoo process, it makes for a great experience and in turn an awesome tattoo. I have become close friends with several clients over the years and some have traveled with me across the country to show their tattoos and I have much respect and admiration for them. It is quite rewarding and I feel very fortunate to be a part of the lifestyle that tattooing offers. The people I meet, the places I have been and the trust people put in me to create an everlasting image on their bodies makes this one of the best careers in the world."

"My artistic influences consist of first and foremost, the Grandmaster of Sci-fi Fantasy art, Frank Frazetta. Without discovering his paintings when I was a child on the cover of books such as Conan the Barbarian I may not have been inspired enough to pursue art the way I did. My tattoo influences include the usual suspects like Guy Aitchison, Philip Leu, Cap Szumski and Paul Jefferies to more recent heavyweights as Joe Capobianco, Nick Baxter, Nikko Hurtado, Jeff Gogue, Kory Flatmo, Steve Moore and Bob Tyrrell. It is just so amazing how the world of tattooing has exploded artistically in the last ten years, it is truly a tattoo renaissance and I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of it."

You can contact Larry Brogan at tattoocity@aol.com

Dana Helmuth is a Maryland based artist and illustrator who's work walks a fine line between Asian influenced illustrative with whimsical subject matter on one side and on the other side a contemporary fine art world bringing in aspects of abstraction and artful manipulation on the other side . 

Helmuth's fine art training includes a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art in 1993 as well as extensive travel and study abroad. His work has been published in over one hundred art magazines and has showcased his work in both solo and group shows in NYC, Los Angeles, Baltimore, London, Paris, and Tokyo to name a few . 

Helmuth resides in Berlin, Maryland working from his private studio and gallery, Clearlight Studio. He also splits his time working as an internationally renowned and  published tattoo artist of 20 years  in Manhattan, and Baltimore. 

I've been tattooing professionally since June of '99. Currently I am working at a small custom shop located in Richmond, Virginia called Ghost Print Gallery with the lovely Thea Duskin. If you would like to check out more of my work you can at www.jessesmithtattoos.com.

When Guy Aitchison was 16, his sister Hannah approached him from out of the blue and asked him if he felt like going to get tattooed. Guy had never thought about the subject before, indeed had never seen any tattoo work walking around that had made him think anything about tattooing. But the idea immediately appealed very strongly to him. They made an appointment at a grungy local shop for the following week, during which time Guy played around with drawings for the piece. And he had dreams: Dreams of getting tattooed. Of doing tattoos. Of teaching tattooing... of standing on a stage addressing a tattooed crowd. He knew right away that he had found his calling.

After several years as a struggling freelance illustrator, focused mainly on painting album cover designs for low-budget punk and metal bands, Guy finally landed a tattoo apprenticeship at Bob Oslon's Custom Tattooing in October of 1988. The tattoo profession was very closed at the time, with only a tiny handful of shops operating in the entire Chicago metropolitan area. There were ads for tattoo equipment in a few magazines at the time, but Guy was not at all comfortable with the idea of teaching himself something that is in fact a quasi-medical procedure. Being offered that apprenticeship felt to him like being accepted into Harvard, and he embraced the opportunity with all of his energy.

He quickly found that tattooing is an artistic medium with a great deal of flexibility for technical experimentation and personal expression. This ran contrary to what he'd been told by the established tattooers he'd been collecting from, but it made sense, and he was not the only young tattooist arriving on the scene at that moment who was discovering this. Artists such as Aaron Cain, Marcus Pacheco, Eddy Deutsche, Timothy Hoyer, Greg Kulz and Bernie Luther were all trying- and doing amazing things with- new variations on the traditional approach to tattooing.

After only a year at Bob Oslon's shop, Guy was offered his first magazine article, and from that point on made an effort to keep his work in front of the public eye. In two and a half decades he has had countless magazine features and dozens of appearances in fine art books, along with a handful of TV and radio appearances. Currently his efforts are focused mainly online, and in publishing educational and fine art books for the tattoo industry such as Scratch Art, Organica and Innerstate. You can see more of his published material at our online store.

The educational side of Guy's career fell together very naturally, starting with being offered a chance to teach a seminar at one of Dennis Dwyer and J.D. Crowe's Tattoo Tour conventions, which at the time were the gold standard of tattoo expositions. The idea of presenting educational material in a seminar format was revolutionary; previously, tattooists had always protected their information with great suspicion, since the industry was so small and so closed. With the blossoming of tattooing and the influx of new artists, there was room for everyone to grow without stepping on each other's toes. Guy's seminar that weekend was about doing coverup tattoos, and he handed out illustrated 30 page booklets to everyone that attended. As he did different seminars from time to time, he created different new booklets, and inevitably was asked by people who couldn't attend the seminars if they could just buy the books. From this beginning, his books evolved into the massive 368 page Reinventing The Tattoo, which also includes a detailed DVD, as an effort to create the most comprehensive learning package possible.

Much of the tattoo educational process is focused on gaining a full knowledge of the technical matters such as machines and needles. Although Guy does address these subjects, his opinion is that the artistic and compositional end of the process has been grossly underrepresented, and seeks to bring that to the forefront. He feels that a good design can survive a slightly weak execution, while a poor design will look bad no matter how technically perfect it may be. So a good deal of his emphasis is on things like color theory, flow, dynamic composition, depth, lighting, contrast and other more traditional fine art theory, reframed to be as helpful as possible for tattoo artists.

Guy's interest in these subjects is largely because of the types of artistic subject matter he is attracted to, which generally require a finely balanced yet maximalized approach, where all the tricks of depth and lighting are brought into play to bring out a highly dynamic visual experience. His favorite subject matter is abstract, but with a sense of realism applied so the viewer is transported into an alternate reality that they can truly immerse themselves in. Much of this approach came from the unusual collection of artistic influences that Guy absorbed while he was young and soaking things up like a sponge: Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, M.C. Escher, Leonardo Da Vinci, H.R. Giger, Michael Whelan, Derek Riggs and Victor Varsarely. This, along with keen interests in cutting edge science and psychedelic culture, come together into Guy's signature style.

Born and raised in NYC, Alex Sherker first learned electric tattooing with a Spaulding machine and acetate stencils. Some things change, and others dont. His true love lies in traditional "old school" Americana designs, the older and truer to historical precident the better; but traditional Japanese designs are rendered with no less care and finesse. Artsy-fartsy art school graduate, ex-80's punk rocker, an probably the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, even if it doesnt seem that way when you meet him. Alex is rooted in New York art/tattoo tradition and is an 'old-school' minded guy: just doin' tattoos. Cursive names and kanji, creepin' lizard panthers and bowling-pin eagles, hearts-and-daggers pin-ups and ever-popular skulls, elegant Art Nouveau, gritty Americana or sophisticated Japanese; you want a tattoo to grow old with and he wants to give it to you, straight forward and built to last.

Has made the move to good ol sunny Orlando FL. I am now working at Hart and Huntington in downtown Unirversal citywalk call or email to set up an appointment!

I’m Mike DeVries, born and raised in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley.

I started tattooing professionally in 2003. As I progressed as a tattoo artist I soon realized that I found my niche with color realism. Constantly refining and polishing this craft keeps me extremely busy and motivated to climb to the next level. A glimpse through my portfolio reveals my preference for realistic animals, movie characters, gaming themes, detailed eyes and I love tattooing 3d mini realistic tattoos!

In addition to owning and operating MD Tattoo Studio in Northridge, Ca. I keep busy with developing new products such as the latest MD Wipe Outz, Advanced Tattoo Towels. Sterilized tattoo care made for artists and their clients! As well as running Memento Publishing, where we market, publish and sell books that encompass a passion for the artistic lifestyle. Have a book idea? “Contact Me!” Additionally, I’m co-founder of Stencil Stuff, a company that offers Stencil Stuff products that aid artists in achieving the best tattoo results possible including a great tattoo aftercare ointment “Redemption!” Check out MD Tattoo Store where you will find Wipe OutzTattoo Care Towels, Redemption aftercare ointment, Stencil Stuff products, Memento tattoo books, and other unique tattoo related goods!

Now taking appointments for mini realistic tattoos in color! Shoot me an email!

I'm a tattooer!!!

With 19 years tattooing experience, Canman is known for his bright, bold colors. Consistently drawing & painting has helped him become proficient in larger scale work utilizing a variety of styles and motifs . Canman enjoys doing custom tattoos and promotes Visions in this way as he thrives on challenging himself to help his clients in creating a tattoo that is truely unique and different.

http://www.tattoos.net/articles/tattoo-artists/mike-cole/

Follow me on Instagram:  @mechmaster_mike

 An Army Veteran, Nathan spent 4 years in Germany serving the USA from 1995 to 1999. He opened Vertigo Gallery Tattoo after returning to the Pacific Northwest in 2000. 

Styles of Interest

Nathan specializes in large scale custom work. He is well versed in many styles from realism, to neo-trditional to bio-mech. Examples of Nathans work can be found in the "Tattoo Gallery" linked above, or on Instagram.

Pricing

$150 per hour

$150 minimum

$100-$200 deposit required to hold tattoo appointment.

From time to time, Nathan does offer pre-drawn designs for flate rates. We are working on creating a space for those on this page, but, until then, refer to Instagram for posts offering flate rate pieces!

Brian Murphy was born in staten Island New York in may 21.

1973. Originally discovering art  thru the graffiti that was   Abundant during a time when cardboard coated ever city corner and break dancers battled for real estate with nothing but the skill Of art and dance. In 1992 begun a life long career as a  fine artist beginning with  a formal apprenticeship with Steve Ferguson at the Ink Spot in Elizabeth N.J.    

Although struggling with homelessness and addiction for many years was able to prevail  in 2000 and continue life with a new found perspective and understanding of human nature. Since then opened Third Dimension Studio in Marshall’s creek p.a  and has dedicated his life to his Art and has won countless awards tattooed tv stars and radio personalities and his art  published in Hungary. Poland. France.and  rite here  in the U.S. A to name a few. He  is currently working on a series of instructional videos at his Tattoo gallery located in Marshall’s Creek Pa. And  living out  the American dream with his crazy  def pit bull ozzy.  

I paint from the inside out and my work is primarily improvised. My artwork fill a void in my life and often takes an exploratory look at the world around me,from social evils to distort reality and blurred  landscapes. My paintings blend the familiar with the frightening ,the beautiful with the revolting,the tasteful with the terrible. 

I allow the viewer to draw there conclusions about my work;they should add brush strokes to my canvas with there mind. My work allows my story and the viewers’ to intertwine,fully completing the painting. – Brian Murphy

Luca Natalini - Tattoo Artist

From: lucatat2@hotmail.comSubject: RE: Interview questionsDate: September 29, 2006 2:35:57 AM EDTTo: gabe@tattoonow.com Allright Gabe ,it takes me for ever to write in a decent shape in english so take it easy,with the questions:-) First up, the easy questions. When did you start drawing and did you have any formal training? I started when i was a kid,my dad helped me approaching to it,he used to oil paint back then ,so the smell of turpentine and oil pigments is in my first memories.In that period I was also tought by my dad the basics of guitar,very basics him being a bass guitar player.I ve always being divided between this two passions alternating them was a kind of need.After that early approach I kept studying and try to improve but I was lacking consictency ,being focused on my primary studies.For four years I studied history of art in Florence and tried some luck with a band,my passion for art grew stongly then.But it's only when I started tattooing that I was able to focus my creative energies on a project and a direction .In the meanwhile I still have the need to run to my guitar every time my drawing struggle When did you start tattooing and did you have any formal training? About ten years ago I got my first tattoo from Markan tattoo.In Italy there were few tattoo shops back then and I knew nothing about tattooing .Markan agreed to teach me .Wasn't too long till he gave me a couple of horrendous machines and blessed me ready to go.After butchering a couple of friends I took all my disappointment for the lousy teachings of the" way too old school" mentor and eager to see a pro in action i flew to london and for the next two years I periodically flew up there to get my left sleeve done by Bugs at Evil from the needle.That whole experience gave me the right inputs to start learning the art the right way.After that three years ago I came to the States.I always looked up to the great artists in this industry,and try to feed off of them,they are my everyday inspiration,and they have been my school.Since I m here in long island some great guys I've been working with have taught me a lot refining my tecnique.I strongly believe that daily cooperation with other good artists is the key to artistic growth. Do you notice a difference between European clients and American ones? Northern Europe has a much older tattoo history so people is more educated and open in the matter, just as the american scene . Italy and the mediterranean europe anyway are newbies to the tattoo culture, they feel the fascination of it ,as of every strong voice from overseas ,but they are not as well educated as far as knowing the potential of this art.Other then that,italians bargain a lot more!and forget about tips!lol Tell us about your dream client? The client is a key to a well done tattoo;for me anyone who is passionate about an idea,a concept,a state of mind and ask me to translate it in images is the ideal customer.Artists have been struggling for centuries trying to speak their voices only through religious themed commissions . Now we have the privilege of having a clientele that ask for different ,personal subjects(not as much as they should) ,but a deeply personal approach to the choice of the tattoo to get is definetly the way to go. Do you feel about the state of the world? Damn,thats a big question.If u look at the big scenario we live in a world ruled by corporative powers that worship money beyond human life.Wealthy people are kept submissive with a mediocre education,extremely specialized ,so may be a genius in your field but have no idea of where Tanzania is.I was in Tanzania three years ago for two weeks,kids die for easily curable diseases,every fuckin day.Then I came back home and kept on havin fun with my bike and my toys,like everyone else.There is a huge social injustice around at many different levels and any attempt to fight this state of things is pure oxygen.I send for this my total support and admiration to the great Nick Baxter for his "crusade"(how appropriate,this days).Personally this relates to my art cause it touches my feelings but i m still in a very personal individualistic stage in my growth.If trough art your voice get big enough I think is a moral obligation to speak up for a little decency in this world. How does your philosophy on life enter your tattooing? I really love this job,having the possibility to add a touch of beauty in the world,everyday the way I see it..And when u see that somebody else sees the same beauty in it it's so rewording .You commit to forms ,colors,layouts,to give a material shape to a mind process.This is true for any art but in figurative arts the way others receive the product is immediate(music and writing have a time component),then usually emotional,instinctive. On my side always fascinates me how u have to fluctuate between emotional and rational while tattooing or painting,and how much of yourself you gotta put in a piece,for it to be true to you.For me it s a very personal and emotional struggle,to push to get a little forward,dealing with confidence that comes and goes.But in the end the whole process of a good tattoo,think it,sketch it ,line it ,shade and colors,refine it ,take pictures,look at them at home,in the end I always learn something new about myself. What wont you tattoo? any artwork I don't think is decent enough and extremist political simbols Will you tattoo for the rest of your life? No doubt ! Unless I pull off a kick ass record ,in that case I 'd rather be a rock star for a while.Just kidding! Love this life,tattooing painting drawing ,I think I'll stick with it. Email Luca Natalini Call (631) 2357912

I come from Colombia, this is where the whole thing with tattoos started. I opened my first studio, which I later sold to start traveling and learn some more about tattooing. I worked for a while in different South American and European countries, also in China. During the two years I spent there, I learned a lot about oriental art which has influenced my work a lot. I've  moved to Goteborg Sweden.   I only do custom,love colors and big spaces. My work is optimistic and a bit crazy, at least this is what people say. I simply love my profession and try to make my work different from what other artists do.

LITOS is originally from RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL. His career started at the age of 12 years old. Dedicated his life and still does with a undeniable passion and commitment. LITOS & his wife JULIE are the heart and soul of FORBIDDEN IMAGES . Our studio has a very relaxing vibe, with the excitiment of our commitment to the ART of Tattooing. LITOS has been tattooing in the tampa bay area for over 30 colorful years, creating a everlasting fullfilment to all the clients that have being expose to his ART. His wife JULIE, has brought her talent of decorating vision and skill to run a very beautiful and successful studio.

I tattoo out of Deluxe Tattoo in the amazing city of Chicago IL...if you are interested in getting tattooed by me then please email me at dminus12@hotmail.com or call the shop at 773-549-1594...thanks for visisting my website.

Daniel DiMattia, Calypso Tattoo (Belgium) I’ve been tattooing professionally for the past eighteen years, specializing in blackwork. When I decided to tattoo, I looked around for an apprenticeship but couldn’t find anyone to teach me, so I began on my own. Learning on my own was a good experience for me because I was creating tattoos with spontaneity, which helped develop my own style. While I love all different styles of tattoos, from old school to portrait to black and grey, I prefer to specialize in “tribal” or blackwork because I see it as very powerful and challenging. When you don’t have a palette of colors to choose from, you must stretch your imagination and create a unique work that is interesting and beautiful through varying forms and design. To help my imagination, I do a lot of research and traveling. My home and shop are overloaded with books on African tribes, Polynesian culture, Indian henna designs, ancient Greco-Roman motifs, and modern geometrical forms as well as many others. When I travel, I take pictures of engravings and reliefs on buildings, designs on carpets and wall tiles, and even decorated fabrics. This research on ancient designs and patterns is fascinating to me. I feel like I’m getting an education in anthropology as well as art. The myths and stories behind many of these tribal designs are also very compelling. The possibilities of blackwork can be endless.

Owner of Black Anchor in Hesperia, CA Shop (760) 244-1800 To be tattooed by me email me at Nikkohurtado at gmail dot com www.NikkoHurtado.com

Yoda, the nickname awarded by some of Mike DeMasi’s closest friends, is much more like the fictional character than one would think. I first met mike in 2000, he had been tattooing for barely a year. Early on you could tell there was something very different about him. He was humble, quite and a student of his craft. Mike had a desire to be great but did not have greatness around him to learn from, so he set out on his own to find it. We opened Art Junkies Tattoo Studio at the end of 2001, a place, where as Mike would say, would be different and a place of learning. Over the next few years a movement happened within the tattoo industry, a revival if you will in the way tattoos was looked at. Color portraits had become huge and some of the industries biggest names had come through the shop. The student had become the teacher and the teacher had become the master. Mike would argue this statement that he is still the student trying out new things, trying to make himself better, but one does not give yourself the title of master, it is your peers that do. Mario Rosena Co-owner Art Junkies Tattoo Studio

I have drawn for as long as I can remember. Art has been my passion since I could hold a crayon. I love doing illustrative tattoos. 

I would like to thank all my friends and clients if it wasnt for you I would not love my job and my life.  If you want to contact me via e-mail at supercooltattoo@yahoo.com 

I work by appointment only out of my new shop, Figurehead Tattoo, in East downtown Houston, Tx.

You can email me at Booking@NateBeavers.com for info on booking and events.

Muriel was born in South Africa. After 1st grade she left for the U.S. to join a group of freedom fighters who opposed the oppression of Marmots in the lower 48. After winning the war she began to explore her artistic side. Her creative pursuits manifested first as a fine artist and muralist. She has always sought to create art in a way that mirrored natural, human vision. An organic flow and and sense of depth punctuates many of her pieces. Her art possesses a characteristic minimization of hard lines. Finding passion, balance, liberation, and completion in both her work and life is her obsession of choice. She is also obsessed with eating Lucky Charms in only even numbers. Seriously. It's weird. About 7 years ago, Muriel found her way to tattoo. The excitement of discovering what amounts to a living, breathing medium was too much for her and she almost peed her pants. The human body allowed new opportunities in the exploration of color, shape, and form. She found a new series of interactions in tattoo that had been lacking in the inanimate mediums. Her major influences include Alex Grey and many of the Old Masters. In the world of tattooing she is inspired by the likes of Tim Kern, Nick Baxter, Robert Hernandez, Guy Aitchison and many, many others. Written by Colten Smith (many thanks!)

Born a Wisconsinite, at the age of 14 Pepper had dreamed about becoming a tattoo artist. Once turning 16, she sought out an apprenticeship by going to different studios in the Milwaukee area showing them her high school art portfolio. No one really took this 16 year old seriously. Hell, why should they have? However Pepper was determined to get her foot in the door somehow. She had her big break when a good friend introduced her to a local artist who after seeing her work had decided to give her a shot. It wasn’t immediate though. That chance came a few months after her 17th birthday. A senior in high school, Pepper would go to school half the day and then leave early to take her apprenticeship the other half on a high school work program. Upon her 18th birthday, which fell around graduation, she had achieved her goal of becoming a full time tattoo artist. 

This accomplishment was great but still wasn’t enough for Pepper. She also dreamed of creating photorealistic tattoos and yearned to learn more. After a couple of years tattooing in Wisconsin she had an offer she couldn’t refuse. Hardly believing it was true, she jumped at the chance to work in Indiana with Monte and Joshua Carlton who taught her the base of what she knows now. From there she sought more knowledge and was offered other wonderful opportunities in Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida. Throughout the course of her now 15 year career, she had decided to pursue them all and has come out the better for it. By taking these opportunities she has not only learned a lot about her craft, but herself as well. 

Always the ambitious one, Pepper enjoys traveling to conventions not only to be around her peers and attend seminars, but to compete as well. Since the start of her career Pepper has won numerous awards from across the US and hopes to eventually make her way overseas. In addition to this she has been featured in multiple publications ranging from newspapers, magazines, and even radio. Currently Pepper is married to Bart Andrews, and together they own and operate Unify Tattoo Company located in St. Augustine, FL

When not at a show or in the studio Pepper enjoys spending her time with good friends, family, and the outdoors. Being a ‘backyard tourist’ is one of her favorite things for whatever location she has found herself in. Her natural curiosity of the world around her coupled with her passion for travel only fuel her wanderlust. Be on the lookout for Pepper as you just might see her around your hometown. 

To make an appointment with Pepper it is best to send an e-mail expressing the ideas that you have along with photo reference. Please know that Pepper will not replicate another person's tattoo, as she believes each person is an individual, and their tattoo should be designed directly for them. Due to increasing popularity and demand, Pepper has limited availability and is selective with tattoo ideas proposed from potential clients. Currently her wait time is four months.

If interested in booking with Pepper, please know she selects pieces that go along best with her style and interests. She believes that there is the right artist for each tattoo, therefore she prefers to be paired with clients who are like minded which she feels yeilds the best tattoo experience all around. 

Some guidelines and requirements are:

• Pepper absolutely does not do Japanese, Biomechanical, and American Traditional. She enjoys and respects these styles, but for something like this she suggests checking out Bart or another artist's work at the studio.
• Pepper does not do large/advanced cover-ups. Smaller pieces she is willing to cover, but this needs to be determined by a consultaton or photos of the existing tattoo first. For large/advanced cover-ups, please check out her husband, Bart's work. 
• Pepper works best with clients who are willng to award her full creative reign over any image or concept. She prefers the freedom to create and believes through this the best obtainable design is achievable. 
• Pepper has preference for portraiture, realistic black & gray, trash polka, abstract, and floral/feminine designs. She mainly does large-scale work and has a minimum tattoo time of three hours.
• Pepper requires a consultation before any actual tattoo appointment is made. In person is best, but when traveling from a long distance (1.5 hrs or greater) e-mail is acceptable. That way she can get a feeling for who you are, what you are looking for, what is achievable, and if you both are a good fit for one another as artist/client. From there an actual tattoo appointment will be set. Please know that if Pepper feels a different artist will be more suitable for your piece, she will express this as her primary goal is to give the best tattoo possible. Even if this means guiding someone toward the right artist.

Thank you for your interest and support, we hope to see you soon!

Facebook: facebook.com/pepperspicytattoos

Instagram: Pepperspicy

Appointment Only 

Terry can have a wait of six to nine months. 

Email to book a consultation.

The Owner and one of CAT TATTOO's multi-award winning artists, Terry Mayo's interest in the creative arts and what would later develop into a successful Tattoo career began at an early age. Always drawing as opposed to playing with toys and dabbling in usual child activity, Terry was first exposed to the industry during the sixth grade.At the time Terry's attention was focused on the artwork of various artists who would inspire him to try different styles, some of these being CARtoons Magazine, (A Big Daddy Ed Roth publication) which advertised tattoo products in the back. "Along with Ed Roth's work it was the most edgy art I had ever seen." And it was these sort of magazine's along with comic book artist legends such as Frank Miller, Todd McFarlane, Sam Kieth, Jae Lee, and Frank Frazetta that later influenced Terry's own understanding of what looked on the 'edge'. With all this material to inspire his creativity, Terry ironically first began making money off his talents by receiving lunch money as payment for temporary tattoos and line work on kids at school, and thus Terry continued on to pursue and use his artistic abilities in several ways, "During High School I was hooked on comics. Learning to draw the human form doing most anything, I tried to break into the industry for years. Doing a small body of work, including a forty-plus page comic book of which the pages where fully painted, but it never got me where I wanted to be." Tattooing out of his house at twenty years old after being exposed to the Tattoo world but a year prior, Terry managed to finally get his foot in the door with the photos and full color comic book as examples of his artistic talents. Landing a job at Tigger's, for the next five years Terry would learn many lessons about the industry, and tattooing in general. Using everything he'd picked up from childhood to working in Tigger's shop, Terry Mayo opened CAT TATTOO at twentys-ix. "I wanted my studio to excel beyond what the present studios had to offer. CAT TATTOO was the first all custom tattoo studio in the Dallas, FT. Worth Metroplex. Spending two decades promoting and building my studio's reputation, CAT TATTOO is now a cornerstone of the tattoo industry for Dallas if not Texas."

I started tattooing in June of 2003 in Southern Ca. These days I tattoo mostly on the road, guest spotting at different shops. My home base is Los Angeles, CA. I work on an appointment only basis. I am currently only taking appointments that I feel inspire and interest me the most, please see the below instructions on how best to start the creative process. *** Email me a brief description of what you wish to have done; please include the following. -Color or Black and Grey? -Location? -Size? -Imagery? -Budget? -Etc.... I do my best to respond to every request, please understand that I am a 1 man operation and if I don't get back to you by no means does it reflect on my interest in tattooing you. I am very fortunate to have as many people interested in getting work done and I do my best to insure that every customer leaves with art we are proud of. Thank you, Nathan

I have been tattooing for thirteen years and can execute all styles, from black & grey to full color, and all styles in between. I enjoy all of the many facets of the tattoo arts. Please feel free to contact me or stop by the studio.

Mario and I started Art Junkies tattoo over ten years ago, I'm  blessed to have such a good friend In my life the two of us have been through our fear share of ups and downs. But I couldn't be more thankful for everything Mario has done and continues to do for me. Thank you buddy I'm truly thankful and grateful for our friend ship.

Mario like myself and many others are dreamers, but the difference between Mario and everyone else is  Mario makes those dreams a reality, this guy works his ass off he's always doing something and has something going on.

Some call Mario a 'Mad Sentience' but I call him a brother.

Mario's growth in the tattoo industry is like no other Mario is a people person always putting others first. You will never hear the word NO come out of his mouth, if it's something Mario doesn't already know or understand Mario will find a way.

Mario is always thinking of ways to improve himself as an artist, in doing so he has not only made change in himself he as changed the entire tattoo industry. If it wasn't for Mario inventive way of thinking  we would all still be sticking on our stencils with deodorant. Mario's Stencil Stuff products have forever changed the way every tattoo is done today.

I've have been honored to see Mario's growth from every stage in his career from his first tattoo he did to the tattoo he did yesterday. Mario can tattoo anything and anything he'll tattoo.  With all the success he has had I can honestly say  Mario's future is even more promising his tattoos have become apart of him, and the style he has been developing for the last 10 years is defiantly unique and his own. With his artistic vision and his ability to create Mario's tattoos will always be seen as some of the best.

I wait with excitement to see what Mario comes up with next.

I've been open since 05 and have been tattooing since around the summer of 2004. I really enjoy doing custom tattoos. I think it's far more rewarding for both the artist, and the client to do something completely original. I like where the tattoo industry is headed and look forward to seeing what the future holds for custom tattooing.

www.stevemonie.com

I work Solely by Appointemnt ONLY and require a $150 Non Refundable Deposit in order to set up any appointment.  For tattoo/business inquiries please email Steviemonie@aol.com and be sure to put your name in the subject line

Thanks 

Steve Monie

Master Tattooist, Todo the founding artist of ABT and Artistry and Ink has been Tattooing since 1977 but didn't choose it for a career till the 80's. Starting in Huntington Beach, California Todo and his wife Denise took to the road where they have met and worked with a few prestigious Tattoo studios. Todo soon learned many different styles in Tattooing and In 1993 Todo won best overall artist at Hollywood California's Ink Slingers Ball for a photo realistic rendition of chrome on skin. Since then Photo Realism has been his forte' from Portraits to Bio Mechanical. Todo gives credit for his achievements to, Skin Deep Tattoo in Hawaii, Superior Skin Art in Fort Benning, Georgia, Sacred Heart Atlanta, Georgia. Credit also goes to Artist's like Taunee Beekman, Joe Satterwhite, Tony Olivas, Winona Martin,Wild Bill and his list of "Celebrity Clients", like Slash, Scott Weiland and Dean Deleo from Stone Temple Pilots, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, All American Rejects,The Foo Fighters, No doubt, Ministry, Slipknot to name a few.

Today Todo B and his wife Denise own ABT Tattoo in McDonough,Georgia. ABT Tattoo has been voted the best Tattoo studio in Georgia 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 2016 2017 by the Kudzu Review board and Google. We specialize in Photo Realism, Portraits, Animal portraits, Bio Organic,Traditional, Surrealistic and Steam-punk based designs. Todo's also creating Digital art and a collection of oil paintings and Charcoal art that's on display at ABT Tattoo, most originals are for sale and prints are available through Metro Orange and our online store .

Please check out these great publications featuring Todo's art. Bike Art, Antennae of Inspiration, Feathers of Inspirations, Cranial Visions, Black and White vol 1, Enchanted, Excavate Pint size paintings.

Todo is by appointment only and has a $500 minimum charge for all new clients, this covers up to 2 and a half hours of tattooing. After 35 years of tattooing he only enjoy's working on large scale projects and realistic styles including portrait's, animal life, Steampunk, Bio-mechanical and Bio-organic. If you are interested in getting tattooed by Todo please fill out his online "Consultation Form" after reading the Faq's on the bottom of our home page at http://www.abttattoo.com

Shawn Hebrank settled down in Portland, Oregon, and is happy to be working at Scapegoat Tattoo. He likes most of all doing weird, sad, beautiful or dead plants and animals, preferably black and grey, but will do color as well. 

Alex De Pase – The Art of Portraits I started tattooing at the age of 15. My desire to tattoo was born out of my great passion for drawing, which has accompanied me ever since I was a child. When I saw one of my friends tattooed arms I was amazed and I started constructing my first rough equipment first using the plastic frame of the Bic pens by melting their plastic and mounting a needle at the place of cartridge. This allowed me to make my first experiments by hand tattooing. I myself was my first guinea-pig and this was not my first tattoo as a tattooer but also the first tattoo my skin ever saw! When I tried to make a line using this technique and I realized that the ink was trapped under the skin, I began tattooing whoever friend was prepared to risk. The next step, which I am very proud of, was when I built my first tattoo machine whit an electrical shaver (by the way this passion of mine is still alive and kicking in me and I’m producing a new design line of tattoo guns). I have never done any apprenticeship, also because at the time the tattoo artists I had turned to were very holding-back and very jealous of their secrets. Losers! My education was mainly built-up studying drawing and painting literature. The tattoo technique was a climbing taken up alone, attempt by attempt. This process required much longer time but I’m not obliged to anybody! In a short time I succeeded in getting enough money to buy me real necessary equipment. I opened my first shop in 1997, it was very small but in 2004 I opened a big one, my current shop. Now I’m building again tattoo machines (but professional ones) - The idea of these machines originated from the urge to find a tool which is 100% suitable to my colouring needs. Millions of excellent machines exist on the market and I like them quite a lot, but mostly all of them present some advantages or some defects, which can be subjectively appreciated by an artist, as well as they can be hated by another one. By knowing a craftsman jeweller who was available to create a frame structure as per my orders, I decided to build a perfect machine with top-quality materials , which could fully meet my needs. It was to be assembled with extreme care, following the most adequate rules for any kind of tattoo-procedure and personally adjustable. After having taken wax models of them, some collaborators wanted to give them a try and, as far as I can understand, they confirmed to have experienced certain differences while using them. In light of this, I started producing some cast model, just for a limited circle of tattooists, but now things are moving on and I’ve started producing on a larger scale. In the next future I’ll be able to market them properly. ABOUT MY STYLE: For sure, my favourite style is colour portraiting. I believe that any manipulation of reality starts indeed from it itself. Anything else bores me. In realism, on the contrary, the target is the everlasting research to reach perfection and the perception of every single detail, volume, wrinkle, light, shade, expression, colour shading, etc. It is a neverending challenge which leaves room to improvement, ever and ever. The use of colours is a further research for difficulty, for the realism of pursuing naturalness. We live in a world full of colours, indeed. Making a portrait is emotionally very intense and involving, as whoever goes so far to making the decision to desire the face of somebody on their skin for the rest of their days, is moved by some very deep feelings, which burst out, as soon as the client sees the tattoo coming to a completion.

Mi chiamo Alex De Pase e ho 31 anni. Ho iniziato a tatuare da autodidatta all’età di 15 anni e da allora non ho mai smesso di ricercare un continuo miglioramento tecnico-artistico. Nel 1997 ho aperto il mio primo tattoo studio. Passati i primi anni e visto il grande incremento del lavoro, ho trasferito lo studio in un’altra location decisamente più grande e attrezzata. Dai primi passi ad oggi ho studiato molto il disegno, la pittura e l’arte in genere, nella continua ricerca e approfondimento di ciò che sta alla base del tatuaggio. Per molto tempo ho tatuato immagini di ogni genere e stile, ma più o meno da 2 anni a questa parte mi dedico unicamente a 2 rami artistici: il realismo e un mio personalissimo modo di raffigurare le immagini e i sentimenti attraverso uno stile che ho definito “Personal Vision”. Trovo che il realismo sia in ogni caso la base di partenza di ogni artista. Fino a quando non si raggiunge un alto livello di percezione dei dettagli che la perfezione della realtà ci offre, non si può pensare di fare il passo successivo che è quello di reinterpretare la realtà stessa a proprio piacimento. Amo il realismo perché è mirato a un continuo perfezionamento nell’esame e nella riproduzione dei dettagli, della luce e della profondità. Il secondo stile “Personal Vision” è invece mirato a una visione pittorica del tatuaggio, cioè una libera interpretazione assolutamente personale (quindi non legata a simbologie o icone comuni) di ciò che una persona vuole raccontare con il proprio tatuaggio, dandogli un valore unico. Ciò che intendo dire è che ogni tatuaggio che realizzo in questo stile racconta dei sentimenti, delle storie e delle emozioni dettate da chi lo porta. Il tatuaggio è estremamente affascinante proprio perché è una vera forma artistica come lo è la pittura, e, proprio come la pittura, dovrebbe potersi esprimere a 360 gradi. Credo che ciò che un po’manca al tatuaggio è proprio la libertà di svincolarsi da quelle icone, quegli stili e quei soggetti che da anni lo caratterizzano e che non sempre appartengono alla cultura di chi li esegue.

Tattoos are like fine art for the common working man. Instead of masterpieces being limited to the few wealthy elite, displayed on a wall and or in storage, bought and traded long after the artist passes to reap the rewards-- tattoos are paintings any person can commission and take with them wherever they go.

I have a B.A. in Studio Arts from Baylor University, training in Blood Borne Pathogens, CPR, & First Aid.

Most Creative Artist award, Jan 2008 Marked for Life Female Tattoo Expo. Tattoo of the Day, July 2007 Houston Live Fast convention. People's Choice Best Artist & Tattoo of the Day February 2007 San Antonio Slinging Ink convention.

I live and work in Germany close, to the country's capital, Berlin. I am tattooing since 2003 and specialize in the genre of large scale Biomechanical design. 

Most of my Layouts are conceptualized digitally before transfered to skin. I take multiple days for each design and like to work closely with my clients on designs if possible. I am used to multiple day sessions and have streamlined my workflow towards travelling clientele in this manner. 

I work from my home studio and have no "open to public" studio. For this reason you wont find a telephone number or adress on my website or anywhere else to protect my and my families private life.

I started to successfully offer Seminars geared towards Visual Artists in 2014 and will continue to do on suited events. Please contact me through my personal website if you are serious to collect art from me or have any questions about seminars or my other work. 

I am a mixed media artist that has been tattooing since the spring of 2001. I love tattooing nature based custom designs, realism, bio mech, and japanese inspired tattoos. I am very blessed to be doing what I love and am living the dream. i am always taking on new clients, so contact me with your ideas!

I like to Tattoo its a process of learning that will never end. I realize that I dont know a thing the more and more i learn how to do things. theres so much ive picked up in the 5 years that ive been tattooing, but i know theres mountains to overcome before I finish my climb. My favorite clients are those that let me run with their ideas. I do my best work when I dont have to many borders to leap. I think you can achieve more with colors and thats only good for everyone, but i still love black and gray.

I work out of buffalo Ny, the home of the homeless.

Triplesix Studios is a 100 % Custom Tattoo Studio From the begin of may 2007 Triplesix studios will be exclusively using air driven Neuma tattoo machines. This is the next step in tattoo hygiene and safety . The Neuma machines are Autoclaved after EVERY client There is no standard tattoo flash within the studio, all artwork is drawn up for each customer. Your tattoo should be unique and designed especially for you and you alone. This means I work on appointment only to ensure you a highest quality tattoo of each and every client. I have over 15 years experience as a professional artist with a client list that included Disney , Ea and Sony amongst many others before turning to the Art of tattooing. The studio is private and is Fully health registered. All equipment is autoclaved and records of all sterilization cycles are retained. New inks and needles are used for every client. Tuesday 10 am till 5.30 pm Wednesday 10 am till 5.30 pm Thursday 10 am till 5.30 pm Friday 10 till 5.30 pm Saturday 10 till 5.30 pm Sunday , Monday and after hours appointments can be arranged. 0191 5679126

Tattooing for seven years and starting at Hope in 2008, Phil Young’s formal art training was drawing all the freaking time. Phil spends most of his spare time trying to combine painting, wiffle ball, Star Wars, and guitar shredding into one sport to be recognized by the Olympic Committee. And he will continue to tattoo until his dream of becoming a ninja astronaut is realized.

I have been tattooing since 2000. I did my apprenticeship while attending UCA. I graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 2001. I am  working at Lucky Bella tattoos in Maumelle North Little Rock , Arkansas. I enjoy doing most every style of tattoo. My favorite styles to do are traditional American and neotraditional tattoos.  I love what I do, and I hope to be able to do it for many years to come.

I'm Jeff Gogue (pronounced go-gway). I did my first tattoo in August of 1999, and began tattooing full time August of 2000. Self taught, I've been influenced by people like Filip Leu, Robert Hernandez, Nikko Hurtado, Shige, Cory Norris, Bob Tyrrell, and Joe Capobianco. I strive for creative, dynamic, refined work. Detailed where needed, and loose where it's appropriate. I also love oil painting when I can, and have been doing so, off and on, for the last ten years. I am expressive by nature. I'm transparent and multifaceted, revealing some contrasts and mysterious ways. You can't see all of who I am from any one angle, so, in my quest for relevance, I am trying to expose as much as I can. This stage in my life is fairly new, since I feel that up until the last few years, I've only been striving for technical ability... just to be good at manipulating paint or ink doesn't send any message besides being disciplined and methodical. I am ready to see what's inside... though it leaves me vulnerable to disappointment, I am still ready. I don't think anyone lives completely honest. Desiring to minimize our faults and maximize our strengths. I'm no different, but I'm willing to see how honest I can be.

If you are inquiring about a tattoo please submit your request here:

http://ghostprintgallery.com/tattoo-form/

Ghostprint Gallery Richmond VA

Tattooing since 1995. I specialize in organic, mixed-media, and collage effects.

Im 37 years old and currently live in Grass valley CA. I Live to tattoo and oil paint.

After devoting nearly twenty years of his life to the art of tattoo, where his is revered for his efforts to elevate the medium into the realm of fine art, Paul Booth has become a household name. His unparalleled dedication to the evolution of his craft has garnered him numerous awards around the globe, top tier magazine features (among them, many cover stories), public and television appearances including CNN, MSNBC, DISCOVERY, A&E, TLC, MTV and more. Through his deep involvement in organizations such as The National Arts Club – one of the oldest and most respected art institutions in the Nation – Booth is continually driven to help push the tattoo industry forward in as many ways as possible. In 2000, he created an international art movement called “The ArtFusion Experiment” with Filip and Titine Leu, world-renowned tattooists from Switzerland. ArtFusion succeeded and continues to unite leading tattoo artists from around the world to create one–of–a–kind works of art. Booth’s masterful paintings and macabre tattoo art is notable for its aggressive nature, and, as such, has been in high demand among dark art and tattoo enthusiasts for decades, including numerous major bands in the metal scene such as Slayer, Slipknot, Pantera, Down, Lamb of god and many more. In 2002, Rolling Stone Magazine featured Booth and proudly crowned him “The new king of rock tattoos.” A rolling stone himself, Booth can’t stop moving, and has recently stepped into the arena of film. His directorial debut, the award–winning feature documentary The ArtFusion Experiment, continues to extend the reach and success of the movement he created. As a director and lifelong horror fan, he finds film to be an exciting and fresh form of expression. His experimental, pseudo-documentary Paul Booth's Last Rites: Volume I deftly illustrates his unique, twisted vision – truly a film that must be seen to be believed. And, yes, he still enjoys tattooing!

Michele Wortman is best known for her innovative "bodyset" tattoos, and for her particular use of color and flow on the human form. She began tattooing in 1998 after assessing her own early tattoo collection and imagining how it could be approached differently based on a desire to see lighter, more airy imagery designed to compliment the female form. With a background in painting, it seemed natural to approach tattooing in a less conventional and traditional manner. Influenced and encouraged by fellow artist and partner Guy Aitchison, Michele began to refine and redefine the look of the feminine tattoo. 

The bodysets that Michele has done range from small to large, complimentary to symmetrical, and make use of both sides of the body. Catering to a mostly female clientele, Michele has applied this unified approach to tattooing that is both balanced and garment-like, putting a high priority on the overall look of the entire tattoo collection.

Not all the work she does is bodysets; she also welcomes singular pieces. Regardless of the coverage that the client is seeking, Michele's tattooing is focused on a particular look within her tattoo style: Floral-form imagery that incorporates movement, flow, and soft pastel coloring, creating her signature design aesthetic. 

She is located in Southern Illinois with St. Louis being the closest airport, and is currently taking new projects. Fill out the appointment request form.

Noon comes to us from Boucherie Traditionnelle in France. His designs are childish and primitive, but rendered in a sophisticated, stylized manner. He uses muted colors and loose lyrical lines in his work, punctuated with geometric patterns and sketchy "pencil" marks; playful and innocent like a child's dreams. "...He's inventive, funny and, graphically, taking more chances than ninety-five percent of the world's best known inkmeisters... I didn't say he's the next Sailor Jerry Collins, but just as Collins merits his own star in the tattoo universe, so does Monsieur Noon. Except his has six points with a pair of lips and curlers in its hair" -Bob Baxter. Skin & Ink Magazine 2/08"

Big Gus was born and raised in the streets of Los Angeles. His mother was an artist and would always encourage him to draw, paint, and trace as a young child. Big Gus’ mother gave him his first set of paint brushes at the young age of 5 years old. He was only in kindergarten and already painting along side his mother. Unfortunately his mother passed away when Gus was just 19 years old. All though  she is not around any more, her artistic influence on her son still lives on today.

Gus has a bit of a dark past, growing up with a ruff crowd and getting involved with gang banging at a young age. He was always painting murals in the Los Angels Riverbed and showcasing his graffiti skills all around L.A. Some of the older OG’s saw his skills and sort of forced him to pick up a tattoo machine to ink up the homies. Big Gus began tattooing at the age of 14. He has been a self taught artist his whole life, all though paying close attention to those better then he was to improve on his skills as an artist. But he knew there was more out there for him then gang banging. He wanted to make sure his mother was looking down on him from above with pride. He started tattooing professionally at age 22 out of Distinctive Ink in Pico Rivera.

Big Gus began to attend tattoo conventions. He studied and observed all of the different styles and techniques. He became a fan of artists such as Jack Rudy, Joe Capobianco, Freddy Negrete, Paul Booth, Bob Tyrell and so many others. He saw that he could actually use his art skills to make a good living, to travel the world, and to meet other artists from all corners of the globe. He later became friends with these same artists that he looked up to. Some of the respected old school artists like CatFish Carl, Tony Olivas, and Rick Walters schooled Big Gus on the fact that tattooists honoring the traditions and respecting the legacy and talents of fellow artists were becoming a dying breed. He knew that he was part of a new generation of these artists, and it was part of his responsibility to keep these traditions alive.

Today Big Gus is a world class and world known tattoo artist. His popular style of fine line, Black and Grey-Photorealism graces the pages of Tattoo Publications in 40 countries. He has won over 300 awards, has his first book coming out soon, and has seen huge success with designs for clothing companies such as Sullen and Tribal. Big Gus is an inspiration to the troubled youth out there. He has sacrificed so much to get where he is now, and he lives a true West Coast OG success story. He is a blessed and talented individual, an extremely hard worker, and I am proud to have Big Gus as my friend.

Jeremy Co Owner of Sullen Clothing 

I originally started tattooing on some friends when I was 16 in high school. I knew early on that I wanted to be a tattoo artist. I picked up my first professional job with Junior Purvis in 97’ in a busy shop out of Indianapolis, Indiana. I worked with Junior for about 4 years before relocating up to Chicago Illinois to a “street style” shop. It was after working in Chicago for 5 ½ years that I feel I became a very well-rounded tattoo artist. Eventually I opened up my own shop, NO REGRETS TATTOOS & BODY PIERCING in Champaign Illinois in early 2007. I enjoy doing all different styles of work; from realistic portraiture style, color, and black and grey. I most enjoy doing custom work working 1 on 1 with the ideas from my customers to come up with a unique, one-of-a-kind piece.

Southern California native, Turk, has been tattooing professionally since 1999. At a very young age, Turk realized his passion for the arts and began to express himself both musically and artistically. Showing a bit of a penchant for the macabre landed him some misunderstood scrutiny as a child by school teachers and the like, since his drawings consisted of mainly skulls, monsters, reapers, coffins, bats, spiders, headstones and so on. As a teenager, Turk set his hobby of illustration aside and began experimenting with music and played in many punk and pop-punk bands throughout high school. After high school, however, Turk found an opportunity to move to Berkeley, CA with his older brother and explore all the opportunities of the Bay Area. Within months, Turk had already joined up with members of a popular Lookout! Records band, began reviewing albums for the seminal punk ‘zine “Maximum Rock-n-Roll”, and landed a part-time gig reviewing submissions for the Lookout! Records label.

It was during this time Turk met Bay Area local and professional tattoo artist, Karen Roze, which reignited his interest in art and illustration. Although he received his first tattoo (a Black Flag logo) at the age of 17, Turk showed no interest in tattooing, tattoo related illustration, or the tattoo industry until this point in his life. During several appointments at the world famous Picture Machine Tattoo in San Francisco, Turk would find himself in the waiting room doodling away at his own versions of the flash designs that covered the studio’s walls and ceilings and later found himself in an impromptu apprenticeship which would ultimately ignite the passion for illustration, tattooing, and knowledge that Turk still carries with him today. Turk’s style of tattooing varies, but can can most commonly be described as dynamic illustration with obvious roots in American Traditional.

Paying close attention to the form and flow of the human body, his designs are each tailor-fit specifically for the individual which allows the movement of the tattoo to work seamlessly with the body’s natural muscular movement allowing the tattoo to truly become a part of you. Turk’s work ethic and artistic ability combined with his one of a kind style has earned him not only the respect of his peers, but countless awards for his work and several features in many of the world’s most renowned tattoo publications. Big bold designs with heavy black and well saturated colors make his work not only stand out, but also stand the test of time.

Ive been tattooing for 9 years now and have enjoyed it ever since. I started as a custom artist so i enjoy drawing every tattoo i do. I am currently tattooing in addison texas.

Stéphane Chaudesaigues was first drawn to tattoos as a young child, and even back then he felt skin art's power and ability to remake the person who wears them in many profound ways. He began tattooing on his own skin when he was 13, and opened his own shop at the age of 19.

He has no formal art training, but is passionate about learning. His artwork is informed by innumerable trips to many museums to study painting and sculptures, as well as studying countless books about different techniques of painting and drawing.

"And I spent a lot time in tattoo shop asking for information or technical tips," says Stéphane. It was hard because I was very young and I had no money to pay for information, and back then there were no tattoo magazines and no internet!"

He persevered and over the past 20 years has become renowned for his photo realism and portraiture work, usually rendered in black and grey, but he relishes each and every chance he gets to work with strong, solid colors. He also really likes art from the 1930's and floral ornaments, a style he interprets for some of his tattoo designs. Above all he always likes to put "some poetry" into the designs he creates.

"I don’t do any tribal or Japanese-style designs because I don’t have any clue about the culture and symbolism behind these images and I don’t want to do something wrong or something I don’t fully understand. There's a very deep magic about these kinds of tattoos when you truly know the origin and meaning of the imagery, and (for Japanese traditional tattoos) when you are tattooed by a real Japanese master," says Stéphane.

In his own skin, Stéphane wears work by Shane O’Neill, the only person he's collected work from for the past five years.

 "Shane is a good friend of mine who is tattooing me. I like his personality and he is very talented. I have work by Guy Aitchinson and Robert Hernandez too. I like to be tattooed by people I admire. I am also inspired by architecture, other tattoo artists, painters like Mucha, photographers such as Doisneau, and slices of everyday life."

Stéphane's dream client would be someone with very white skin, skin that really shows all the different tones of grey as he works on the tattoo as well as afterwards.

"I also like to have client with a rich personality so he can become my friend. My dream situation is when a customer comes to me and gives me a subject for the tattoo and lets me create the image. My favorite clients of all are the clients who are happy with their tattoo!"

He's noticed that sometimes when clients start to talk to him that they appear to feel a little intimidated, which bothers him a bit.

"I don’t feel like I am scary, maybe the fact that I don’t speak English creates a kind of distance? So I would like to tell people that I always have someone who can translate English to French with me so please don’t be afraid to talk to me, I am a nice guy -- at least I hope I am."

Stéphane enjoys being a tattooist for many reasons, but top of the list is that a tattoo artist can "be free and live outside of society but also has the money to feel free to do whatever he wants."

When he's not working, he enjoys spending time with his children and his granddaughter, as well as body building with my son and friends. His vision for the future is growing his family business. The family team has several projects in the works, such as the "Chaudesaigues Awards," that they would like to give to an artist who has been selected by a jury of international tattoo artists, after they review a comprehensive portfolio of work in whatever mediums that artist works with.

The first Chaudesaigues Award will be presented at "The Best in the Midwest" convention, which will be held February 10-12 2012 at the Mid America center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The winner will receive an amazing piece of art in bronze, made especially for this event by Stéphane's brother Patrick (who has created custom awards for conventions for over 20 years), as well as a U.S trip (for Europeans) or a European trip (for Americans), a meeting with a tattooist that the winner admires, a free entry pass for major art museum and an article about him or her in a tattoo magazine.

"It’s a big and exciting project. It was important for me that the 1st award will be presented in the USA, because that's where my career started, American magazines and clients trusted me and my work. I am very proud of that," says Stéphane.

Patrick and Stéphane are also working together to develop a collaboration concept of Patrick's which is called "Tatouage 21." The goal is promote and develop skin art, provide a health information center (focused on a new French health law) and a forum where all tattooists can share information, ask and answer questions and show their work.

"Through Tatouage 21 we will try to offer seminars from famous tattooists all over the world. We would like to have tattooers with different styles and techniques come to teach in France, so we can all discover different way to tattoo. These seminars would be by professionals, for professionals only of course. We are working on it and hope to announce the dates and name of the artist who will be giving the first seminar soon."

Tatouage 21 is always wrapping up a project on Fused Tattoo Machines, handmade machines created in collaboration with other tattoo machine builders, and would love to present a convention in France … " but I don’t know when that will happen," says Stéphane. "I really need more than just 24 hours in each day."

www.stephanechaudesaigues.com

www.chaudesaigues-award.com

Dans son costard moitié dandy, moitié voyou, Stéphane Chaudesaigues y va cash : «j’ai débuté, je n’avais pas de tunes, on crevait la dalle, je tatouais avec mon môme entre les pattes». «Ca fait un peu Zola», ironise-il «mais c’est avec le tattoo que j’ai pu remplir le frigo. J’ai quarante-trois ans aujourd’hui et je suis fier de m’être sorti de ma condition sociale d’origine grâce au tattoo».

Flash-back. Fin des seventies. Une cité dans cette zone qui cerne Paris et qu’on appelle déjà la banlieue. Stéphane Chaudesaigues grandit là, dans ces blocs où envisager l’avenir revient à se cogner contre un mur. Il n’y a pas grand-chose d’autre que le sport pour échapper à sa condition, pour s’évader de la cité. Avec un pote, boxeur pro, la boule d’énergie qu’est toujours Stéphane s’essaye au noble art. Mais, trop lourd, à l’époque, pour boxer à un haut niveau, il doit passer à autre chose. Le papa, le grand frangin sont tatoués et ça captive Stéphane, qui, précoce et au risque de fâcher toute rouge sa maman, se pique lui-même, à l’arrache, à… 11 ans. Ces tatouages plus symboliques qu’artistiques, signes distinctifs d’appartenance à la marge, cette «culture de loubard» le fascinent. Tout ce que trimballe le mot de tatoueur aussi. Et bien qu’il ne sache rien de ce métier, Stéphane Chaudesaigues se lance. À l’adolescence. Avec de bonnes vieilles aiguilles de couturières trempées dans l’encre et son propre corps comme premier client.

Difficile à l’époque de dégotter des infos sur les techniques de tatouage. Les tatoueurs se font rares en France. Stéphane glane quand même, chez les anciens, quelques petits secrets. Et il traîne les musées comme celui du Louvres, pas très loin de son atelier parisien d’aujourd’hui. Et se plonge dans les bouquins, dévore tout ce qui lui tombe sous la main pour découvrir les différentes techniques de dessin et de peinture. Un apprentissage qui lui bouffe tout son temps et son énergie. Mais qui paye. Stéphane Chaudesaigues assimile, tout, des sanguines au crayon en passant par l’aquarelle, l’huile, le fusain. Une attirance pour la technique intacte, aujourd’hui encore, chez le tatoueur : «le lavis ? Rien d’autre qu’une encre diluée ! C’est la technique que les tatoueurs utilisent pour faire des gris différents ; il te suffit d’avoir un noir, un gris foncé, un gris clair, la couleur de la peau éventuellement et un peu de blanc pour faire les hautes lumières et tu as gagné». «Même histoire avec le crayon» poursuit le toujours speed Stéphane Chaudesaigues, «tu pars d’un crayon très gras genre 8B pour finir avec un HB et un 2H et t’es le roi du couscous !».

Une soif d’apprendre, donc, phénoménale. Et toujours l’envie de faire aussi bien sinon mieux que les autres «À l’époque» se remémore-il «tout le monde tatouait avec des gros traits qui diffusaient. Donc, dès que quelqu’un faisait un tatouage avec des traits fins comme des cheveux… Je me souviens d’un type qui traînait aux Puces de Clignancourt, sa tête de loup faite avec une aiguille suffisait pour reconnaître le gars qui l’avait réalisé comme un véritable artiste tatoueur». Artiste, le mot est lâché. Stéphane en est un. Il en a le talent, l’extrême sensibilité. Et une créativité qui ne se limite pas au tattoo même si c’est pour lui «un peu plus que le simple fait d’imaginer un dessin et de l’effectuer ensuite sur la peau de quelqu’un». Photos, toiles, dessins, Stéphane Chaudesaigues touche à tout jusqu’au design d’une classieuse paire de Richelieu pour le célèbre chausseur John Lobb.

Mais Stéphane Chaudesaigues ne s’est pas fait en un jour. De son appart où il tatoue quelques potes, il migre vers le Sud où vit son frère et ouvre, en 1987, sur quelques mètres carrés, son premier shop à Avignon. Un lieu où il continue à apprendre : «toutes les techniques pour évoluer et pour essayer de sortir un peu du lot étaient bonnes à prendre. Il fallait aller chercher l’information partout pour essayer d’être créatif et trouver sa petite voie. Mais, à cette époque-là, cette information était payante. Un exemple ? L’adresse d’un fournisseur aux États-Unis, coûtait environ 10 000francs (1 500?€). Un tatouage était par conséquent hyper cher ; il y avait peu de tatoueurs et proportionnellement beaucoup de demandes. Pour situer, un beau tatouage était équivalent à environ le tiers d’un salaire moyen?».

Parmi les rares tatoueurs français de ces eighties, quelques-uns vont marquer Stéphane : Alan à Marseille, Tin-Tin à Paris, Bébert à Annecy ou bien encore le regretté Joe Marina de Nantes, un des pionniers du réalisme. Un style que Stéphane Chaudesaigues va faire sien. «Je pense que j’ai besoin d’être rassuré en essayant de faire un nez qui ressemble à un nez» rigole-il dans l’épatante biographie qu’il livre sur son site internet. L’étiquette, presque impossible à décoller, du nom qui en devient par la même une marque de fabrique, c’est réalisme (même s’il s’échappe parfois – quelques-uns de ses dos en témoignent vers le sur… réalisme) avec une très nette prédilection pour le portrait, découvert «en en voyant passer un, fait par un Américain ; je me suis dit : on va essayer !».

Comme à son habitude, Stéphane Chaudesaigues va faire mieux qu’essayer. Et bluffer jusqu’à ses influences américaines (Shane O’Neill, Jack Rudy, Tim et James Kern, Kari Barba, Bernie Luther, Mike Devries, Joe Capiobianco ou bien encore Bill Funk et sa femme Anna Peige qui l’invitent régulièrement à tatouer chez Body Graphiks à Philadelphie) en remportant un prix, dès 1993, dans une convention américaine où les Européens en général et les Français en particulier passent encore complètement inaperçus.

Parce que fort de son background d’autodidacte et de ses perpétuelles remises en question, Stéphane possède ses propres techniques comme celle du gris coloré, mise au point il y a quelques années, notamment avec un portrait de Marcel Cerdan (la boxe toujours !) ; des noirs plus ou moins dilués qui permettent de gagner en profondeur, en luminosité, en réalisme. Même principe de dilution pour ses effets sépia qui rappellent les photos d’avant. Photo ? Réalisme ? Stéphane ne récuse aucun de ces termes, en fan des célèbres studios Harcourt où, depuis 1934, tout ce que le monde a produit de créatif s’est fait tirer le portrait, en noir et blanc : de Marcel Cerdan (naturellement) à Dali, de Cocteau à Gabin. Gabin. Oui, celui de La Bête Humaine, film de Jean Renoir d’après le bouquin de Zola. La Bête Humaine comme l’enseigne de l’atelier que Stéphane Chaudesaigues a ouvert à Paris en 2006, à l’ombre de Beaubourg, à l’orée du quartier du Marais.

Une ouverture qui marque un changement presque radical dans sa vie de tatoueur professionnel : «j’avais envie de revenir aux sources, de retrouver cette ambiance d’atelier, de boutique où on prend plaisir à travailler, que j’avais connu dans le début des années quatre-vingt?». Un lieu plus intimiste («j’aime cet aspect de la boutique de tatouage qui donne sur la rue, avec un côté un peu rétro») destiné à une clientèle d’amateurs éclairés. Stéphane Chaudesaigues y tatoue, sur rendez-vous, des Parisiens et des clients internationaux pour lesquels, s’arrêter à Paris s’avère moins prise de tête que de descendre dans le sud.

Ce sud, il y reste pourtant attaché. Sa famille (peut-être, pourrait-on même écrire, sa tribu) y est installée. Dans le tatouage. Une family affair, chez les Chaudesaigues, le tattoo. Le frère aîné (de six ans), Patrick, pique à Limoges et à Brive-la-Gaillarde et fabrique des machines à tatouer. Ses deux filles, Cindy et Sabrina ainsi que son fils Julien sont, pareillement, tatoueurs. Steven, le fils de Stéphane qui traînait dans les pattes de son père au début de l’histoire, voulait tatouer dès l’âge de 5 ans. Il s’y est collé à 16 et, à aujourd’hui 24 ans, bosse à Avignon. «Très fier du parcours» de Steven, il livre à son sujet ce qui ressemble quand même pas mal à une parfaite définition du métier de tatoueur : «mon fils porte deux casquettes. La première pourrait être celle de l’artisan puisque tu vas voir un tatoueur pour que le travail soit fait dans les règles de l’art, exactement comme tu emmènes tes chaussures chez un bon cordonnier. Steven connaît son métier et respecte le client dans le cadre d’une prestation de services. Ensuite, il essaye de développer de façon plus personnelle ce que l’on peut appeler un style». La famille, ça lui tient à coeur à Stéphane Chaudesaigues. Vraiment. «Ma réussite ne tient pas simplement au fait d’avoir plein de boutiques, mais plutôt d’avoir pu élever mes six enfants dans de bonnes conditions, en tout cas, meilleures que celles dans lesquelles j’ai grandi».

Avec aujourd’hui six salons (sur les douze ouverts il y a quelques années), sous l’enseigne Graphicaderme à Valence, Nîmes, Orange, Avignon, Vaison-la-Romaine et La Bête Humaine-Atelier 168 à Paris, Chaudesaigues est un nom qui pèse dans le monde français du tatouage. Un hexagone sur lequel Stéphane a son opinion : «pour un si petit pays, il semble qu’il y ait une palette d’artistes très diversifiée, beaucoup de styles et beaucoup d’écoles représentées ; ce qui rend le paysage français du tattoo extraordinaire». «On a quand même un petit côté conservateur qui nous pénalise» nuance-t-il «mais même par rapport aux Anglo-Saxons, je n’ai pas honte d’être Français». Un Français qui continue à voir ailleurs, à participer chaque année au californien Ink’n’Iron : «les Ricains ont eut une grosse poussée ces dernières années en matière de tatouages réalistes et de portraits, mais il faut aussi regarder du côté des pays de l’Europe de l’Est qui possède des artistes vraiment excellents ;  c’est du grand, du lourd, et ils sont jeunes».

Une jeune génération avec laquelle pourtant, Stéphane Chaudesaigues n’est pas toujours très tendre. Avec ce franc-parler qui est aussi sa marque de fabrique, Stéphane n’hésite pas à balancer : «Il y a quelque temps, dans les bonnes familles, si on ne savait pas trop quoi faire du rejeton, on le casait comme poète ou écrivain… aujourd’hui, on en fait un tatoueur, parce que c’est l’artiste, le rebelle, parce que ça marche et que ça s’inscrit bien dans la société actuelle». Inutile de préciser que cette tendance dans le monde du tattoo n’emballe pas plus que ça Stéphane Chaudesaigues…

Qui, semblant assumer ses contradictions, encourage vivement ses confrères, «même s’ils sont par définition un peu marginaux, introvertis, avec un côté fuck le système» à rejoindre le Syndicat National des Artistes Tatoueurs (S.N.A.T.) dont il est, évidemment, membre (il était de la manif historique de décembre 2005 devant le ministère de la Santé).

Ce self-made-man comme l’écriraient ses potes ricains est-il donc définitivement installé ? Pas sûr, Stéphane Chaudesaigues reste, pour reprendre une de ses expressions favorites, un «écorché vif ».

—François Chauvin

www.stephanechaudesaigues.com

I work at Iron Heart Tattoo in Des Moines, IA. I travel around a bit working conventions and do guest spots so check out my travel section to see if I'm gonna be in your area. If your interested in getting tattooed at a convention you can e-mail me with ideas. If you want to book an appointment or check availability at Iron Heart then call the shop at 515-270-1500. I do not book my own appointments at Iron Heart. 

I run a clothing company with my wife called Acanthus Apparel. The clothing features my artwork. Acanthus items are available at www.acanthusapparel.etsy.com and at tattoo conventions I attend. 

I also build quality tattoo machines ( FOR PROFESSIONAL TATTOOERS ONLY). I build my machines from scratch, from the coil washers to the binding posts. I don't mass produce them and numbers are very limited. To check availability you can email me or look through my Facebook page and Instagram for photos of available machines. Contact me for custom orders or if you any questions.

Email: joshuacbowers@hotmail.com, Facebook: www.facebook.com/joshuacbowers. Instagram: @joshuabowers

I believe that when you know, you know! When I got it in my mind that I wanted to tattoo, it was life changing. A few times throughout life there are moments like these and they are incredibly powerful. This happened for me around the age of 15 in realizing I wanted to tattoo. Unfortunately, at that time, tattooing was illegal in the state of Massachusetts where I am from. That didn't stop my dream, however. I would get all the tattoo magazines I could find and re-draw every design to practice.

In 2001, Massachusetts was lucky enough to see the tattoo ban lifted thanks to Stephan Lanphear, who sued the state for 10 years for us to have the right to tattoo and be tattooed. We all owe him a huge thank you! Shortly after that, I got an apprenticeship with Little John Bury in North Carolina, and that is where my tattooing adventure began. During the summer of 2002, I had opportunities to travel to Martha's Vineyard  with Stephan and work at his shop. It was an honor to work for both of these men - and a special honor to be Little John Bury’s last apprentice. 

In June of 2009, I moved back to Massachusetts and now I am proud to have my own studio up and running!!! The studio is called Always and Forever Tattoo and is located in Watertown, MA, right outside Boston. It is Watertown's first tattoo studio EVER and I am very proud to bring the art form I love to this wonderful community! In the 15 years of my career, I have found it important to challenge myself and stay well-rounded as a tattoo artist by drawing every day.  As a result, I am able to work in almost any style. I do especially enjoy color, black and gray, traditional, realistic, roses, flowers,  skulls, cats, birds etc. I take pride in hybrid techniques that help create my unique custom works.

The process of collaborating with my clients and bringing their ideas to life is what I definitely enjoy most about tattooing. There is nothing more satisfying than watching the most basic ideas evolve into that large scale design a client has been waiting for; or a special smaller, one-point tattoo that evokes good memories.

All tattoos I work on are tailored to fit YOUR body and YOURS alone. 

September 2014 marked another milestone for my career in the launch of Lucky Cats Brand featuring original tattoo art on unisex hoodies, tanks, and t-shirts with limited edition designs. All designs and merchandise are available online and are on display at my Watertown shop.  

The joy I get seeing someone look at their new tattoo while that happy smile comes over their face is why I put all the care and detail into the work that I do. I absolutely love being a tattoo artist!!! 

I take nothing for granted!! 

If you would like to acquire a piece of artwork, clothing, or a tattoo, it would be my absolute pleasure.

"THIS AIN'T YOUR MA'S TITTY ROSE"

Stefano Alcantara was born and raised in Lima, Perú. His education began with a degree in Graphic Design at the Peruvian  Institute of Advertising. He also took painting classes and was influenced by comic books when he was a child. His love for drawing translated in various media, including airbrushing, color pencils, charcoal, acrylics and oil. He was introduced to the world of tattooing at age 18 by the first tattoo magazine he ever saw, found at a flea market in Perú. His fascination with the art turned into a career; he opened his own shop, Stefano´s Tattoo Studio, in 1999 and it is still in business today.

Self-taught in the art of tattooing, Stefano dedicated millions of hours traveling the US for conventions, which ultimately helped him realize his unique realistic style.

Stefano's greatest artistic influence is his Great Grandfather, Jose Alcantara La Torre, whose style is inherently similar to his own. As with various forms of media, Stefano does not see art as a business. In terms of tattooing, the human skin is a unique canvas that allows him to create a permanent mark in someone's life. "That, for me, is what tattoos are all about.".

In March 2009, he was invited for a guest spot at Paul Booth's studio, and shortly thereafter, he became part of the family at Last Rites Tattoo Theater in NYC.

In June of 2012 Stefano start his "Se habla Español" US Tour traveling to conventions and guest spots at the most important tattoo shops across the country. Since then, he has been traveling more than ever, attending tattoo conventions all over the world. He has given dozens of seminars in person, at conventions, and even live seminars over the web.

Since opening his first studio in 1999, he now a total of four locations; three being in Lima, Perú, and in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

@stefanoalcantara

http://www.youtube.com/stefanostattoo

http://www.twitter.com/stefanostattoos

http://bit.ly/stefanofanpage

Liorcifer has been tattooing for over 18 years now, of which he spent 11 and a half years out of the first 13

as an apprentice, for 2 different tattoo masters, in different corners of the globe.

He specialize in black & grey horror inspired, demonic, macabre art, and is known for his large scale tattoos.

During the years he gained international recognition, and featured in many publications, and also held seminars in international tattoo conventions.

Liorcifer has been attending many tattoo conventions, and doing guest spots around the world, which keeps him exposed to many different styles of

arts and artists, which keeps his art progressing, and better his techniques.

In 2007 he formed Tribulation Tattoo studio in NYC along with his long time partners Dan Marshall and Tim Kern.

In 2012 Liorcifer opened his own studio INFERNUM TATTOOS in NYC LES.

for any more information and schedule in the US and abroad, you can contact him at info@liorcifer.com

www.liorcifer.com

www.infernumnyc.com

Shawn Barber Biography 

Shawn Barber's body of work focuses primarily on painting, portraiture, and documenting contemporary tattoo culture. Barber's intimate renditions of tattooed individuals balance both meticulous brush strokes and loose energy. Figurative in nature, these large paintings take on abstractions with explosive colors, meandering lines and paint dripping down the canvas. 

Shawn earned his B.F.A from Ringling College of Art in 1999 and has paintings held in private collections throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe and Australia. His paintings have been exhibited in diverse solo and group venues including: The Joshua Liner Gallery, NYC, NY; Billy Shire Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA; The Shooting Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, AZ; University of Houston, Houston, TX. 

His first published book of art titled 'Tattooed Portraits' was published by 9mm Books in 2006, followed by his second tome, 'Forever and Ever', a 256 page hardcover book dedicated to the Tattooed Portraits Series. Shawn is currently working on a third book in the Tattooed Portraits Series with Last Gasp Books, to be released in July 2012.

Among his extensive achievements, he has taught drawing, painting and the business of art for 10 years at various art schools throughout the country. After years of documenting the art of tattoo, it was a logical progression to pick up the tattoo machine and add tattooist to his resume. 

In 2009, Shawn and his girlfriend Kim Saigh opened Memoir Tattoo in Los Angeles, CA.

Shawn Barber

http://www.sdbarber.com

Memoir Tattoo

http://www.memoirtattoo.com

Bob Tyrrell Having an incredible artist for a father, I grew up wanting to be an artist myself. I started playing guitar in my teens and gave up art completely to pursue a career in music. I spent the next fifteen years playing in heavy metal bands and working a factory job. I’d wanted to get tattooed for years and, just shy of turning 30, I got my first tattoo. Of course, I was hooked and got my sleeves and a full back piece done within a few years. During this time I got back into drawing and took a few art classes. Now it was time to learn how to tattoo! I took some drawings to Tramp, the owner of Eternal Tattoos, who are based in the Detroit area where I grew up. I was offered an apprenticeship, and within three months I had quit my job and was tattooing full time. I was 34 years old when I started – a little late in the game, but better late than never! Tom Renshaw was working there and took me under his wing. Tom went WAY out of his way to help me, he really pushed me those first couple of years. I learned more from him than anyone in the business, and I’ll be forever grateful to him and Tramp – I owe them a lot. I stayed at Eternal for six years. I am currently working on the road doing tattoo conventions and guest spots at tattoo shops. Check the on the road page for my schedule. So I guess I finally grew up and became an artist – my original plan as a kid. I think I found my true calling. I want to cut back on traveling a little so I can learn how to paint, do more fine art and tattoo more, but I just can't stop! I’d like to thank all my friends who’ve helped me become a better artist. There’s way too many to name, but I’ll name a few: my father Robert J. Tyrrell, Paul Booth (still my biggest influence and favorite tattoo artist), Robert Hernandez (fucking amazing!), Guy Aitchison, Filip Leu, Shane O’Neill, Jack Rudy, Jay Wheeler, Jimé Litwalk, Joe Capobianco, Gunnar, everyone at Last Rites, Mario Barth, Shige, Brian Everett, Boris, Deano Cook, and a million other artists – you know who you are! Thanks for the never ending inspiration.

Travelling tattoo artist now based in Easthampton, Massachussetts at Off The Map Tattoo, after years working in Moscow, Russia. Have been tattooing since 2001.

Jeremiah Barba has been Tattooing for 16 years. Mainly out of Southern California. He Grew up in a Tattoo family.His mother being legendary tattoo artist Kari Barba. He is currently working at. Live Once Ink in Orange,CA. 

Specialing in a dark art style.Mainly in Black and Grey.As well as dabbing into some color work to fusion the two together.Check out more of The Tattoo life of Jeremiah Barba at jbarba.net

My name is Evan Olin. I enjoy taking my classical art background and applying it to my tattoos. I hold a Bachelors Degree in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. My tattoos often take on a painterly/ realistic style. Some of my favorite subjects include:  anything dark or horror related, wildlife/ animals, portraits, and anything else I can render in a realistic or illustrational way. My goal is to deliver one- of-a-kind tattoos that my customers can be proud to wear and show off for the rest of their lives.

*this artist currently has a waiting list

Not so long ago, to be exact Januray the 5th 1976, the hellfires spit out a demon in human form who was known to some as Thomas "LEE" Wendtner. In his early years he used the art of drawing to bring his diabolic message to the masses and with the age of 18 started to engrave his demented visions into lost souls flesh. Tommy Lee found his new resting place in Cologne after being his whole existence in Austria/Taiwan/USA but will spread the plague all over the world from time to time. Be it Tattoo Conventions or guest spots in different studios. Not much is known about this demon, but with time he'll reveal his true nature! And here you'll find a little peek into this dark place called his mind... Earth is a dark, evil and chaotic place. It's the place he calls home. Demons within, dark cloaked figure...

Hit me up if you want to get tattooed!

ABOUT MY TATTOOING – I started tattooing in 1994 after finishing a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from Ohio State University. My painting and sculptural work are a big influence on my tattooing. I translate my painting into my tattoos. I try to translate the movement of the human body into the my designs. Also, with a background in sculpture, I adapt the concepts of shaping a piece of pottery to tattooing a human body. My knowledge of figurative sculpture helps convert images to the contours of arms, legs, backs and other parts of the body. All my work is original art customized to each client.

ABOUT MY PAINTING – My work is about the flavor of memory. These images are collaged together from found photographs of random people; strangers to me. They are other people's memories which I cut up, distort and re-assemble. I am not interested in describing these memories, but in extracting the essence of those memories from the actual details of the people, places, and times involved. It is not the memories themselves, but the fleeting and fragmentary feeling of memory: the flavor of it that filters through.

About Me: I have a new tattoo studio with a steampunk vibe in San Diego California & couldn't be more excited. We are now taking appointments so If you would like to get tattooed by me, Please contact me here or by e-mail at ceptat2@yahoo.com. I make all my appointments through e-mail, this works best. Still plan on traveling a lot for guest spots, US and Europe. I love to tattoo and love to goof off at the same time. It's a laid back, comfortable atmosphere when I tattoo. I want you to have as much fun as me!  This is gonna be there for a lifetime and so will the memories of getting it done so they better be good right? Thanks for checking out my stuff.  -Cecil Porter

Fabrizio opened his first tattoo studio in Milan in 1996, moving then to Costa Rica three years later to open The Tattoo Club. Over the last 10 years he has travelled extensively working as a guest artist in various studios including Quetzal Tattoo in Milan, Art and Body Tattoo in Miami Beach, Tattoo Farm in Trinidad, New Tribe in Toronto, Flyrite and Sacred in New York City .

While Fabrizio embraces many artistic styles, his work is primarily influnced by modern art, specifically Cubism in its dynamic representation of shapes and geometries. His use of colour is a unique expression of vibrancy and intensity recalling the passion of the Russian Expressionists. This style is reflected not only in his paintings but also in the tattoos where one will find detailed studies of depth and dimension in a variety of subjects from traditional Japanese to Cubist influenced portraits.

He has been featured in several international magazines including Scandinavian Tattoo Magazine, Skin Deep, and International Tattoo Art, one of the best selling magazines in the industry.

As an avid traveller, his curiosity for other cultures has lead him through South East Asia, Central and South America, US and Europe.

My name is Tony Mancia. I’m the owner and one of the artists of Stygian Gallery in Atlanta, GA. I have a strong passion for tattooing & artistry. I spend the majority of my time in my private studio, Stygian Gallery, where I’m able to work without distractions to create a serene environment surrounded by and with a focus on art. We positioned Stygian Gallery in the heart of the city to make it easier for client traveling in. When my schedule permits, I travel as much as possible and do many conventions in Europe and throughout the United States.

I specialize in black and grey inspired realism. To get a better idea of the style of work I take on, check out my portfolio and recent art.

Availability

Sunday:12AM-8PM

Monday-Tuesday: 12AM-10PM

Friday-Saturday: 12AM-12PM

Yoni has invested in art and drawing since young childhood. He started around four years old and never stopped developing both his passion and his skill throughout grade school and college. He became interested in tattooing while getting some of his own work done in the Army. A couple of years after leaving the Army, Yoni found an open apprenticeship position with Terry Mayo and took advantage of the opportunity. Almost two years later Yoni has started working at Cat Tattoo. His artistic influences include Alex Grey, Chet Zar, Greg Simkins, H. R. Giger and Salvador Dali. His tattooing style includes Black and Grey Realism, Black and Grey Horror, Dotwork and Geometric pieces. Aside from tattooing he paints and creates digital art in his free time. Incorporating a broad range of artistic mediums, styles, and influences, Yoni strives to become a better artist every day.

Chloe Vanessa has been tattooing since July of 2004.

Art has been in her life since a young age, when her parents put her in private art lessons with a tutor at the age of four. Around 10 years of age, Chloe was relocated from Southern Florida to Central Massachusetts and continued her art education with various classes in many mediums at the Worcester Art Museum. These lessons continued until Chloe was 18 years old and began her tattoo career.

Chloe's tattoo work is predominantly color and, though she loves working in many styles, the main style of her work could be described as 'illustrative realism.' The subjects Chloe most often takes on are plant and animal life, landscapes, pet portraits, food items and still lifes, however she is always up to a challenge.

When not tattooing, Chloe enjoys colored pencil sketching, painting in acrylic, water color, and oils, folding origami, and frolicking with unicorns. She is also a huge fan of Star Wars, Lord of the Ring, Harry Potter, Ghost Busters, Jurassic Park, and Venture Brothers.

If you are interested in getting work by Chloe, feel free to either contact her through the website

or call Nautilus Tattoo at: (860)372-4841

At age 15, Myke left home with a backpack and his dog to wander the the countryside by freight train in search of something he never found. Living a vagabond life he began his tattoo apprenticeship in 1994...along with his schooling of hard-knocks and plenty of tough life lessons learned, he's emerged into a well rounded tattooer and overall better person that is always there to help his fellow man when in need. Myke's style has strong roots in Traditional Americana, tho he likes to put his own spin on the basic concepts of Old School, his style is clearly his own. Today, he's trying to focus on painting and growing with every new endeavor he undertakes. Myke hasn't yet shaken the wanderlust and you might find him roaming anywhere in the world, honing his craft.

Juxtaposed images. Symbology. Religious Iconography. The art of repetition.  At this current time Adam is in the midst of creating a series of provincial Christ portraits and other Sacred Illustrations. Often times Adam is working to loosely create his fine art imagery which is drastically different from the technical approach of his traditional American tattoo style. And now, Adam is attempting to reconcile that by creating some of his fine art works on the skin.

Mr. Lauricella began tattooing in early 2001. In the beginning, Adam worked to create a solid foundation from which to build upon. Starting in an average street shop where flash was a staple; he took the time to focus on developing his technical skills. After realizing there was so much more to tattooing, tattooers and tattoo shops, Adam decided to move on. Different obstacles led to other opportunities, and on February 14^th, 2003, Adam opened the doors of Graceland Tattoo, a 400 square foot labor of love. Over the next several years he fine-tuned his tattooing, as well as the studio space. Always keeping himself grounded, right here in the heart of the Hudson Valley. The place where Adam was born an raised. The very place he now raises his own family.

"I prefer to work in the classic, traditional American style. I like bold outlines and strong shading. However, I've put forth a lot of effort into being a well rounded tattooer.  It’s important to me that you leave proud of your new tattoo and happy with your decision to work with me. Whether it’s a smaller walk-in tattoo or a more in-depth piece, I approach each project with the respect it deserves. I take pride in my work, I enjoy the time spent with my clients, and I’m thankful to be doing what I love - day in and day out."

"I like to do good, clean tattoos. I like my tattoos to look like tattoos, to have a weight and a presence to them. I want them to stand the test of time, and I want the time you spend with me, getting tattooed, to be a good experience."

Graceland Tattoo from Dave Waldron on Vimeo.

I have now opened a shop in queens NY called Coffey Shop Tattoos. This is where I will be from now on.

My name is Chuck Day. I am the owner of Nine Dot Studio in Burlington Iowa and have been tattooing for 9 years. I studied painting and print making at Western Illinois University.

My most recent (tattoo) work has been based in illustrative realism , focusing on making tattoos that look more like my sketches,often using geometric lines and shapes to add structure. Birds, flowers,insects,moths and other critters are umong my favorite subjects to tattoo. I am well known for my colorful geotraditional pieces but have had a growing fondness for tattooing graphic black images.

Although I still love oil paint, Micron pen and acrylic ink on watercolor paper is what I am working with currently. I have done a lot of geoanatomical pieces in the last two years, merging anatomical bone and skeletol drawings with the geometric structure I see in the subject. What started as a small series has become an aesthetic I am still working hard to develop.

 I grew up in the hard knocked streets of one of the safest cities of the country, Simi Valley CA. The only way I stood out growing up was being a head taller than all of my classmates. In the 8th grade I took an art class and realized there finally was a subject in school that held my short attention span the whole 55 minutes it was in session. In high school I doodled on my notes and planned out the tattoos I was going to get myself when I was 18, something my parents always thought was a cute joke. Then I turned 18 and came home with some tattoos on my hips that my mom had assumed I drew on myself before I broke the news. 

 In 2005 my addiction of getting tattooed was in full swing and the only class I was passing in college was my art course when I asked my own tattoo artist, Mike DeVries if he could teach me what he knew. I had been travelling with him to conventions as just a collector and realized that the world I had been peeking into was something I wanted to devote my lifes work to. I've been working at his shop full time since 2008 and still grateful everyday that I am able to do something that I love. I love the constant human interaction. My client's unique perspectives drive me to get better everyday, to be able to more accurately convey what they see in their heads to what ends up going on their skin. I never wanted to be better than anyone else, just better than I was yesterday. 

My favorite color is blue, I have a pug named Puggy Sue who is the light of my life and I have a bucketlist I keep with me at all times, and even though I try to cross off things as much as I can, it just seems to keep getting longer. 

Born and raised in New Milford, CT. I have been involved in art as long as I can remember. I fell in love with tattooing many years ago. I am known for my perfect lines, vibrant colors and deep 3-dimensional black & greys. I take on every new tattoo with a "this one will be my best yet" attitude. I never let any client feel rushed or less important than another client. I naturally have a new school artistic style using varying line weights and multiple light sources. I also really enjoy doing realism such as people and animal portraits. I thrive on designing one of a kind tattoos for my clients. Noone wants to bump into someone else with the same tattoo. I often devote an entire day or more to a client to acheive their tattooing goal. I am not a "stamp it on and get them out" type of tattoo artist. I tattoo by appointment only and commonly have a one month waiting list. I tattoo Monday-Friday 10am-8pm and Saturday 10am-6pm.

MY NAME IS JIMMY. I´M 28 YEARS OLD. I RUN MY OWN BUSINESS IN KARLSTAD SWEDEN. IVE BEEN TATTOOING FOR NEARLY 7 YEARS. I PREFER TO WORK WHIT NEWSKOOL CARTOON LOOKING TATTOOS. WHEN I'M NOT WORKING I SPEND TIME WHIT MY 2 DAUGHTERS, MY WIFE AND MY SKETCHBOOK. I ALSO LIKE PAINT SOME GRAFFITI NOW AND THEN

Welcome to the imaginative world of Timothy B. Boor. Whether on skin, paper, or canvas, the creative juxtapositions that Timothy surrounds himself with blend surrealistic designs with realistic elements; while intertwining symbolism and parables with his colorful blends.

  I am a southern California native who loves life and all of the art in it. I grew up with a pencil in my hand and an unrelenting passion for illustration. I fell in love with tattoo art at a young age and started designing tattoos for friends as early as 7th grade.

  I did my first few tattoos in 2006 while studying art in college. After a bit of development and some real soul searching, I began tattooing full-time in 2007. I was fortunate enough to land a job with Mike Devries at the end of 2009 and worked there at his shop until the Summer of 2012. There, I learned an entirely new skillset and approach to tattooing. I'm grateful for the time that I spent there and the knowledge I gained from all of the artists who worked there at the time. In the summer of 2011, I competed in and won the title of the reality tattoo competition television show, "Best Ink", judged by the amazing Joe Capobianco. I am fortunate enough to be an award-winning artist and to have had my art and tattoo work published in several magazines and books all over the world. I am currently working, by appointment only, at The Vatican Tattoo Studio in Orange County, CA.

  When I am not tattooing, I am usually working on new art or traveling the world with my beautiful wife, Lisa. I also stay very busy as the co-owner of Prophets & Poets, a modern art patronage in which we give back to the art community, by promoting the art of new artists and tipping our hat to the greats and working with local art based charities.

 I constantly strive to progress as an artist and keep my work versatile. The art of tattooing is sacred to me and I am honored to be a part of such an amazing community of artists. I am so thankful to be able to make an honest living by making art and I look forward to the future and what new adventures life will bring.

www.theartoflondon.com

I was born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay; As a kid , i spent most of my time drawing cartoons, doing crafts and painting with my grandmother and playing sports, Rugby in particular, where i achieved the milestone of briefly playing for my National Rugby Team at the age of 18.

I have always been artistically inclined, but it wasn't until my sport carrier  was over , that i decided to make tattooing my profession. I never had a traditional tattoo apprenticeship so i consider my self  to be a self taught artist.

In 2000 i moved to NY opening a new chapter in my life, i have been working in the Hudson Valley area since 2002, working in many local shops and eventually, partially owning DV8 and opening Hellhound Ink in 2005.

I worked along many good artist including Paul Martinez which i consider my mentor and good friend.

When it comes to tattooing, I'm skilled on every tattoo style to a high level, which allows me to approach every proyect with a different view each and every time.

I work with my clients to understand and meet their goals, often surpassing their expectations, aiming to make each and every piece as unique and personal as possible.

My inspiration comes from all aspects of life, nature been my biggest muse.

I have two beautiful kids, my wife and a supportive family, this is what drives me to be a better artist, father and a better human being overall.

Thank you

Diego

My name is Jon von Glahn and I am currently a tattoo artist @ Olde Town Tattoo located in St. Cloud, MN. If you are interested in getting tattooed please email me at jon_vonglahn@yahoo.com with a description of desired tattoo idea or any attachments. After I have talked to you about time needed you can set up an appointment call (320)255-7305 and someone would be glad to help you out.

Steve Gibson started Outlaw Tattoo in 2001, and has not looked back since. He digs black and gray, realistic tattoos such as portraits, pin-ups, and animals, as well as bio organic/mechanical. 

FAQ

Q.Where do you work?

A. I work in St. Cloud, MN(about an hour from Minneapolis) at Olde Town Tattoo.

Q. How much do you charge?

A. I charge by estimating the time, size, and detail of the piece. Send me a detailed email including size, placement on the body, color or black and grey, etc  for a quote.

Q. How do I make an appointment with you?

A. Email is best. Send me an idea of what you want so I can make sure it is something that I can help you with. Try to send some specifics so I have a clear idea, or if you want me to just "have fun" with it, state that as well. Keep in mind that all tattooers are NOT alike, so I try to take on the projects that best suit my stlye of tattooing.....more or less, if you are not envisioning your new tattoo to look simular in style to the rest of my work, you may have the wrong artist. After we agree on the tattoo I will have you call to set up the appointment. I am typically booked for about a month or so in advance.

Q. How can I make an appointment with you at a convention?

A. Just email me about a month or so before the show....rem. the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I get a lot of requests, and it's always the ones that stay persistant, and bug me a lil that get the appointments. I respond to everyone, but at times I will forget something if you get in contact with me too far in advance.

Thanks for the interest in my work!

Travis Litke has been tattooing since 1997 and comes well recommended for bold color tattoos. His color blending technique has been described as "buttery" and outlines as "impeccable". He is well known for what he describes as "hyperrealistic color portraiture" as well as new skool tattoos, but is solid is any style of tattooing making him what is referred to in the industry as a "jack-of-all-trades artist."

my name is Francisco Sanchez (Frank Sanchez) I have been tattooing professionally in the Dallas area for about 5 years now. I specialize in black and grey, color realism, portraits, and custom tattoos. I like to take my clients ideas and visions of what they want to get tattooed and interpret them by tattooing what I think will best suit them so that they can end with the best possible tattoo I can do. 

for appointments email kiko_oakcliff@yahoo.com

Tattoo artist since 1988.

Since the latest 90’s traveling big time, having guest spots at different tattoo shops and taking part in the biggest European tattoo conventions.

Now I live in NYC and available for appointments at two different locations: TattooCulture, NY and SouthMainTattoo, PA 

My name is Emil Edge, I work out of Buzzstop28 tattoo in Gothenburg, Sweden.

For the last couple of years I have been focusing mainly on large projects and trying to build a solid foundation for my career and a good home base to be able to create as much as possible. 

Now that I have accomplished that my focus wil be to work more conventions and build up a second location to be able to work more privatly.

Emil Edge

I work at The Piercing Emporium and Tattoo on Shrewsbury st. in Worcester, MA. More info to be added at my leisure

32 years old tattoo artist/ painter from Finland. Been tattooing professionally for 7 years now. My main focus nowdays is realistic work but I do enjoy all styles. 

i am moving out to missoula montana as of october 1st. i am opeing up my own private custom studio. details soon to follow.

I've been tattooing since July of 2006, after a brief apprenticeship in a shop in Dover Delaware two days a week, for a little under 4 months. With a degree in Graphic design and a new found knowledge of tattooing, I started working at Monster Tattoo part time in July of 2006. While still holding a restaurant job the rest of the days of the week. After about 6 months of hard work and trying to gain some clientele, I slowly took on more days at the Tattoo shop and eased my way into Tattooing full time. Once I was there I instantly fell in love with the job working 6, sometimes 7 days a week, by choice. Over the past 4 years I have devoted myself to this career and art form, constantly trying to improve and learn as much as I possibly can. In the spring of 2010 I was offered a Job at Shane Oneill's new Shop Infamous Tattoo. Not being able to allow myself to pass up the opportunity to work with one of my Idols in this business, I took the chance. I currently work at Infamous tattoo. I love this career and can't wait to see what the future holds for me in this business. 

Tattooing in Evergreen/Denver Colorado,

missmelis.com/contact 

missmelis.com/travel

blacksagestudio.com

Instagram~   M e l i i s _ eye

Appointment Only

Cell: 214-403-4329

Jon descends from a long line of troll hunters and goblin slayers. Incidentally he also keeps a necklace of goblin ears nearby at all times for good luck. He has loved art since childhood and has worked professionally as a sculptor, painter, and fabricator. Jon has always liked tattoos and even received a few before considering a career in tattooing to be possible. It was a product of opportunity being in the right place at the right time with the right work/art experience and it all fell together.

Influences include Terry Mayo, Memphis, and many of the artists coming through Cat Tattoo whom he has learned from and watched for years. Jon enjoys color and black and grey work, and prefers to remain versatile and diverse to keep from falling into a niche. Jon is currently at Cat Tattoo in Addison, TX. If you'd like to make an appointment or are interested in his work feel free to send an email in the link provided or drop a line at Cat Tattoo or Jon's Cell

Andy, who likes to tattoo all kinds of styles since 1994 is always keen on satisfying the customers´ wishes. Because of his interest his visits to many national and also international tattoo conventions and the constant process of learning made it possible for Andy to gain much experience, to receive compliments from other tattoo artists and also to win a lot of prices. In Germany and across Europe, Andy is known mainly as a specialist for photorealistic portraits, but he knows every other style down pet.. He is not only a member of “DOT e.V.” (Deutsche organisierte Tätowierer e.V. = registered association of German tattoo artists), but also a member of the board of management of this association.

Sacred geometry tattoo ethusiast. www.DillonForteTattoo.com

I have been passionate about art since I had the dexterity to hold a crayon or cover myself in finger paint. As a child living in New York, I was able to experience the many museums and galleries densely packed in and around Manhattan. From early on, I was also exposed to my brother in-law's tattoo shop a few hours away. It was only a matter of time before I began my apprenticeship at a small custom shop on Long Island. I am currently working at Tattoo Ritual. I prefer to work with hyper-realism, portraiture, biomech, and some newskool; however I also love to take on new challenges and difficult tasks. I enjoy the smell of gasoline, steak dinner, and my favorite song is Lick my love pump (in D minor.)

I know exactly when my tattoo career started. I was getting my first tattoo at a friend's house in Hungary. I was sitting in the chair watching how the ink penetrated into my skin. This was the moment when I decided to give this profession a shot. I looked around for anybody I thought could help me out. Finally I found someone. He gave me a few hours demonstration and I bought one of his homemade tattoo machine and a power supply. The most valuable information he provided was the addresses of tattoo supply companies all over the world. I picked one of them and made my first order. I made my first tattoo in 1994 on a really drunk guy in a rather smoky, bad looking pub on the rural side of Budapest. After that, I started to screw up every volunteer's skin around me for free. There was no one who could help me out with professional technique. I had to rely on careful observation, trial and error and experimenting. I learned as I went. I made all the mistakes -- at least once -- as you can image. But first of all I learned what NOT to do and it showed me the path to the right way.To develop every little piece of knowledge this way takes a very long time. However, the good thing is you can establish what you are or can be, because you don't learn the art of tattooing through someone else's eyes and methods. Another positive result for this long, tiring and sometimes depressing way of improving is that you are not forced to tattoo in someone else's way. You set up your working area as you think best fits your requirements. You set up the way you want to work. The tough part is you are the only one you can blame for mistakes. At first, tattooing was a hobby kind a thing for me. I didn't spend too much time in tattoo shops like "professional artist". I was a draft beer inspector working for the Heineken Company for way too long. But at last, what was in my blood began to win. Tattooing started as a hobby and grew into a profession, not just a job. And now, luckily, I belong to that group of guys who do what they really enjoy, and do it for living. I am creating something on someone else's skin for life, and in most cases, making them and myself happy at the same time. I need to produce a high quality of work constantly, correct my errors and get closer to perfection and the upper limit of my knowledge and ability. My style is mostly realism, like portraits, pin ups, wild life and so on, but I love designing tribal and biomechanical pieces and all kinds of fantasy and nonfigurative stuff. They are simple yet good looking and I have a lot of fun from the beginning of the design to the finished tattoo. I always design these tattoos individually according to the concept and placement. Tribal pieces require more patience during the procedure and a different kind of attention to technical knowledge compared to other styles. They are kind of relaxing pieces between two big realistic pieces, and I love how they twist and disappear and reappear. I'm a big lover of huge multi sessions with large size images, mostly black and white. I guess my customers don't share this opinion. They hate me after 5-6 hours of continuous work. I can't imagine why! :-) I am a slave to my admiration for reproductions of paintings. I just simply love them. Likewise, I love a well composed, complex, multi-arranged sleeve or back piece. But custom pieces require TIME. I take my time developing a drawing, but you must realize it takes at least as much time to create something on paper from scratch as it does to apply it to skin. This is the really hard and time consuming part of a tattoo for me. To put the right shape in the right spot with the right values and right highlights can be difficult. Like every kind of creative effort, it can be easy and fun, but also causes me suffering and inconvenience as well. After all of this, putting it on the skin is always the fun part...at least for me. I consider myself to be a custom tattoo artist. Therefore, I create most of the tattoos for specific individuals. It means I'm trying to include a bit of the customer's personality into the tattoo if I can. I usually don't do the same tattoo twice.I'd rather take the time to design a different one. This is time consuming, yes. But it sharpens my drawing skills and keeps the creative half of my mind trained. I really like those pieces that give you not only visual satisfaction but a little contentment behind the scene. I prefer customers who have a particular idea in mind because that works on me like a kick start on a bike; but, I need freedom in my creation if you want a real nice piece. Bird can't fly with bars around them either. I have the drive for perfection and a bit of talent as well, but definitely the will to improve and learn. As Geothe said "Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration." We constantly have to look for and find the form and color for perfect composition and harmony. We may never reach it, but we have to do our best.

I have enjoyed the art of drawing ever since I was an adolescent. Then when I got my first tattoo, a simple initial done on the inside of my arm by my cousin, I was instantly drawn to the idea of applying my art to skin. I like the allusion of the tattoo being a painting and being a part of the person’s skin. After that I began to research how to be a tattoo artist. I wasn’t sure if I needed to attend college or courses but I was determined to learn. It was a year after this while I was doing a barman course in Kaunas city that I got an apprenticeship after they saw my artwork. I stayed there for 3 years before going to Spain to further my art. At this point in my career I now have about 10 years of experience, a steady clientele list as well as a nice new studio in Dublin, Ireland. Hobbies! I don’t know if it’s interesting to readers but in my free time I enjoy mountain cycling, kite surfing and diving. I also enjoy taking photos of people, places and capturing the moment or the feeling that has motivated me to take the photo. I love to travel to different places in the world and photos are a way to secure memories for a lifetime.

Follow me on Instagram ! @montalvotattoos

Being a young introvert I naturally immersed myself in various forms of art, Painting, drawing and a few other experiments, I settled for many years in the custom car culture, hot rods, custom bikes and anything with cool paint and a set of wheels. The custom paint and art on these vehicles drew my interest in art further, occasionally getting into airbrush work and graphic designs. My interest in tattooing began before I was old enough to get a tattoo my self. Often I would drive my older buddy’s north to the tattoo shops along the borders, tattooing was still illegal where I grew up. Being into art and somewhat into the culture it seemed only natural for me to progress towards tattooing. I headed north at 18 just after graduation, landed an apprenticeship and began to get to work, only to have the owner take my cash and split after only a week leaving a small shop and the rent due at the end of the month! So there was nothing left for me to do but turn on the old neon open sign and get to it, This was back in 1993 and things were a bit different then, Styles, techniques, and attitude to name a few, I got away with a lot back then and sometimes not. I eventually met and became friends with some very talented artist, traveled a bit and worked real hard. So here I am with a lot under my belt, but still learning and growing in the best business in the world… Tattooing. -Mathew

Mike Toth is an award-winning tattoo artist in Bend, Oregon.

Mike has been tattooing professionally since November 2005. Starting his apprenticeship in Scottsdale, AZ, working in San Luis Obispo, and now back in beautiful Bend, OR has had a very diverse impact on his artwork. Working in his own style that can only be described as realism with a very mature and dynamic color palette, Mike says, ” I enjoy working with each individual client on all facets of each project.” “At the same time the collector must give me artistic freedom in order for the piece to reach it’s full potential as well as me reaching my own conceptually and emotionally.”

” Tattooing as a fine art is so multifaceted, much like the clients that we work on, I feel that it is important to create each piece as a team in order to reach a developed piece of art that the collector and I are both very excited about.”

Mike now works from his downtown Bend studio Toth Art Collective located at 1024 NW Bond Street. The studio features a full art gallery that allows him to display his artwork as well as feature artists from all over. Mike has also brought in tattoo artists Aaron Borden and Travis Hedlund to produce quality tattooing in Central Oregon.

Mike Toth is dedicated to his work, always stays on the cutting edge of all aspects of the industry, and feels obligated to bring our community, as well as the rest of the tattoo industry groundbreaking work. “I almost feel that it’s my duty to provide tattoo collectors from Oregon with world class work.” “Just because we live in a slightly smaller community doesn’t mean that the skill sets and ideas of many of our citizens are small as well.”

I started tattooing around 2006 when I got a hold of a machine and a few friends that were willing to let me tattoo them. Once I realized the potential of where this could go, I looked around the area for a formal apprenticeship. I landed an apprenticeship at Guido's which only lasted a few months before I decided it was in my best interest to leave. From there I finished my apprenticeship at Winky Dink Ink where I still work today. I try to focus on improving at every chance I get. Every tattoo I do is a learning experience. I received a fine arts degree from SVA and I try to apply as much formal training as I can to each and every tattoo that I do.

Hi! Im Sam Rulz. I'm originally from Hamilton, New Zealand, where I started tattooing back in 2005. I now live and work in Vienna, Austria with my talented and supportive husband Foerdl. We try to travel and guest as much as possible, but since becomming parents this is down to a few places a year. I'm very passionate about creating original artwork for every one of my customers, I feel like that is what it's all about. On an endless quest for the best and most exclusive reference.

I have been tattooing in several Rhode Island tattoo studios since 2003. I attended Rhode Island College, and hold a Master's Degree in Art Education. Shaping impressionable young minds since 1997, I also taught art at West Warwick High School until 2015. While I have experience tattooing in a wide variety of techniques, I feel my strength lies in my illustrative style, which fuses realism with inventive physics and questionable secondary lighting. Think Dr. Seuss meets John Audobon. Or Salvadore Dali sitting on Norman Rockwell’s lap.

I grew up in Southern California and have been drawing/designing ever since I can remember. I Started my apprenticeship with Mike DeVries at the end of 09 and have been loving the experience of tattooing. My work is mostly realism. But Its always fun to switch it up and do different styles I don't normally get to tattoo.

Mario Sanchez is a well-known tattoo artist and owner of a family oriented shop in San Antonio, TX. He is a custom tattoo artist specializing in portraits, cover-ups and realism. Born and raised in the small town of Abiline, TX his dreams well exceeded his opportunities so he moved to Lubbock, TX to get one step closer to fulfilling his dreams.

    He studied at Texas Tech University for a degree in graphic design and illustration with a minor in painting from 1989-1994. When he wasn’t hitting the books, Mario began the start of his career in his free time. He began tattooing his friends and fraternity brothers, so that they would be forever marked with their greek letters.

    In 1992, while still attending Texas Tech, he only tattooed to earn the income to pay for college. Soon after graduating in 1994, he went professional in both fields of graphic design and skin art. In 1996, he opened a graphic design corporation, winning various awards for designs with big name corporate clients. Mario also won “Business Man of the Year” and was featured professionally in various magazines and newspapers for his accomplishments. As busy as he was running a well-known design firm, he still found time to do his one, true calling- tattooing. Mario’s talent and skills offered many opportunities to go far with his art career, travel to amazing cities and expand with fortune 500 companies nationwide; however, this was not what he truly wanted to do. With the ideas of having an a-typical store with a passion for tattooing he opened up a tattoo studio to call his very own-Prick Tattoos.

    These days you can find Mario, an international award winning artist, following his dreams at Prick Tattoos, along with his youngest son, Drake, who hopes to one day follow in Mario’s footsteps.

    If you are interested in getting a unique piece of art, but do not live in or near the San Antonio area, send him a message. He is always willing to travel or, at the very least, let [potential clients know if and when he will be in their area.

I am an International Female Tattoo Artist. I specialize in black and grey portraits and art recreation with a twist.

David is a great tattooer from the UK. 

  Thanks for visiting my website. My name is George Scharfenberg, here's a breif history of how I got to this point in tattooing. I was born in Staten Island, New York in 1974. But spent most of my childhood is Sarasota, Florida.

Growing up I was always interested in art and drawing spending a lot of time in the art room at school, even over the summer break. I was lucky enough the art teacher would let me into the art class while she was working. I never had it in my head that I would eventually become a tattoo artist as my parents were not tattooed. The only contact with tattooing I had growing up was from my Grandfather who was heavily tattooed. He got most of his tattoos while serving in the army in WW2.

In 1987 my family moved to Belfast, Northen Ireland where my mother was born. At the same time my uncle (my mothers brother) had returned to Northern Ireland with his family after leaving the US army where he learned to tattoo over ther years while traveling with the army.

Once he moved back to Northern Ireland he opened one of the first studios in the city. At the age of 14 I was hanging around the studio and would help out with the day to day goings on such as stenciling designs and talking to clients.

  I  studied graphic design and passed my HND course with merit in 1998.  

  I offically started my appreniceship in March of 2000. Over the years I have worked at a could of differnt studios, but now work at Belfast Tattoos Collective.  

I really enjoy most styles of tattooing. But love making new school style tattoos and also black and grey style work as well.

Please feel free to contact me about your tattoo ideas. I would love to hear what ya got.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and good luck, George

Although I’ve been creating visual designs since my days with Crayola crayons and macaroni art, it took me a while to find out that skin was the canvas that allowed me to best display my distinctive and original perspective pieces. Throughout my schooling I cultivated my abilities in the creative arts, it wasn't until a few years back that I realized that my true passion lies in the art of tattooing and wasn't until 2011 when I could make it my profession.  While I enjoy most styles of tattoo, from lettering and black work to bright and vibrant color pieces, my professional focus is on illustrative and animated perspective point-of-view imagery. I love to take an object and twist it, creating an unusual and dynamic perspective with the illusion of space and depth. By concentrating on line weight, light sources, and focal points, I can use perspective technique to create a completely original work of art. (And given some paste and construction paper, I can still make one bad-ass macaroni snowman.)

Moto, Macro photography, Hyper Realism, Brian M. Viveros, Intenze Products, Inkmachines, R.Hernandez, Boris, Alex De Pase, Victor Portugal, Zhivko, J.Gogue, M.Demasi, Kirby Sattler Native American Art, Painting,

Resident tattooer at Off the Map Tattoo Easthampton, specializing in black and gray tattoos.

Hey everyone my name is Steven Cornicelli. I was born in Maryland and grew up on Long Island and moved here to Florida in early 1996. At 18 I received my first very small and I mean small scorpion tattoo after that I was hooked. I have been into the art of drawing since I can remember, mostly comic book style. I also attended SUNY Farmingdale, for Art and the Art Institute for Media Art. After that first tattoo I recieved I knew Tattooing was something I had to do but alas, in the eighties tattooing in NY was still very taboo and hush-hush. Almost ten years later after lots of trial and error I broke through because of misfortune. In 1996 my misfortune turned into fortune, I brought my portfolio to a shop out on 19 called Black Diamond and I apprenticed for the owner Ron, for about 6 months, I traced, made neeles, and cleaned toilet bowls...then I tattooed. I broke into the tattoo industry and have been tattooing ever since. I also  worked for Lou's Tattoos on the corner of 4th and Gandy for 15 years as the "Milkman". I have been praticing the Tattoo Arts for 20 years. My style is versatile, realism and portrait work are fave. I hope you enjoy my portfolio and when your ready for your New Tattoo I'll be here waiting.

Thanks

-Steven

Custom tattooer from Jackson, TN. 

Born in California, moved to TN in 1990.

Worked as a professional freelance illustrator & graphic designer for well over a decade before apprenticing to tattoo in October 2005 in Jackson, TN. James started tattooing full time 6 months later in early 2006 & has worked at The Tattoo Station since December 2009...

Budo Studio - Jackson, TN 2005 - 2009

Tattoo Station - Milan, TN 2009 -

Illustration & Design clients include: The Misfits, The Vandals, Static-X, Blitzkid, HorrorPops, Nekromantix, Mister Monster, The Cryptkeeper Five, The Undead, American Plague, Michale Graves, Dr Chud’s X-Ward and many more

I swore I would never take on another apprentice. People would come into the shop sometimes by the handful looking for a place to get their start. It didn't matter who it was or how good they were, it could have been Da Vinici himself, and I still would have said no. Then I meet this young kid with a mohawk and right away my answer was, "Nope!! Sorry dude, I'm not taking anyone!" He convinced me to at least look at his stuff, so I did, and honestly I was even less impressed, and my answer was still "Nope! "Then something interesting happened, Brent responded with "Ok, I know you said no, and you’re not interested but can you give me a few pointers on how I can better myself and my art work?"  I was kinda of blown away by this. Here I was, shattering this kids dreams, and instead of walking out with his head down, he asked me for help. So I went through his book and we picked a piece he was proud of, I gave him some tips and sent him on his way. He held his head high and walked out with excitement.  To my surprise, two days later Brent walked back in with the changes he made to his proud piece of art and asked for more advice. So I gave him more tips. A day later he was back with even more changes, this went on for about six months or so. The kid was relentless. He asked me if he could just sit there and draw while I worked and that way if there was anything he needed to change, he could do it right there. I remember going home and thinking to myself, "Wow this dude never heard the word no come out of my mouth that day I turned him down. Why not make this official and give him the real apprenticeship he deserves."

Brent's work now speaks for itself, there's not much words can say; because when you look at his work, your sometimes left speechless. Brent started his tattoo career nearly three years ago. Though he has only been tattooing for two years now, Brent has been able to do things in two years that has taken other's a life time to achieve. Yes Brent started his apprenticeship with us but we can't take all the credit. Brent's hard work, persistence, and dedication has made him the person he is today. There have been numerous people that come and go in this shop, some of the best out there, but there's something about Brent that separates him from all the others. I have never seen someone grow like he has. With Brent's confidence, passion and open mind his possibilities are endless. With all the talented artist around him and his humble approach to life Brent will become one of the biggest names tattooing has ever seen. I couldn't be more proud of Brent. Everyday day he blows my mind and leaves me lost for words. Those who think of greatness and surround themselves with greatness, can become only one thing, GREAT!!

- Mike Demasi - Art Junkies Tattoo

Victor Modafferi artwork available here: http://victormodafferiart.bigcartel.com/

Original paintings, canvas prints, books etc

Rewind, if you will, to 2000.  As a senior I was named President of my high school art club and my peers voted me best artist in my class.  After high school I served an apprenticeship at a small tattoo studio in Monticello, Indiana.  I then went on to obtain an associate degree in graphic design.  After spending a couple years designing shirts and doing vinyl work for local businesses I decided to get back to what I really enjoyed, tattooing.

Eight years and nearly eighty pounds later I’m still passionate about tattooing.  I’m constantly trying to grow as an artist.  From oil painting to just sketching, I’m working to develop new ideas and techniques to enhance my abilities as a tattoo artist.  I enjoy so many styles of tattooing; traditional, new school, realism, neo-traditional, organic/bio, full color, black and grey… I like to think I’ve developed my style from a manifestation of many influences.  The subjects I tattoo tend to be as diverse as  the styles I tattoo in.  So long as it’s not gang related or racist, I’m typically down.  I like to tattoo the humorous and obscure stuff, but I’m not the type of guy who’s going to sigh or moan if you ask for a star.  I enjoy the challenge of rethinking the “typical tattoos”, such as stars, butterflies, crosses, and so on.  Don’t get me wrong though, I’d much rather be designing a pine cone on a stack of flapjacks with a Tom Selleck mustache.

This tale begins more than a decade ago in a land far, far away from these United States. Our kingdom's northern villages had been ravaged by the great storm and beasts began to roam the lands. They were vicious night dwelling creatures and their appetites, insatiable. No mortals dared go out at night and all who desired life swore allegiance to the Dark King. 

I was raised in the mountains by a secret society of warrior monks, remnants of the old world, and was said to have been born from a vision by a high priest millennia ago. Some say I simply "appeared" in this time…That I was destined to take the throne as my own and slay the Dark King. Therefore in my twentieth year I set out on the long journey to concur the throne of the high tower.

After weeks of perilous travel through the secret mountain pass a terrible blizzard came over the land, forcing me to seek refuge in a cave just outside the eastern plains.  Deep in the the caves cavernous corridors I met a traveler and mystic who like my self sought refuge in the belly of the Earth. He was a strange man and his skin danced with bizarre pictures and colors unknown in that time. After days in the cave he shared with me a sacramental herb of his land and the rituals of tattooing. I have done that ever since.

One of the most unique parts of tattooing compared to other art forms is the collaboration between artist and client. Tattooing can only take place when an individual is willing to get tattooed. For this reason I try to make every step of my tattoo process focused on my clients well being and ideals for their chosen tattoo and I’ve shaped my tattoo process to reflect this. 

THE PROCESS

1) CONSULT

All of my tattoo work starts with a consultation. This is a time for you the prospective client to briefly get to know me and the atmosphere of the studio. After filling out a short consultation form for my records we go over your ideals for the new tattoo and look over any reference material you may have. References can be printed or saved to a portable device such as cell phone or iPad and are not necessary but very helpful. Consults are best in person, however when circumstances prevent face to face interaction other arrangements can be made. Once we’ve discussed what will be necessary to complete your tattoo (time/space/budget) I collect a $100 deposit to hold your appointment which is deducted from the total price at the end of your tattoo. My normal wait time for booking your first appointment is 1-2 months.

2) DRAWING

For larger or more involved tattoo compositions a drawing consultation is required. These appointments are normally booked within a week of your first tattoo appointment and can take 1 1/2 to 2 hours. In order to be certain that I design exactly what your looking for and reduce time spent waiting for adjustments to a design I do the full composition directly on your skin with markers and use a transfer process to remove the image. In this time we again discuss your ideals and dig a bit deeper into the concept making any necessary revisions as we go. Once you are satisfied with the composition and I have a transfer I can then have the final line drawing ready to tattoo as soon as you arrive the day of your tattoo. For smaller work extra time is added to the tattoo appointment so that again I can work through the composition with you present. Design time is complementary. Once the image is transferred all client revisions are closed.

3) BILLING

Clients are only charged once tattooing begins

and are billed at the end of the session at a rate of $150 per hour.

4) SESSIONS

The majority of my work requires a minimum of two sessions regardless of size. For smaller work this is normally covered by the deposit and takes less than 1 hour. By requiring a final short “beauty pass” i’m able to insure that I’ve done everything in my ability to provide a long lasting tattoo that you can love and show off for the next 20 years. My approach per session is to give the most bang for your buck. My time is not cheap and since tattoos hurt it usually isn’t that enjoyable. Because of this I strive to be as efficient as possible and provide dramatic and noticeable change/progress from session to session. Normally sessions happen once a month to allow time for healing and settling and ideally last 4-5 hours.

5) RESCHEDULING

Regardless of how prepared or how well we plan sometimes life throws a curve ball and you can’t make it to a scheduled appointment. I totally understand, however it can be very difficult to fill a last minute cancellation. In order to cut down on time lost I require 72 hours notice for all rescheduled appointments to avoid loss of deposit. If a cancellation happens within 72 hours your deposit will be lost and a new $100 deposit will be required in order to book a new appointment. No exceptions. Repetitive rescheduling will not be tolerated out of respect to other clients who would love to book that calendar time. 3 back to back reschedules will result in loss of deposit. No exceptions. If a drawing consultation is rescheduled the attached first appoint is also rescheduled.

THE MORE YOU KNOW…

I’m often asked what my favorite tattoo style to work in is and I have a hard time answering that question because I like to tattoo in my own way and not in a predetermined style or genre. So in this section I’m attempting to give a clearer picture of how I like to create an image through the thought processes behind them. 

The best I’ve done at giving a title to my personal style is a ridiculous mash up of the words ILLUSTRATIVE GEOMETRIC PSYCHEDELIA. Partially because I think the need to give genre titles to every piece of art we see or music we hear is absurd so I gave mine an absurd title, also because that’s really the most precise wording I could come up with.

Illustrative

Wikipededia:

“An illustration is a visualization or a depiction of a subject made by an artist, such as a drawing, sketch, painting, photograph, or other kind of image of things seen, remembered or imagined, using a graphical representation.”

In my case I associate this with the look of pen and ink illustrations such as that in religious texts, medical books, or comic books. This directly relates to my approach in the drawing of the chosen subject matter and the amount of/execution of black in my tattoos. This forms the foundation pass for everything I do. Because I establish the structure of my image with black work I have the freedom of placing color in a more nondescript way and think more like a graphic designer trying to get a strong visual impact and focus more on longevity of the colors I choose.

Geometric

Dictionary.com:

"-of or relating to geometry or to the principles of geometry.

-resembling or employing the simple rectilinear or curvilinear lines or figures used in geometry.”

When looking at my mandala or pattern based tattoos this is an obvious title however all my work starts here. In the composition stage all subject matter is reduced to its most basic geometric form. From here the image can exist simply as shapes and the relationships between them in order to create harmony in the image before details ever enter the picture. When given design freedom I tend to include geometric framing and raw geometric shapes as motifs that contrast a more rendered subject and suggest the underlying geometric foundation of the overall design. I’m truly fascinated by the interlocking geometric structure of the natural world. Pairing plants, animals, and figures with geometric design is one of my favorite themes.

Psychedelia

Dictionary.com:

“of or noting a mental state characterized by a profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by severe perceptual distortion and hallucinations and by extreme feelings of either euphoria or despair.”

In the fine art world this would fall into Surrealism but in modern times these terms seem to overlap and psychedelia feels more appropriate for my demographic and interests. This topic most directly applies to my views on color but also blankets my entire approach. To me colors are most enjoyed at high contrast and very bold. Just a few colors cleverly placed similar to that of screen printed poster art is far more intriguing than an image that attempts to use every color found in nature. In tattooing, bold simple color schemes age far better than tattoos with excessive color transitions and blends. Visually, if this thinking is applied to an entire body (canvas) of tattoos, the wearer ends up with a balanced cohesive body of work. Every new tattoo borrows from the color scheme of the last and every image looks as if it goes with the next, regardless of their relationship or proximity to each other.

Aside from color use, I like to let things get weird and somewhat abstract. I enjoy playing with themes like mysticism, transcendentalism and using metaphor to tell a story through unconventional means. 

INFLUENCES AND THEMES: (in no particular order)

Screen Print, Mysticism, Comic Books, Etching, Poster Art, Ancient Cultures and Religions, Cartoons, Manga, Graphic Design, Band Merch, All things Kentucky, Triangles and Circles, Stoner Metal, Classical Architecture, Banjo, Color Theory, Armchair Philosophy, Nature, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Crystals and Minerals, Altered States, Transcendence, Records, Travel, Balance through Contrast, Folk Music, Archetypes, Folklore, Anatomy, Biographies, Experimental Music, Botanical Illustration, Mandalas, Barn Quilts, Effects Pedals, Video Games, Toy Design, Character Design, Growth and the Passing of Time

If while looking over this outline you felt aligned or inspired to work with me and enjoyed my portfolio, then chances are we’ll get along great and I would love to hear your ideas! Feel free to contact me through email at theartofjoeking@gmail.com or simply fill out the form in the CONTACT PAGE.

"Liz Cook has established herself as a leading tattoo artist through her amazing work. Her color application is inspiring with heavy saturation and dynamic color contrasts. Cook deftly mixes realism with rendered illustrative elements to bring deeper meaning to her imagery.

Even as a child, Cook knew her future would involve the arts. She earned a BFA in studio painting and drawing giving her the formal training to build upon in the tattoo studio. Cook has an intuitive understanding of portraiture which allows her the creative freedom to push boundaries without compromising realism." - Eternal Ink 

Ernesto Nave studied illustration and animation at Pratt in Brooklyn, New York. He has been tattooing since May 2008. He also oil paints, and works with digital animation, video and photography.  Ernesto is the owner of Lost Art Gallery and Tattooing in Oakville, CT.

Been tattooing Since February 2008. Apprenticed under Cory Cudney at Divine Machine Tattoo in Buffalo,NY. After almost four years tattooing I couldnt imagine my life any diffrent. I studied art at CCAD in Columbus Ohio which gave me a lot of tools to put my mind and body into this industry. I was fortunate to grow up in a custom tattoo environment which def pushed me to be very versitile. I love doing tattoos that are really silly, nostalgic, nerdy, animal based and of food. I have been blessed to come this far in a very short time, and im very eager to  always learn more. I cant wait to see myself after 10 years! In my free time when im not drawing or tattooing I love to paint, spend time with my cats, write music, and play video games and do really nerdy things. :)

The Beginning

So this tattoo art entered my life kind of out of boredom and the help from my neighbor Ozzy. I was sitting on my porch in the housing projects back home (Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation) like I usually did back then, I was 13 years old and I was drawing. My neighbor came over and looked at what I was drawing and said “ you should tattoo that on me”. I laughed at him and said I don’t even know how to tattoo and I’m 13. The next day he came over and showed me this home made machine he made for me to tattoo him with. I was really intrigued at the prospect of tattooing something I drew on somebody’s body, how rad. I did not know anything about the standards of practice in this industry; I didn’t even use gloves, or alcohol to clean the skin, what the hell was a stencil? I tattooed with some ink he had made for me, ashes or something like that, with spit for the carrier. Hahaaa.. This was my first stab at it, so to speak. I ended up tattooing a lot of people for the next year or so. Upgraded to India ink and still never wore gloves. I think about this brief stint in my life and knowing what I know now it fucking grosses me out. I never considered tattooing as a career and just had fun marking up people. I always had the drive to be an artist and pursued painting and drawing as my carrier choice. I wanted to be a fine artist and that’s what I pursued over the next 8 or 9 years of my life. I eventually went back to tattooing out of survival; paintings and drawings are hard to sell. I still never knew the true potential of this choice. I moved forward really uneducated and in the dark. I started tattooing for free at first and was horrible at it, made a lot of scars and really horrible permanent marks on people. This was the beginning…

As most things are when you move forward with them they grow and you grow with them. These bad experiences are almost necessary to achieve the kind of growth that is needed for someone trying to learn something, especially something as vast as tattooing. I know that not everyone wants to start out this way but it seems to be the normal way of educating yourself when you have no other option. It is good to know what not to do and not repeat these mistakes. Although I am not a master I always remember a quote I read that says “ a master has failed more times than a beginner has even attempted “ so this helps me accept that I must fail to move ahead. I want to say thank you to all of my past victims for helping me grow as an artist and tattooer, some of whom I still have the honor of tattooing since I was 13. I want to say that it has been a long journey since then to now, I have sought out the proper way and met some really awesome people along this path that have given me what words cant describe. I have been lucky to have meet some really great artists and learned from them what I would consider the proper way of conducting myself in this art medium. I want to say thank you to these individuals.

I was told that we all start out in the muck and some of us rise out of the muck and become the cream. I think this is true with anything in life. When things get hard and faith becomes slim you have to push yourself to keep going and never lose the belief in your vision. People in your life that you love and love you are sometimes the worst support when you set out to do something different than the normal. They will tell you to go and get a “real” job and try as hard as they can to bring you back to their reality. Hold on tight to what you believe and don’t lose faith in yourself. There seems to be a need for passionate people in life, they are the ones that can inspire others to lift themselves up and step out of the darkness and become the light. I am a believer that from humble beginnings come great things. I want to become great at what I do I want to become something better than I am and continue to try and achieve my truest genetic potential. This story is what I believe to be a reflection of that. I never see myself as better than others or having all that I need, what I know for sure is that I am grateful and humbled to be able to do what I do for a living.

Inspire Me

Inspiration, as an artist it comes from many different sources and is one of the most important elements to creating art. I find inspiration in nature and in the city, from the land and the people and things I encounter on my journey through life. I also find inspiration from the ideas I get from people when they tell me what they want for a tattoo, I wish I could say that I am inspired by every idea I hear but sadly I am only inspired by what catches a current interest I have, or something that I have always wanted to do as a tattoo. I like doing colorful multi session work that I design with your idea. I like doing portraits occasionally and some black and grey work.

Things that I do not like to tattoo are tribal, drawings that your little brother or cousin drew for your tattoo, infinity symbols and the like, and your boyfriends name on your neck. Things like this are not that appealing to me as an artist or person.

I would like to say that I am honored to be able to tattoo people for a living and it is something that I take seriously and have a great amount of respect for. This tattoo medium is a vary demanding medium to work in, it is equally demanding on the artist as well as the collector. The time and effort put forth to do this is no small undertaking. If you choose to start a large project with me please consider the time and money it will take to finish this commitment and make sure that we can do it in a timely manner. Pain is another factor in getting tattooed, you have to be able to deal with the pain of getting tattooed for long sessions and make sure that you eat good and bring a snack to eat during breaks, this always helps. There are steps to creating all out custom tattoos that sometimes cant be put on hold and done later, they have to be done to completion before we can stop. So if you are considering me to tattoo you please keep these things in mind and consider the commitment we are going to make to each other.

I would like to tattoo people that are willing to take a leap of faith with me and trust in my ability. People that are dreamers and believers in the impossible, the seekers and open minds of this time in life . So if you have a dream or a vision lets grab it together and make it happen. To me this medium is more than just an artistic expression, it is a leap of faith and a spiritual journey. I take this to heart every time I am asked to tattoo somebody no matter what size the tattoo ends up being.  

I am Jared Preslar and I began tattooing professionally in 1997, I hungered to be a tattoo artist from the age of 12. Art was always my passion, I loved to draw from a young age and later began to oil paint. I immediately fell in love with this medium and it has influenced my tattooing greatly. I have Jeff Gogue to thank for his time and sharing of knowledge, technique and experience, I may have never picked up an oil brush had it not been for him. Some of the artists whom have influenced my tattooing over the years have been Filip Leu, Guy Aitchison, Horiyoshi III, Shige, and Jeff Gogue to name a few. I have spent quite a few years traveling around the world, meeting and tattooing some very amazing people that of which I'm grateful for, I am however settling down from travel and am really focusing on refining/redesigning my art at this point. I am constantly focused on growing as an artist and as a person although I have a long way to go I have very high aspirations.

Christina Walker has been tattooing professionally since 2007

Currently she is focusing on larger scale pieces

heavy with ornate detail, linework, geometric and mandala style features

and only custom artwork-

EMAIL

Ethan Morgan is an award winning artist of over 30 awards and has been tattooing for twenty years. Ethan has been featured in many international magazines and books including featured articles in Tattoo Energy and Tattoo Magazine. After thirteen years as owner and founder of So.Cal. Tattoo in Los Angeles, CA, Ethan relocated to New York City five years ago to advance his career expand his repertoire. Beginning at Last Rites, Paul Booth's Tattoo Theatre, followed by Mike Rubendall's Kings Avenue Tattoo in Long Island, Ethan quickly made his mark on the highly-competitive New York City tattoo industry. He had been tattooing at East Side Ink since the studio opened until he opened Rivington Tattoo in 2011. Ethan is a seminal tattoo artist, deeply ingrained in the gothic tattoo movement. He is primarily known for his hyper-realistic black and grey artwork steeped in dark chimera, surrealism, and nightmarish imagery. He describes his own work as "damaged romanticism."

Brandon Schultheis (pronounced 'shul-tice') has been professionally tattooing since the fall of 2006. Due to the amount of clientele I've built up of over the past decade, I work in a private studio setting by appointment only, and only take on new projects when time allows. Please email me with ideas for your tattoo project, and if it's a good fit for me, I maintain a waiting list for potential future clients.

I currently have about a 6 month to a year wait for new clients to get tattooed by me. Depending on what type of project you're looking to do, the wait could be more or less. Please visit the FAQ page for the appointment booking process. I'm very fortunate to have such great clients and I appreciate the desire to get work done by me. As you'll see in my portfolio, I lean towards Bio-Organic/Mechanical, Japanese and New School/Illustrative tattooing; projects like these are the ones that I will almost always take on. I prefer working with color, but I'm still open to black and gray work if it's more appropriate for that piece.

After playing Division 1 lacrosse for 4 years, I graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design in May 2006. It was only after graduating that I was given the chance to pursue a medium that had been a fascination of mine for years. Tattooing for over 12 years now, I've developed a personal style that I'm passionate about.

First off I Would like to thank everyone, who has taken intrest in my Art .Over these last 11 years, I have had a great opportunity to work with alot of the greatest artist in our Industry, which have been a very influential factor in the growth of my Art & Style .

This is a over view of the tattoo's that I have done over the last 4 years. Each tattoo is custom design one of a kind. Drawn for each client . 

I currently work at Moms Body Shop, with a great group of artist .If you would like to get tattooed by me , Refer to the Info Page for details.

Guest Artist 

Appointment Only 

Joby Cummings was born in Palm Springs, California shortly there after found himself growing up in rural Texas. After discovering his mom's art supplies at age seven he gave up his destiny as a prestigious rocket scientist and pursued the career of a starving artist. He then spent many years daydreaming, avoiding responsibilities and drawing instead of doing schoolwork. He was heavily influenced at a young age by classic lowbrow art and cartoons like Wacky Packages, Ed Roth, and early Disney animations. 

 Joby later went on to attend some obscure Jr College with hopes of becoming a top tier graphic designer. Fate would have it as he was distracted by the allure of the tattoo industry and found himself apprenticing in a  local studio in Dallas, Texas. Thrown into the fast paced environment of a high volume tattoo shop in the early 1990s he would get his baptism by fire in illustration and design. Eight years later he found himself returning to graphic design realm. This move overlapped his tattoo career and eventually took precedent until late 2005. Joby had a "come to Jesus" moment and decided for his own sanity it was best he quit the corporate grind and move to Los Angeles in order to full fill his lifelong destiny as a professional beach bum/tattoo artist.

That lasted about 8 years and has just recently moved back to land where they filmed Robocop and take advantage of the benefits Texas has to offer.

 Publications that have features his artist include: Tattoo Savage, International Tattoo, Skin Art, Tattoo Flash, and Inked - teNeues Publishing. His art also can be found in numerous clothing lines and t-shirt companies such as: Christian Audigier, Scanty Pajamas, Zissou & Spike, BCBG, Vertigo, Joie, ENK, West 49, HTFU, and Shirt.Woot. And of course dozens of articles and quick blurbs on a multitude of typography, t-shirt and poster blogs.

 Joby often describes his art as pop culture meets lowbrow nestled in a extra dimensional cartoon that never existed, or did it. He likes to focus on combining elements that normally would not ordinarily be found together and he attempts to find harmony in these items and deliver them with a bit of humor and a nice dose of the bazaar. 

Joby now resides in Los Angeles, California and makes trips to Cat Tattoo for short periods of time. If you're interested in booking with Joby, please send him an email and he will get back to as soon as he can. 

Tattoo artist and owner at Autopsy Tattoo Studio in Austin, TX specializing in freehand black & grey horror tattoos.

Frequently traveling, follow my updates to see where I am guest spotting in the near future.

For appointments email me at toxycxlr@yahoo.com please include the following: design idea (photo reference or description), approximate size, placement & budget and I'll reply as soon as I can!

As a youg artist I knew I had much to learn in life and I was far to unstable to do the right thing and join the traditional work force. In art and my goal was to graduate from art school and spend the next 15 to 20 years working as a production illustrator of some kind, creating whatever tasks were placed in front of me before beginning to really paint. Working in 3-d animation,  monster design, tattoos, and tattoo designs, designing promotional advertisements for events and my business, and even cartography all gave me unique lessons that helped me mold an agile artist mind and skill set.

Being the workaholic that I am I’ve worked on far to many projects to name and have at times attracted the positive attention of industry specific and even main stream media. In the midst of all of this my prevailing lesson is maybe the simplest and most enjoyable life has to offer; STOP, AND NOTICE THE LITTLE THINGS. Most of my painting is driven by this simple credo. From a desire to teach myself and hopefully a few others I’ve allowed myself through my paintings to become fascinated with small things and simple moments. The things in life that cant be bought earned or stolen and must not be missed or lost. The gifts of God's creation, moments to be considered, and simplicity to be enjoyed.

I’m damon Conklin, I live in Seattle, and I have approved this message.

Born and raised in Minnesota, from a family full of artists. I am the only tattoo artist from the bunch, and have been tattooing since 2008.

I enjoy doing semi to photo realistic tattoos, portraits, wildlife, aswell as any custom hand drawn imagery.  Ialso love working with people who know what they want, but are open to ideas and collaboration.

I was born in Zalaegerszeg in 1972, i still live here.

I made my first tattoos in 1992, using amateur equipment. In the following 2 years besides studying and working I made tattoos whenever I had the possibility, then I opened my current studio in 1995.

I participated in the 1996 Budapest Tattoo Expo first, where I won 2 awards and i have been taking it seriously since then.

In the first years I learned the profession alone. I met some tattoo artists in 1996, who accelerated the learning process.

I opened my second studio in Keszthely in 1997, I work there during summers. I went to an international convention first September, 1997 as a spectator in Barcelona and it had a huge impact to me. The next ones were Bologna and Berlin. I stood behind the back of well-known artists and watched how they were working, which techniques and equipment they were using. I tried out and learned everything while working.

The 1999 Berlin Convention was the first one, which I visited as a participant.

I spent most of my time in my studio, but also took part in the foundation works of the Hungarian Tattoo Association and I am the provincial professional vice-president.

What could I write about my work?

I am lucky, because my job is my hobby. I cannot describe my style as I am not commited to any of the trends. I like doing new things every day, I am susceptible to everything new, but of course I take the limits of the skin into consideration.

I prefer customer demands with not only visual, but mental content as well. I like customers with own ideas, because they inspire me and start my imagination working, but it is very important for me to get enough freedom in execution.

I consider all of my works to be equally important, as each of them is the most important to the person who wears it. Of course there are some, which really close to my heart, you can recognise them by looking at my drawings and photos.

I prepare all of the tattoos as if I made them for myself, so I make them as a work of art and not only as a work and I make my drawings aware of that. The drawings are drafts, they are very precise and workdemanding.

If you are interested come and visit me in my studio or at an expo.

All the best till then: Boris

Painting is the ultimate inspiration for Capone. Transfering emotion and thoughts onto canvas with formal studies and years of practical application is only the beginning. Capone developed a strong appetite for art at a young age and with it, the desire and passion that led him to choose the art world as his lifestyle and career. Investing most of his childhood and all of his adult life to his artwork, Capone is well on his way to becoming one of the best tattoo artists in the industry. 

Im a 32 year old Dane, living near Copenhagen. The Owner of Spektrum Art Tattoo located in a small town -Kirke Hvalsø...

I started in the business when i was 18 years old, and since then it has been NON-Stop tattoing.

All my work is custom made, and I always try to express the clients feelings, values or dreams in my way of thinking, which is the psychedelic trip, bio-mechanic or evil side.

I love detailed work in every tattoo style, and use the time it takes to get it top perfection

In Denmark im mostly known for my detailed color work, but in the last couple of years i have evolved in my black/grey.

started tattooing in 2003 in Boulder, Colorado. I've always found myself drawn to what some would call 'realistic' tattoos, but only recently came into my own in regards to finding my own style within this genre of tattooing. I would have to say a big turning point in my tattooing, and more importantly, my art was when I picked up an art magazine containing an article written by David A. Leffel, an American artist who paints in the classic Flemish/Dutch old master style. I cannot stress enough what an eye-opener seeing his work was for me. It was as though I was seeing art for the first time in my life. I began painting in oils in early 2008. I've mainly focused on still lifes, and portraiture with a distinct shift towards more archetypal and story driven works.. I find this type of work very rewarding. I've been able to bring together some of my painting and tattoo styles, combining them into something fresh, and hopefully unique. As with everything in life, my art is a study in hard work, and a constant desire to become a better artist, in both mediums."

Tattooing now for 15 plus years I am constantly amazed at the talent and diversity in this ever growing artform. I have witnessed an amazing transformation of tattooing from basic tattooing to images that could be mistaken for fine art. Learning from many masters of the craft I have adopted many of their ideas and techniques into my own work. This has made me a more effective and confident tattooer. I am always trying to find a balance in my tattooing where simplicity meets quality.  I believe the process of the tattoo depicts the quality of the piece so be patient and be fucking nice.  Good art needs good energy.  Follow those two simple rules and you will get the work you are looking for.  Thanks to all of my clients, and artist friends that have made my career possible.  

Tattooing since 1999. I founded Voluta Tattoo in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2006. Built the shop to educate Indy in the way of custom tattoo, an appointment only set up with no open door and no phone. Lots of drawing, painting and illustration classes augment my learning through the Paradise Artist Retreats, through World Wide Tattoo Conferences and many semars at conventions. I usually attend 3-5 shows per year, now kicking that up to 8-10 per year, including international shows.

TATTOO STYLE AND THEME: THEN

Indianapolis is not the hot edge of tattoo collectorship, but it won't be long. Indiana is blowing up and I like being in the midst of it. To date I have taken just about any style a client requests as my own chance to learn and experiment. Thus my portfolio is diverse and almost wonky with variety. I strive for solid technique, careful attention to edge and the value of color. I strive for impossilbly smooth gradients, large areas of negative space and a variety of flowing dimensions. Most people think my work is done by a lady. That's ok with me. 

TATTOO STYLE AND THEME: NOW

I will be moving my works into a more open style, with less masses of intense detail. I am turning down most pieces that seem just...done. Overdone even. The works are valid and mean much to collectors but I intend to shake it up a bit. I am confident that a client will always be in my chair so I think it is my responsibilty to push our craft, to push the clients to give themselves a wonderous creation. I look forward to 2013-2014 for the crazy lineup of artists that I will be studying under and among. My ability and vision will surely expand. 

Vince Villalvazo began his professional tattoo career in the suburbs of Detroit. Although he loved Michigan, and all his friends and family who live there, he felt the desire to expand; Atlanta became his new home in 2008 and in August 2011 he opened Mystic Owl Tattoo with his wife Tara.

“It has always been a dream of mine to open my own studio,” says Vince.

“I just wanted to create a comfortable art driven studio for myself and other like-minded artists. I enjoy what I do for a living and I think it is important to enjoy the environment that we do our creating in.”

Vince enjoys various styles of tattooing but his preferred style is illustrative neo-traditional tattooing. He enjoys bold lines and bright colors and that is what his clients primarily go to him for.

“I am very thankful for my wonderful clientele; they usually give me a loose idea and let me go with it, and that is how the best tattoos are created.”

In his little spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

“I am more of a home body, I like to play Rock Band with my wife and friends,” says Vince.

When not at the studio or home he has bowling nights with all the artists and some close clients.

I love cheeseburgers....

<> I’ve always been drawing, but it wasn’t until college that I realized I was pretty effing good at it. I started off at Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota FL, bounced around to a few places, including Boston, and returned home to Rhode Island and graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design (Class of ’05 with Evan). I took the Fine Art Painting route for a little while, showing my oil paintings at local galleries and doing commissioned work.  I didn’t actually get into tattooing until a few years after leaving school. I may have been a little late to the game, but I caught on pretty quick, and completed an apprenticeship. I learned a lot, but kind of went my own way with things; applying my painting and color technique and adding what some may call a softer, more feminine touch to my tattoos. I love realism, and very colorful subject matter, such as:  flowers, pin-ups, animals, etc.  Art Nouveau has recently been a huge influence on my work as well, and I tend to incorporate many of its elements in my work. I’m definitely a fan of soft realistic black and gray work, but my passion lies in color. I also enjoy pastry, candy, and baked goods (to paint , tattoo, and eat--its kind of my thing). Also, rollerskating and long walks on the beach at sunset…

*this artist currently has a waiting list

Jose Perez Jr, owner of Dark Water Studio, is one of the top black and grey Realistic tattoo artists in the world. 

During my career, I’ve turned to some of the best artists, both old masters in art and new artists in the tattoo industry, as well as many other forms of art, craftsmanship and nature for inspiration.  Knowing that tattooing is a vast industry, I had to push myself to learn and recreate realism — to be able to stand out amongst great tattoo artists.  I strictly tattoo in the realm of black and grey realism that pushes the limit on texture and detail. It’s all about getting the right reference photo and I have always been a very visual person. I strived to achieve something that other artists weren’t doing at the time and I continue to work hard to perfect my craft.

When I began tattooing 14 years ago I would have never thought I’d be where I am today.  It took a lot of hard work, dedication and perseverance over the years.  I was exposed to tattooing when I was 16 years old and decided to goof around and built my own machine out of a Walkman motor and guitar strings. But don’t do that! I enjoy the art aspect of tattooing most, honestly.  It amazes me that you can accomplish such a beautiful piece of art on skin, it intrigued me to continue and learn more about the industry.  

Currently, I own and work out of Dark Water Studio in Willow Springs, IL, a southwest suburb of Chicago.  After many years of traveling the world guest spotting and doing conventions, I’ve met so many amazing people and tattoo artists, and enjoy being a part of this industry. Over the past year and a half, I have been focusing on teaching on my YouTube Channel (YouTube.com/JPJTattoos) and seminars , both one-on-one at my studio and to groups at conventions. I want to give back to this industry that has been so good to me, and help lead the way for the future of this industry. 

Stay tuned, been working on a lot of large scale pieces that I will be finishing up over the rest of this year. And hopefully, pumping out some paintings along the way.

For appointments please visit JPJTattoos.com and fill out the contact form.  

Check out and subscribe to YouTube.com/JPJTattoos for Professional Tips & Tricks, Tattoo Time -lapse videos and Jose's world travels.  

Follow him on Instagram @joseperezjrtattoos

Follow him on Twitter @JPJTattoos

Purchase the Jose Perez Jr Dark Water Ink Set on the Merch page.

My entire life revolves around everything art related. From the fine arts, to music, to film – I love it all.

I have been a professional tattoo artist for 8 years. I apprenticed under William Addams in Indianapolis, IN. William taught me the basics as to making a great tattoo. Bold lines, solid color, and consistency – however my career has developed since then. I have had the privilege to work with many great artists in this journey and have learned a lot of the tricks of the trade so to speak. I feel that these things are what make me a strong artist. I strive to provide clean, bold, yet solid line work, bright colors, dark blacks, and smooth grey wash. I find myself favoring American Traditional, Neo-traditional, Illustrative, Cartoony, Realism, as well as Black and Grey – but that does not mean I am limited to doing those tattoos, and only those tattoos.

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Through middle school and high school, I constantly stayed in the art class to finish another painting, or loose myself in another charcoal. I have always favored Graphic Design and Web Design (as that is another one of my professions). I received my first computer at the age of 8, and since day one, I was fascinated with how they work, how websites work, and what it takes to build my own. I feel that having a strong graphic design background also improves my artistic abilities on many levels including saturation, exposure, contrast, composition, and etc. I am currently certified in the Microsoft Office Suite, and have many other certifications including Adobe Photoshop, and etc.

Among tattooing, coding websites, and graphic design – I also run a record label by the name of Robot Monster, Inc. We are an all horror music record label, based just outside of Seattle, WA. I run Robot Monster with my business partner, best friend, and fellow tattooer Jake Hades. We have quite the list of bands, but this is no hobby label. Our bands span the globe with terrifying music. Check it out for yourself at: http://robotmonster.us

The past few years I have been trying to open a clothing company by the name of Phantom Creature Clothing and Apparel. With little time left to even sleep as each day passes by, this idea may be on the back burner for a few more years – but it will see the light of day.

Another item that holds strong to me, are horror movies. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a huge passion for cinema, focusing on the macabre. I have quite the movie collection, with 95% being all horror, the rest being comedy of all things.  I guess horror movies have accidentally influenced my musical and artistic tastes as well. In 2008 I even had the honor to tattoo Michale Graves (former singer of the Misfits, Gotham Rd., Graves, Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg, and etc.), as well as JV Bastard (Michale Graves band, Mister Monster, Gotham Rd., Doomsday Prophecy, Darrow Chemical Co. and etc) on multiple occasions.

              Frank La Natra was born and raised in Brooklyn. He always had a penchant for art and music. Originally a music major and talented bass player, he maintained his passion for drawing, tattooing and animation. He formulated his artistic endeavors at the School of Visual Arts and the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where he received his Bachelor of Science in illustration.

            Currently living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where his career in tattooing took off and led him to become a published, award-winning and internationally known artist in the industry. He is one of the promoters of TattooLaPalooza, Miami’s largest and most well-known tattoo convention, as well as the lead artist and owner at Into the Woods Gallery and Body Art Studio in Dania Beach, Florida. He has also created        La Natra Art Studios where he freelances as an illustrator and fine artist.

             His Art is a fusion of Animation and Fine Art. He creates his work using different media and substrates, from his beloved blue lead pencil on paper, to digital art, oil paints, and tattooing on flesh. On his downtime, he spends time with his Fiance, playing video games and being a die-hard Star Wars fan.

Adam Anthony Aguas is a tattoo artists from Chicago Illinois and has been tattooing for 4 years. Specializing in New School Illustrative tattooing. 

Megan Jean Morris, the owner, is a tattoo artist and a painter.   She specializes in portraits, realism, and surrealism in black and grey or color.  In 2005, Megan Jean worked and studied as an apprentice under Adam Gordon at Mr.Adam's Tattoos in Farmington, Maine. She continued working at Mr. Adam's for five years while developing an understanding for the many different aspects of tattooing.  

Megan Jean's Education

In her formative years, Megan Jean's compulsory drive to develop as a fine artist lead her to attend Interlochen, the distinguished Summer Art Academy where she had the privilege of studying Life Drawing and Anatomy under Julie Saecker Schneider.  Megan Jean's portfolio awarded her merit scholarships to Rhode Island School of Design, Carnegie Mellon, and Syracuse University, and it was there, in upstate New York, where Megan Jean completed her Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design.  During her time at Syracuse, Megan Jean studied under the designer Don Carr, and discovered invaluable philosophies of design that she applies to her own artistry, as well as painting, with one of America's greatest Living Figure artists, Jerome Witkin.

And a word about her paintings:

Relating to ourselves, as we are, along with the world as it occurs to us, is what beyond all else, captivates Megan Jean's focus.  She is uninterested with the singular "Truth" yet captivated by our plethora of constructed "truths".  Her paintings convey new perspectives, unseen options and identities while adding in overtones of the sarcastic, wise, comedic, and loving.

Utilizing thin coats of transparent oil veneers, Megan Jean composes her paintings layer by layer, which helps to achieve a rich surface with deep colors.  Her compositions encourage the eye on its journey over the canvas and onward into your own experience of life.

I started my tattoo career as a street portrait painter in Merdeka street Bandung,Indonesia in 1997.I first got tattooed by Duff after that I really wanted to learn. I was lucky enough to have a very famous artist here Kent Tattoo apprentice me and after that I was on my way to a constantly learning journey.People ask me if tattooing is easy?I always tell them it depends on your effort and desire.  The most limiting factor is patience.If an artist has patience to put in effort and always be teachable and be willing to learn and stay humble you will always get the best maximal output.From 1997 to 2004 I became used to doing tribal,biomechanical,old school,new school,oriental and I still enjoy those styles,however my passion is realism.Portraits,animals,things,scenes etc.If you have a decent photo of what you want I can usually tattoo it.

Tattooing since 2005, Wes has spent many years finding his niche in tattooing. After several years of experimenting with this style, and that style he had an epiphany. Wes realized he just loved tattooing. So armed with the experience of tattooing many different styles, he set out to be a Jack of all trades. Tattooing everything from Realism to Japanese to American Traditional, there is nothing Wes can't do, while always trying to grow as an artist. Throughout the years Wes had the privilege of working with an array of very talented artists; from Daniel Brockett and Tristan Bradshaw at Aces Tattoo to Liz Cook and David Mushaney at Rebel Muse. The time eventually came when Wes had to venture out on his own in this tattoo wilderness and build his own creative workspace. So in 2016 Wes opened Metropolis Tattoo and Fine Art with friend and co-owner Mark Smith. Combining a noir asthetic with an art gallery and classic tattoo shop feel, Metropolis focuses on establishing a venue for creativity that involves not only it's artists but also the communtity.

 I have had a passion for art ever since I was a child. My earliest known drawing on record was when I was about six years old. It was a replica of a painting in my living room. I still have it thanks to my Grandmother who always signed and dated all of my earlier drawings. You couldn’t get me away from art. That’s all I wanted to do besides climbing trees jumping on rocks and swinging over streams on a rope fighting off dragons, monsters, demons and whatever else I created in my fictional world. Even through most of my school years I spent my time drawing and doodling in class instead of doing the actual class work. When I turned 18 I got a job with my friends dad in construction, It was alright but I couldn’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life. In 2003 I met Jim Hayek who became a good friend and taught me the art of tattooing, I knew then that this is what I wanted to do! In 2006 I quit working construction and became a full time tattoo artist. Jim Hayek, Mike Devries, H. R. Giger, Chet Zar, Paul Booth, and Bob Tyrrell are just a few of the artists that influenced me through out my career as an artist. Thats about it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thanks for reading!

To set up an appointment with Christel you can email SolTribe@gmail.com or for a faster response call 303.832.1311

Born and raised in Texas. When I am not tattooing, I spend my time painting.  I have been a tattooer for the past 13 years, but my love of drawing began before I could spell. I am 100% self-taught.  My styles could be defined as surrealism and realism with a hint of irony.

I am inspired by science fiction, mechanical workings, visiting art museums, religious icons… Almost anything around me may provide inspiration at a moment’s notice. 

David Mushaney has been tattooing for about six years, but has been involved in art for most of his life.

David is one of our owners here at Rebel Muse Tattoo, located in Lewisville, TX (near Dallas).

David prefers to do custom designed tattoos, and he specializes in Blackwork Tattoos, as well as Geometric, Floral, Abstract, Trash Polka and Nature related tattoos.  

If you would like to set up a consult/tattoo appointment with David, please fill out an online consultation on his website at www.DMTattoos.com

Cree McCAhill 21. Tattooing since 2008 Enjoy every second of it, wouldn't have it any other way. My main styles enjoy the most would be "neo trad" Surf n ink will be my first convention, hopefully more to come.

follow me on instagram: @creeepy

Joe Riley, Las Vegas Tattoo Artist @ Bluenote Tattoo

Joe Riley has been a professional tattoo artist since 1998. He started his tattoo career in a small town about 2 hours south of Las Vegas, in Bullhead City, AZ. He did not go through a typical tattoo apprenticeship, rather he was taught to tattoo hands on, and being thrown into the rotation in a very short amount of time. His mentors believed that he was a natural tattoo artist from the very beginning. After less than a year of doing tattoos, Joe had the opportunity to buy the tattoo shop that he had worked at, Timewarp Tattoo.

After owning the tattoo shop for about 5 years and focused mainly on custom tattoos, he decided it was time to move on and leave the small town life behind. Joe did several guest spots with some of the industries best tattoo artists, and at some of the best tattoo shops in the country. He decided to settle in at Slave to the Needle Tattoo in Seattle. This was a great learning experience for Joe working side by side with some of the best tattoo artists in the industry and was greatly influenced in many styles of custom tattooing. After some time in Seattle, the traveling bug hit once again and Joe found himself traveling the country, doing tattoos at several different tattoo conventions and doing guest spots at many different custom tattoo shops, once again, absorbing as much knowledge and wisdom as he could from some of the best tattoo artists in the industry. He then settled in southern California at Outer Limits Tattoo where he honed his skills focusing mainly on large scale custom tattoos.

Fast forward to 2009, Joe found himself in Las Vegas working at a very busy tattoo shop on the Las Vegas Strip.  After several years spent tattooing on the Las Vegas Strip, it was once again time to move on to a new tattoo shop, where Joe could focus on what he does best, full custom tattoos.  You can now find Joe Riley at Bluenote Tattoo in Las Vegas, located minutes away from the Las Vegas strip.  Bluenote Tattoo offers a laidback and comfortable atmosphere, perfect for focusing on the very best tattoos possible.  It also offers a creative vibe for pushing not only his art, but also his custom tattoos to the next level. 

From all his travels, Joe Riley has became a very diverse tattoo artist, and has mastered many styles of tattooing. He believes the key to keeping his tattoo career fresh and his tattoo clients happy is to not lock himself into one style of tattoos, but rather to push through the boundaries of what is possible, and work with many different styles of tattoos altogether. Some of his favorite styles to work with are biomechanical tattoos, black and grey tattoos, realistic tattoos, color tattoos, portrait tattoos, and cover up tattoos among many others.  Joe Riley’s tattoo work has been published hundreds of times in national and international tattoo magazines.  His tattoos have won dozens of awards in many different categories including: Best black and grey tattoo, best color tattoo, most realistic tattoo, most unusual tattoo, best tattoo of the day, and best tattoo of show to name a few. Outside of tattooing Joe likes to keep pushing himself and his art. He paints in many different mediums including watercolor, acrylic, and oils. Joe feels the best way to be the best tattoo artist possible is to continue to push himself as an artist, whether it be on skin or canvas.

To book a tattoo appointment with Joe Riley, you can click here,

To inquire about a tattoo with Joe Riley or for questions about a tattoo, click here

Currently I'm booking out 6 months which can be considered a long wait by clients.  I thought a post about the process could clear up some questions potential clients might have.There's really three parts when it comes to getting a tattoo appointment with me. It should be noted the third step is really optional based on the size and number of sessions the tattoo will require.

1. The first step is to get your project accepted. I have really dedicated clients who often get work pertaining to my interest or focus. This means that getting into the rotation can be a bit difficult. I give priority to in progress clients followed up by projects within the realm of my interests. Currently I want to work on projects that involve dinosaurs as the subject matter or bio mech tattoos.This does not mean I wont accept your idea though. I still love to tattoo flowers, nature tattoos such as bird tattoos, underwater tattoos and wildlife in general even sometimes custom script. It's best to send over a loose idea of your tattoo as sometimes a general idea can be really inspiring. 

2. Whether you are looking to get a real school tattoo, bio mech tattoo or dinosaur tattoo we'll set up a consultation appointment. This will let us go into detail about the tattoo and let me ask specific questions. The consultation period also helps me explain my approach and develop my initial inspiration from your idea. This also will allow you to ask any questions about the process or voice any concerns. I also enjoy drawing on the skin with sharpies. This can be alarming to some as they expect to see a fully renedered drawing but the process gives me specific advantages over stencils. Some of the advantanges include creating a tattoo thats designed to flow with your body and allows me to make key adjustments with agility.

3. If you have a multiple session tattoo we'll set up dates for each sppointment. Once you are in the rotation you will get my full attention until the completion of the tattoo. I prefer to work on the tattoo once every month but if the peice is large enough I also like to book back to back sessions. If you are a first time collector that might sound really intimidating. The fact is that we'll be focusing on multiple areas of the tattoo which can make the process much easier. Either way I often do not book a back to back sessions until after the first session where I can gauge your individual skin reactions and tolerence.

I try to travel internationally and around the country so please send over your location with your idea. If you have any initial questions about things feel free to send over an email

TATTOO AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS

If you have any questions about your tattoo or the healing process, please text me, call the shop, or e-mail.

Please do:

• ::Always wash your hands before touching your tattoo!
• ::Take the bandage off the following morning of the tattoo or after 2 to 3 hours.
• ::Wash your tattoo with an Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser preferably, and if not anti-bacterial liquid soap. Be gentle, do not use a washcloth or anything that will exfoliate your tattoo. Only use your hands.
• ::Gently pat your tattoo dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. Do not rub, or use a fabric with a rough surface.
• ::The first 3-4 days: Rub a small amount of ointment on your tattoo. You may use Aquaphore, Coco butter, any tattoo aftercare (tat wax, Hustle butter, ect..) or panthonol cream – whatever you know you’re not allergic to. Always use clean hands and do not place your fingers back into the ointment after touching your tattoo.
• ::Make sure to rub the ointment in so that it is not shiny, or greasy– you want the thinnest amount possible.
• ::Pat off any excess ointment with a clean cloth or paper towel. Do not use Vaseline, petroleum or Bag Balm.
• ::Wash, dry and apply ointment 3-5 times daily, as needed.
• ::On the first night, you may want to wrap your tattoo in saran wrap to prevent sticking to your bedding. Do not use any cloth bandages or pads, as the fibers of this material can adhere to your open tattoo and hinder the healing process.
• ::Wear clean, soft clothing over your tattoo for the first 2 weeks– nothing abrasive or irritating. For a foot tattoo: go barefoot as much as possible. If you must wear shoes, first wrap your clean tattoo in saran wrap, then cover with a clean cotton sock before putting on your shoe. Avoid sandals or flip flops for this period to prevent chafing and damage to the tattoo.
• ::After day 4: On the 3rd or 4th day your tattoo will begin to peel. This is normal! Do not pick at the skin. Begin using a mild, white, unscented lotion, free of dyes or Perfumes.
• ::Use lotion for minimum 2 weeks, 1-2 times daily.

Things to avoid:

• ::Do not pick, scratch, peel, slap, rub or irritate your tattoo.
• ::You can shower, but you may not soak your tattoo for 2 weeks. No swimming, soaking or hot tub.
• ::You may not expose your tattoo to the sun for at least 3 weeks, after that you must use sun block.
• ::Do not wear abrasive materials, jewelry, or shoes that rub against your tattoo.

With Tatu-Derm:

Tatu-derm is a hypo-allergenic, self-adhesive bandage. It allows your skin to breathe, but protects it from the environment. Because of this it is safe to keep Tatu-Derm on for 3-5 days, but if it is bothering you remove it and follow the regular aftercare instructions. When the tattoo feels closed—dry and less sensitive—then you should remove the bandage.

It may fill up with plasma & ink and create a black liquid trapped in the bandage, that is normal. If it starts to leak remove bandage and continue with regular aftercare instructions.

Remove immediately if:

• ?  Skin feels irritated by the bandage itself. It is uncommon, but some people may be sensitive to Tatu-Derm. The tattoo will be itchy and the bandage may be an annoyance, but if you see a rash forming under the bandage or it feels painful, remove the bandage right away. 
• ?  The tattoo becomes exposed to the air. If the seal is compromised remove bandage immediately.

Remove Tatu-Derm carefully. Peel the Tatu-Derm back gently from the edge. Warm, soapy water will help break down the adhesive. It may be helpful to pull the bandage straight out to stretch and release the adhesive. After removing bandage clean adhesive from area gently but thoroughly. If any sticky residue is left over it can be removed with lotion. The tattoo should be mostly healed, but some areas may still be in the initial stages. Pick up with normal aftercare. Lotion for the next two weeks and keep it clean.

Instagram: haleyadamstattoo

:Haley has dedicated her soul to tattooing since the age of 15. She started her apprenticeship at a shop based in IL. Owned her first shop in NC at the age of 19, she moved to AZ from NC to further feed her addiction of constantly developing her knowledge and skill in tattoos to the highest level. She has a wildly original style which includes realism and something far from; anything interesting, colorful, unique, and custom.

Realism Tattoos San Francisco. Realistic tattoos san francisco, color tattoo artist san francisco.

SIMINARS AND CLASSES

∑ Jeff Gogue - "Tattooing as I see it"

∑ Damon Conklin's- oil painting

∑ Russ Abbotts'- The Tattooist's Palette

∑ Bob Tyrrell & Nikko Hurtado- Realistic seminar

∑ Gunnar- If I knew then, what I know now

∑ Alex De Pase- Behind Color Realism

∑ Seth Ciferri- Workshop Liners, how and why

∑Jeff Gogue - Part Time Pirates

 ∑Chet Zar - Painting a Monster

∑ GTCC Graphic design

 ∑Grant Standard - Sculpting 111

∑ Kara Fairfield - Marketing for Artists

 ∑The Art of Critique

∑Nick Baxter realism in oils

 ∑Nick Baxter - Sharp Focus Realism in Oil

 ∑Guy Aitchison - Painting 3 Dimensional Forms in Acrylic Work shop: part 1

∑Guy Aitchison - Painting 3 Dimensional Forms in Acrylic Workshop: Part 2

 ∑Tony Moore - One Shot: Visual Storytelling

HONORS AND AWARDS

1st place- Best Back, That damn tattoo contest, Chicago, IL

1st place- Best Unusual/weird, Hell City- Phoenix, AZ

1st place- Best Back, That damn tattoo contest- Los Angeles, CA

3rd place- Best Unusual, Body Art Expo-Phoenix, AZ

3rd Place- Best Unusual/weird, Hell City- Phoenix, AZ 2014

1st place Unusual for the chair sandwich Phoenix body art expo AZ 2015

Also knows about:

Realism Tattoos

Photoshop

Illustrator

Oil Painting

Color Theory

Sculpture

Digital Sculpting

Drawing

Art

Graphic Design

Customer Service

Skateboarding

Illustration

ZBrush

Tattoo

color tattoos

Painting

Sewing

Model Casting

Resin Casting

Color Schemes

Prisma color pencil

Currently tattooing at Living Canvas Tattoos at 930 S Mill Ave. Tempe, Arizona, Michael "Boston" Rogoz has been an avid artist his entire life. He studied and graduated from Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA, and also studied abroad at Viterbo School of Design in Viterbo, Italy. He received Fine Art degrees focusing in Painting and Sculpture. Often drawing inspiration from Japanese tattooing, Boston specializes in bright color tattoos that flow well and compliment the human figure. He is comfortable and proficient in a wide range of styles from Traditional to New School to Realism in both black and grey and color, but excells most with large work where he has the room find new ways to create space, movement, and multiple forms of contrast, anything that can make it more dynamic. "As long as I have freedom to include these elements in my work I feel like I can make it interesting. Attempting to remain versatile while developing a style has been really fun and challenging. I'm so grateful for all of these opportunities !"  Boston also specializes in cover-up tattoos and enjoys the challenges that they present.

At a young age I developed a strong appreciation for the Arts. My mother is an accomplished Artist in many different mediums. I cannot remember a time in my childhood when there wasn't something artistic going on in my home. Naturally, this made me want to participate. I began drawing and painting, which continued all through school. I've dabbled in other artistic mediums including sculpting, carving, pottery, and airbrushing.

In 1997, I got my first tattoo which eventually opened the door to my new career. I began my tattoo apprenticeship in early 1999 under Tom White, owner of Tommy's Tattoos in Kokomo, IN. By summer, I was tattooing full-time. I tried to learn everything I could from all the talented tattoo artists I worked around.

People are always asking me, "What is your favorite type of tattoo to do?" This is a hard question for me, because I like so many different kinds. I enjoy everything from full color cartoony types to realistic black and greys, traditional to new school. I think it comes down to, "If I get to draw it, I am into it!"

Resident artist at Off the Map Tattoo NE, full time family man, part time comic enthusiast and all around friendly strong man.

www.carltattoo.com

Carl Sebastian on the road tattooist. based in Melbourne  specilaize in japanesse and oriental style tattooing 

contact through facebook

http://www.facebook.com/carltattoos

Carl Sebastian

There are those who are born artists, others who accomplish their dreams by earnestly toiling behind closed doors. Lokesh Verma is both. Internationally experienced artist Lokesh (Born 12th May 1983) who has worked at places like Amsterdam, Switzerland and Paris is a veteran tattoo artist. But the journey has not been easy for him. He received immense criticism because tattooing was mostly associated with bohemians and hippies when he began his pursuit at nineteen. An MBA by qualification, he strove hard to purchase the gear, even taking up a part-time position of a DJ at a local bar. Lokesh is a self-trained artist but he travels all across the world to work at different shops and to attend tattoo conventions. Ever since he can remember, he has been fascinated with sketching. His exceptional gift, and him treasuring it in return, brought to him audiences and prizes. At fourteen, he won the 1st prize in the Inter-Asia level painting competition in Japan, organised by Mitsubishi.

With a little help from willing and curious friends, not to mention his own physical self (he displays an almost mystifying ambigram on his left arm which is also the first tattoo he ever did); Lokesh set off to conquer the Art. Day and night of practice, search of ideas, commitment and resolve yielded their rewards. It would produce an amalgam of tattoo styles, ranging from traditional to new school and portraits. Personally, Lokesh enjoys black-and-grey shading the most. He has a studio base, Devil’z Tattooz, at Greater Kailash-1 and PVR Priya compound, Vasant vihar. “A tattoo always has a meaning,” he muses. “It’s on your skin, after all – if you get a tattoo, you wear an attitude on your skin. To people, you are what your tattoo means.” – Lokesh Verma (The Times of India, 16th Dec. 2007) Possessing a brilliant dexterity, Lokesh has traced many a familiar illustration with his fingers, but this has not dissuaded him from creatively experimenting and inventing his own methods. I, as his patron, have followed his career closely, and I hold nothing but profound admiration for Lokesh. He lets his art speak for him. Lokesh has come a long way from a boy who had a dream to a man who, after realising that dream, is now one of India’s most promising young tattoo artists.   Sanober Ahmed

Hailing from North Carolina, Bart Andrews spends his days pumping out a seemingly endless stream of quality tattoo work. Andrews began his career in Jacksonville over ten years ago and like many artists, struggled to find the apprenticeship that would get him on the inside of the industry. Though some time would pass before he found himself in the seat he dreamt of, he was already on the way to becoming one of the region’s most successful tattooists. Andrews would continue to hone his craft through repetition and as time passed he consistently narrowed the gap of skill between himself and local artists he had grown to respect. 

With years of experience under his belt, Bart’s work has all the qualities that one looks for in a refined, professional tattoo.. His interests include everything to color realism, black and gray, to traditional Americana and Japanese. Bart’s natural desire to be a versatile artist has only been strengthened by his proximity to the Marine base. With people coming from all over the world, Bart has the ability to give every client exactly what they are looking for without hesitation. 

Bart is also traveling more frequently these days. He finds time in his schedule to guest spot and attend a number of tattoo conventions from which the walls of his workspace are reflecting. Having won numerous awards for a variety of tattoo styles from across the US, he is not stopping there. Bart is also the creator of the Cape Fear Tattoo & Arts Expo which had occurred annually every April in Wilmington, North Carolina. Now married to Pepper, they currently own/operate Unify Tattoo Company, located in St. Augustine, FL,

Be on the lookout for Bart whether it be in North Carolina, California, or anywhere in between. With his dedication, motivated personality, and his passion for the industry he surely can’t be missed and he has no plans of stopping here. Keep your eye on Bart by checking out bartandrews.com to stay on top of travel and future events! 

I've been tattooing locally in Rhode Island for nearly 10 years. I consider myself lucky enough to have been working with and learning from some of the top artists in the state. 

I feel a tattoo should be clean, readable, and made to last. Because of that, I hope to give my clients a unique custom piece and a good tattoo experience. 

Stylistically my work has an illustrative lean with elements from japanese tattooing,but I enjoy all styles from black and gray, bio mechanical, new school,etc.

You can find me at the studio every day except mondays and

Saturdays.

owner of Twisted Anchor Tattoo in Ocean Springs, MS   228-215-1611

Biagio is an artist that produces all original work.  Mostly freehand some freeform.  "Freeform" is a term Biagio likes to use to describe art that flows freely from the brain to the hand with no plan or intention.  

Rob Talo, has studied visual art since the age of 5. He is a versatile original artist with interest in both Fine Art and Illustration . For Talo, Tattoo is a way to combine these sensibilities in a way that is unique and complementary to the form of the individual being tattooed. His style is often highly detailed with a sense of stylized realism and is based on a consultation with the client. Talo, has no preference when it comes to subject matter but rather would prefer for each work of art to be exciting and new while also reflecting a classical and timeless sense of design. For appointments please contact Biagio's Tattoo Gallery @ (973) 620-9944. For a consultation stop by the gallery @ 3138 Route 10 West, Denville, NJ 07834. There is no appointment needed for a consultation. Talo is always available to talk while he is working.

Appointment Only

Crystal is back from LA and Orange County! Crystal's passion for art goes as far back as she can remember. She loved it so much she used to get in trouble for drawing in school, and while she started with charcoal and pastels she has recently developed a liking for acylic, water color and her favorite being Oil painting. Crystal was ninteen when she got her foot in the door of a shop in Arkansas working as a piercer. She has been in the body modification industry for almost twenty years, got on the cover of a tattoo magazine right before starting tattooing and after completing her tattoo apprenticeship has tattooed for a total of twelve years. Since then she has landed on several tattoo magazines for herself and her work. Crystal enjoys working on traditional, Japanese, geometrical, nice color pieces as well as black pieces and lettering.

Crystal has had the pleasure of working with Kari Barbie, owner of Outer Limits, and cites Yvo ILa and Devin Mena, Erika Moser, and Bruce Chung as great influences of her work. Crystal has worked from the east to west coast over her twelve years of tattooing. She moved to Dallas for a year and half and then moved to southern California for ten years before finally moving back here to Dallas. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Crystal feel free to drop an email in the link provided, give us a call or swing by and schedule your next favorite piece.

Sean Peters was born in 1975 in Lansing Michigan, From a very early age art was and still is a very important part of his life. His tattoo career started in 1991 with an apprenticeship and by 1993 he was tattooing full time. Emerging himself in the varied styles and technique. He traveling to various tattoo conventions and guest spots, expanding his knowledge and experience. Gaining him many awards and publications of his work in magazines such as Tattoo, Tattoo Flash, International Tattoo, Skin and Ink, Etc...Around 2000 he began oil painting to break away from traditional tattoo images, furthering his understanding of color and depth. Experimenting in this medium helps him develope the abstract, surreal imagery he is known for today. Sean currently works and co-owns Eclectic Art Tattoo Gallery 615 E michigan, Lansing, MI. (Opened in 2010 with Geary Morrill and Mike Riina)

Jeff has been tattooing on the Central Coast of California at his private studio for the last 7 years located in Atascadero. He regulary guest spots around the United States, Europe, and South East Asia. Jeff is avaible by appointment ONLY. Wait times exceed 6 months regularly.

Please see the contact page and send an email for more info on how to book your appoinment with Jeff.

*TRAVEL UPDATE* : Jeff will be on haitus from traveling till Fall 2018.

Specializing in biomech. If you would like to get tattooed or obtain a work of art, please call ANALOG San Jose, CA 408-292-7766 ron@analogtattoo.com analogtattoo.com 

Surrounded by multiple avenues of creativity for most of his life, there’s no question that Monte was meant for his current line of work. He began playing piano at age 5, and already had an interest in drawing. It didn’t end there, as he began doing magic shows professionally from 12 years of age on up to 19 years old. Prior to his curiosity of tattooing, he also worked professionally as a graphic designer and illustrator. He now has been successfully decorating the lives of countless individuals from all over the planet and has continually been recognized for over the last decade in multiple areas of media. This includes – Books, Radio, numerous Magizines, Newspapers, and Television.

Whether his work is seen adorning the small area of the ankle or covering large sections of the human torso, Monte’s tattoos have often been described with having a painted style. His passion clearly shows in his work, and continues over into his personal life as well. When Monte isn’t tattooing, he enjoys spending the remainder of his time at home alongside his wonderful family.

Monte currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife and six children, and has been tattooing in Indiana for the past 16 years.

Erin has been tattooing since mid ’06 In Auckland, New Zealand and all over the world. She is currently based in Richmond,Virginia, USA at Ghost print Gallery but travels a lot.

A self professed nerd, Erin enjoys gaming, comics, working too much and is a crazy cat lady.

 https://www.facebook.com/rviruez/photos?collection_token=1273153920%3A2305272732%3A69&set=a.2762336178915.2151616.1273153920&type=3

Ciao mi chiamo Andrea Tartari, ho iniziato il percorso di tatuatore ,quasi per caso all'età di 16 anni. Nel 2000 ho aperto il mio primo studio di tatuaggi qui a Cento che nel tempo si è ingrandito.

Negli anni l'attività di tatuatore è diventata per me sempre più gratificante, in quanto cerco sempre di migliorare e di superare i miei limiti, accettando nuove sfide e assumendomi più responsabilità.

I soggetti che prediligo tatuare sono quelli figurativi, in particolare i tattoo ritrattistici(personaggi famosi e non) e realistici, floreali e animali, che preferisco riprodurre da fotografia, cercando di essere il più fedele possibile all'immagine reale,ma infondendo un tocco originale. Mi piacciono molto le composizioni,che sistemate a dovere valorizzano il nostro corpo.

I was born in 1975, in Hódmezovásárhely, Hungary. I grew up and finished the primary schools there. I inherited some talent from my father, who drew tons in his youth and was good with his hands. As a kid, I spent a lot of time in my grandparents’ workshop where we built and did many projects, small boats and kites, etc. By then, I was already very interested in drawing, and my parents supported me in it. In the summers, I would go to Mártély Free School of Fine Arts and learn graphic art and painting. In secondary school, I learned metalworking to satisfy my dad’s desires. It was then that I was sure I wanted to pursue some sort of creative career. I applied to the University of Szeged, to the Faculty of Education, and finished the graphic arts course. In the meantime, I went to various summer art schools and dabbled in different branches of art like ceramics, sculpting, enamelling, watercolour and oil painting, etc. Out of all of those activities, I enjoyed painting the most, which I am studying to this day.

I got my first tattoo magazine in secondary school. I think it was an American magazine, and I instantly began copying out the tattoos in it because until then I hadn’t ever seen such art styles; I was hooked from the first minute. I made many drawings based off the pictures in the magazine, and then a good friend said he wanted to get a tattoo of one of my drawings. He asked, could I do it for him? I said I hadn’t seen how tattooing works, and I didn’t have any equipment, but we could figure it out. A few days later he returned with a friend of ours, who also wanted to get a tattoo, and whose mother owned a beauty salon with complete tattooing equipment. They organised for me to do my first tattoo there.

Since I started tattooing when I was really young, just 17 and still in school, it was only a hobby for me in the beginning. I didn’t learn tattooing from anyone then; I only got information from the rarely-acquired magazines. When I finished the graphics course, I went to Budapest for the preparation program of the University of Fine Arts, and searched for a job on the side. That’s when I heard of a studio that didn’t drive away aspiring beginning tattooists, and I was urged to try my hand there. This is how I met Zsolt Sárközi, who helped me get a summer job at Lake Balaton. I spent one or two years learning the routine, and upon returning to Budapest I first worked at Renaissance Art Tattoo, learning from Adrienn Kiss, and then at Ronin Tattoo where my colleague was Karcsi Farkas. Finally, from there I got to my current workplace: Celtic Moon Tattoo. If I had to start all over, I would most likely pick the same path despite the fact my first years in Budapest were extremely rough. Sometimes I didn!t have money for food, but I didn’t care because I believed that if I was determined, my hard work would pay off.

For a while now, I’ve been travelling intensively to other countries, for conventions and also to do guest spots. This means a lot to me because that’s where I can learn the most and make acquaintances and friendships that can bolster my career. I try to accept the invitations, and that’s why I have been visiting more conventions and been here in Hungary less. But I will definitely not neglect my client base at home. If you decide that you’d like to get tattooed by me, look for me in our shop or at a convention.

James

Availability 

Mon-Wed: 12pm-10pm

Fri-Sat: 12pm-12am

Sun: Appointment Only

Matt has explored art since young childhood, starting with pen, ink and pencil. He started his two year apprentiship in 2010 and finished in 2012, and has around 4 and half to 5 years of professional tattooing experience with a diversity of styles and subject matter even though he especially enjoys flowers and animal related tattoos. If you'd like to set up a consultation be sure to email Matt through the link provided for an in person consultation at the main studio.

Owner and tattooer at Guru Tattoo in San Diego, CA, Aaron Della Vedova has gained much notoriety through his large scale, bold and brightly colored custom tattoos. Aaron is constantly pushing his creative boundaries with every artistic medium he works in, but he also continues to learn from each new opportunity that presents itself.

Dramatic landscapes adorn with women, fierce animals, flora, geometric designs, natural elements, and of course filigree are all common themes found in his art whether his canvas is framed or on the human body.

Get to know Aaron by visiting his artist profile at www.gurutattoo.com and follow his work as it happens on Instagram (@aarondellavedova_art).

Henrik Grysbjerg

Henrik tattoo

41 rue des tourneurs , 31000 Toulouse , FRANCE

Henrik has been tattooing since 1997, in the south of France. He  works in a private shop in the center of Toulouse .  He has been travelling to north america in Canada and USA since 8 years. Especialised in japanese design in a modern way, he loves to work illustrative color tattoos with a touch of realism.

Art is a very special gift not to be taken lightly, as the industry and acceptance of this art form grows. We make it our mission to always give our clients something different. We take pride in what we do and executed at its upmost detail possible.

I have been tattooing since March of 2003. Before that I did work in the industry as a piercer but quickly became a tattooer. To me it seemed more personal being able to put art on people that they would be able to carry around for the rest of their lives. I know how complete my tattoos make me feel and I would like to be able to give that feeling back to others.

Professional sice 2008. Working in New York at the moment. Travellin dates on instagram

TATTOOING: 14 years 

POSITION: Lead Artist

FAVORITE THEMES: Nature, Fantasy & Myth, Grim Reapers/Skulls & Pretty Ladies.

SPECIALTIES: Large Scale, Realistic/Illustrative Cover Ups, Fine Line, Cartoons, Japanese,  Pointillism/Cross Hatch and cute horror. I do both full vibrant color and soft black & gray.

GOAL:  My goal is to provide you with tattoo work that invites random strangers to give you compliments the rest of your life because life is better with sincere compliments.

ABOUT ME: I'm a tattooer, illustrator, and die-hard Halloween enthusiast who helps the inked generation look awesome.

ABOUT MY WORK:

   ~I only accept commissions that I believe I will enjoy in styles I love. If your idea falls outside my scope of practice I will recommend an artist who is a better fit.

   ~I do a free in person consultation prior to creating your uniquely bad ass tattoo.

   ~I take a nonrefundable deposit only if we decide to work together.

   ~Most of my work is larger but single session pieces can be very refreshing.

CONSULTATIONS: If you're interested in working together, please TELEPHONE  (don't email) my receptionist who *exclusively* handles my entire schedule and ask for a consultation with Cat. (540)288-8370

APPOINTMENTS: I am available between noon and 8pm Wednesday through Sunday.

PRICING: I can give you an estimated cost only after an in person consultation.

LIMITATIONS: I don't take projects with large tribal, black-out tattoos, all white tattoos, black light tattoos or reconstructive nipple tattoos.

A Gypsy by nature, Kristina has spent the last two decades picking up and settling down in places all over the country and occasionally in Mexico once in England and few days in Canada. 

Tattooer, fancy cook, novice player of the ukelele and percussion, her favorite tattoo style is to work on good people, bring passion to the design and build lifetime memories in the skin. 

Kristina believes in giving back to the community, long walks on the beach with coffee and her lifetime love: travel. 

Justin Nordine is a watercolor tattoo artist at his studio, The Raw Canvas, in Colorado. 

Justin Nordine was born and raised in Grand Junction, Co. In 2008, after 5 years of teaching fine art to urban city students in Denver, CO., Justin walked away from teaching to follow a dream of being a full time tattoo artist and fine art gallery owner. In October 2008, Justin opened The Raw Canvas Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery a new kind of tattoo studio that brought together not only the art of tattooing, but local fine artists into an urban styled art gallery where he puts on major art and music events every other month. These events have brought in 100's of 1000's of people into his studio and gallery. By showcasing local art, music and food, The Raw Canvas has become a major point of interest in the grand valley. In addition to Justin's success as a self-taught tattoo artist, in which he creates vivid images of fine art on the skin and traditional tattoo techniques, helps establish Justin as a unique tattoo artist with an intriguing eye and in addition to an art gallery owner, he is also an established painter. His painting style ranges from abstract based landscape imagery to Cityscapes and urban culture.

Follow me on Instagram! @dlacie

Or email me: little.elwin@gmail.com

I grew up in the interior of Alaska where I developed a love of nature, wild creatures and wide open spaces. The beauty of nature, the delicacy of flowers, the movement of birds in flight, the intricate details of shells and bones as they decay, are commonly my inspiration in my personal artwork, and in the tattoos that I make. I am following in the footsteps of my family in an attempt to graciously & genuinely recreate the beauty around us in the form of tattooing.

I am so grateful to the wonderful people that have allowed me to create all of these concepts on their skin. I would not be where I am today without you, or the tattoo artists who have seen potential in me and offered me thier love & support over the years.

  Hello! My name is Larry DiGiusto . I've been tattooing for over 15 years and enjoy working in a variety of styles. I studied illustration at The Massachusetts College of Art before begining my tattoo apprenticeship in 1998.  I'm  a huge Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerd and have participated in way too many live-roleplaying events. I welcome the challenge of every project that comes my way and try to push each piece beyond its creative limits and your expectations.

   Over the years I've come to love the the diversity of styles and subject matter that tattooing has to offer. Whether its the drama of black and gray realism and portraitwork or the complexity of designing large color sleeves; I respect it all. Please take a look through my portfolio and I look forward to working with you in the future! May the force be with you. Always.

 Appointment Only

When Calvin turned 15 he wanted to explore graphic designing, and fine tune the art of designing characters much like the shows (Dragon Ball Z, ect) he grew up with as a kid. At 18 he transitioned to tattooing through a connection his brother in law provided, offically starting his two year apprenticeship when he turned 19. He spent most of that time either at the shop working on his art and skills, or as a welder's helper, putting in long 100 hour work weeks during this time until he finally finished and got his break in Denton 7 years ago.

He traveled across the US getting into portraits and realism, bouncing back and forth between New Orleans and San Antonio until he came to Dallas for his family. Calvin enjoys Neo Traditional, Realism and Japanese work. If you'd like to set up an appointment be sure to contact him with the link provided for an online or in person consultation if possible for the best quality work possible.

Michele Pitacco was born in Trieste in 1976, an art lover from his birth.

He attended the Institute of Arts in Udine, specializing in decorative painting and obtaining a diploma in master of painting.

He did his first tattoo at the age of 13, by drawing a star on his own hand with sewing needles and Pelikan ink.

After the movie “We Children from Bahnhof Zoo” which has inspired and affected a full generation, Michele’s friends irresponsibly started tattooing themselves to emulate the protagonist of the movie.

Being Michele more experienced in the field of tattoo, he started tattooing to cover and patch up the bad tattoos done by his friends.

When one of his friends asked for a portrait, Michele felt inadequate for the job and asked Alex De Pase for help.

After examining his works, Alex offered him an apprenticeship work experience in Grado and some years later Michele began tattooing professionally. He has been working with Alex De Pase for 15 years now and he is an excellent professional tattooist.

For many years Michele has been tattooing any kind of subjects but he prefers Fantasy and realistic Animals in colour and b/w.

Leif has been custom tattooing for six years currently working at Legacy Ink in Greenville, NC. His passion for tattooing is driven by the want to give his clients the best and most legible tattoo that will conquer the test of time. Over the years he has studied multiple styles of tattooing.  Some of the styles include (but are not limited to) Japanese, American Traditional, Neo Traditional, Photo Realism, and New School. He takes these experiences to create unique and original tattoo works focusing on Illustrative Tattooing with strong composition and bright color. He does not limit himself to any specific style so his designs can better fit his clients based on their preferences and desired subject matter. He travels periodically to work tattoo conventions and to guest spot.

Samantha Frederick is the owner of Depiction Tattoo Gallery as well as an artist.  She opened Depiction in 2010 and has grown the shop to include 6 talented resident artists.  Sam loves doing decorative henna/mehndi style tattoos and fun neo-tradtional pieces.  You can follow Sam on Instagram at @sami_lynne!

John Clark started tattooing in 2002 in Fort Worth, Texas. He has been a resident artist at Depiction Tattoo Gallery since 2011.  John does many different styles of tattoos.  You can also follow him on Instagram at @johnclarktattoos!

Nick Clark started tattooing in 2002 in Fort Worth, Texas.  He loves doing Japanese and American traditional pieces, but can do many different styles.  Nick is also a black belt in Jiu Jitsu, and has been training for about 12 years.  You can follow Nick on Instagram at @nickclarktattoos!

Howard is a graduate of UCA, where he earened a bachelors of arts degree in art.  He has been at Lucky Bella for over a year.  He enjoys every style of tattoos, but he specializes in Traditional  Asian and black and grey work.  

Sebastiano Damiano, known as Abes, is the youngest of the tattoo artists in the group.

Abes' education did not follow the usual steps of most of the artists working with Alex De Pase. In fact, his course of studies was oriented to management and administration of large communities. However, his deep passion for arts and tattoos in particular has always been very evident ever since he was a young teenager who was getting covered in tattoos himself year after year.

Some years ago he met Alex De Pase through a mutual friend and after observing his style and seeing some of his drawings, Alex made up his mind to have him onboard by working as an apprentice. He has been working as tattooist for a couple of years and his potential is really outstanding.

He loves in particular traditional and new school tattoos.

Jesse is one of the most sought after custom tattoo artist in the Denver area specializing in neo-traditional, realism tattoos. Jesse started a one year apprenticeship in 2006 and started tattooing full time in 2007. He is currently tattooing at Alternative Arts Tattoo in Littleton Colorado. He is a custom tattoo artist that will design your tattoo to fit your style. He is also a illustrator and painter with a BA in animation from the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. He is available for painting commissions and art shows.

https://www.facebook.com/jesse.d.neumann

He was born in 1989.

He started tattooing in 2007 joining the staff of Living Colors Tattoo (Arzignano, Italy).

He prefers the realistic style black 'n' gray and color.

Dave Koenig is a prolific painter and tattooist currently living and working in Omaha, Nebraska. His art has been exhibited at tattoo conventions, festivals and art galleries throughout the world including Into the Woods Fine Art Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as The New BLK, In Common and Bemis Underground in Omaha, NE. After attending five years of fine arts at The University of Nebraska Omaha where he also studied Anthropology and Native American Studies, Dave then proceeded to teach art at Pact Center School in Council Bluffs, Iowa for a year followed by another year of teaching art at The St. Augustine School , located on the Winnebago Reservation. It was then that he began pursuing his career as a tattoo artist. Dave has been tattooing, both locally and internationally, since 2001. His home base is currently at Tenth Sanctum Tattoos in Omaha, Nebraska. Dave apprenticed under Devin Ferguson at Liquid Courage Tattoos. Other professional studios Dave has worked at include Sailor’s Grave, Iron Brush Tattoo, Studio XIII, True Love, and Arctic Tattoo in Tromso, Norway. Working with a wide range of mediums from Ink and water color to large scale acrylic, Dave maintains a controlled looseness of line work and a delicate treatment of color. Although heavily influenced by Japan’s historic culture and use of patterns, his work also reflects the imagery and antiquity of both Traditional Americana and Art Nouveau. Dave has worked as curator for several art shows featuring fellow tattoo artists. His imagery and art have appeared on skateboards and t-shirts for several companies as well as several album covers, concert posters and mixed martial arts event posters. He is now expanding his work in to new territories of commercial art, painting custom guitars for Soapbox Guitars (of which he is co-owner) to illustrating a variety of liquor labels. “As for the future, I intend to roll with whatever life delivers, push forward and take my art beyond limits.”

Berlin based traveling tattoo artist. I have been tattooing since 2008 and recently moved from LA, California to Berlin, Germany to continue euopean touring. I will be all through Spain and Scandanavia through July and August. Email NakotaArt@gmail.com for questions or appointments.

People deserve fine art in every form.

Cory has been tattooing since 2010.  He worked through two apprenticeships during his first two years.  He also deployed to Afghanistan with the South Dakota Army National Guard.  During his military deployment, Cory was inspected and approved to tattoo in a combat zone.  After returning home he finished his Associates of Arts and Science.  After working with various artists in multiple shops, he and his wife opened Red Arbor L.L.C. at 6232 S. Pinnacle Pl. Suite 204 in Sioux Falls, SD.  Cory specializes in portraits, realistic, and illustrative tattoos in both vivid colors and black and gray. 

Tawni believes in “Stimulating eyes through the majesty of oils!”  Her objective is to inspire support of the fine arts, entrepreneurship, companion animal welfare & supporting non-profit agencies, philanthropy / charity and volunteerism.  Tawni is a professional artist, painter of 20 years and counting, attended Southeast Technical Institute for Graphic Communications and Augustana College for Visual Fine Arts.

Red Arbor LLC opened in 2014 and continues in sharing visual enjoyment.

Jin O's designs are lyrical and she loves nothing more than to tell a story through a tattoo. From humble beginnings as a tattoo artist for the underground in Korea, to being a much sought after artist in the UK, she is now based in Sydney.  Portraits, realism, grayscale or colour - Jin is able to transform an idea into beautiful reality.

Jin manages to preserve a realism feel yet maintains an indentifiable illustrative quality to her work. This is an intuitive tattoo artist who reflects intensity in her characters and captures soul in skin.

I have been tattooing since roughly 2002. I have been tattooing here in Charleston, S.C. since 2007. I find that I work best, and my clients are the happiest, when I am given an artistic freedom to create for them on the subject matter that they want. This is what I do for a living and I make sure to give everyone my 100%. I put an immense amount of time and energy into research and creating a tattoo for a client. Most of the time when people are setting an appointment with me, it's about a month's wait. With patience, I will be able to get to you at my next available date and time. For anybody not willing to wait, we Do have other artists available and I have confidence that they will be able to assist you. You may check them out here, under "Artists". I Do recommend that if you were referred to Me, that you may want to wait, so that you can get the same great experience and quality that the person who referred you did. The best way to get in contact with me would be to stop by the shop. I very rarely get a chance to chat on the phone or answer emails, because when I am at work, I am more than likely in the middle of a tattoo that someone is paying good money for. I want to offer them the same respect that I would to you, therefore I give them my full attention.I mostly love to tattoo stylized Japanese, traditional Japanese, American traditional, biomechanical, flowers and duh, SKULLS!!. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you have an AMAZING day!

Yorick Fauquant

I have been a tattoo artist for 17 years. My main style is Art Nouveau, but I also like to incorporate Realism, Japanese style, and Neo Traditional into my art.   I travel often internationally for guest spots and tattoo conventions. If you would like a tattoo by me I am sure we can meet up somewhere in the world! I regularly visit Grit N Glory in NYC, Oxytocina in Barcelona, Yorick's Tattoo Crew in France, Off the Map in Oregon, Reno Tattoo Co in Reno, as well as other locations in Las Vegas, LA, and San Fransisco. 

I spend all of my time in my art, I live inside of it. When I am not tattooing I am either drawing with pen and pencil, or painting with watercolor or oils.

I have prints and shirts of my artwork available for sale. Email me to order Yoricktattoo@gmail.com

Follow me on Instagram!  http://instagram.com/yoricktattoo

Follow me on Twitter! https://twitter.com/yoricktattoo

Lucas Eagleton, originally from Denton, TX, started his 2 year apprenticeship at Aces Tattoos and has been tattooing professionally since 2012. He then moved to Rebel Muse in Lewisville, TX in 2014 to work and learn from artists Liz Cook and David Mushaney to further improve his skills. In 2016 he moved to Seattle Washington to further his art and business goals in a new environment and work with artists at Artful Dodger Tattoos on Capitol Hill. In June of 2018 Lucas opened his own private tattoo studio in the heart of historical Tacoma called The Black Bison. He specializes in Illustrative-Realism, Art Nouveau, Neo-Traditional, Fine Black and Gray, Dot Work, and Black Work. He also enjoys Ancient studies, Ufology, Existentialism, Futurism, and the Singularity. If you'd like to to set up an appointment for a tattoo or discuss interesting concepts about the nature of reality, his contact information can be found on this website.

Gigi McQueen, was raised in the heartland of American Tattooing, California. Gigi's life has revolved around art, briefly studying Visual Communication at the prestigious Brooks Institute, before embarking on a career as a full time artist. Gigi has exhibited and published works in both the USA and Canada.

Gigi married a local man and moved to Ireland nearly 10 years ago, and it was here that her love of tattoos resurfaced. When she was given the opportunity to train under an artist who had been in the industry for over 25 years, she jumped at the chance.

Gigi's love of art, coupled with hard work, dedication and an uncanny natural ability allows for the creation of some wonderful Tattoos. Why not call in and have a look at her work, you will not be disappointed.

Tattooing is my life, it's all about the art, creating beautiful images for people and myself, I do it because it's what makes me who I am, because it feeds my soul and quite honestly I don't know what else I would do. It wasn't my fate or destiny I chose to achieve what have through a combination of skill, hard-work, making the right choices and most importantly not giving-up.

Hello! 

     My name is Rudy Lopez. I've been tattooing just over 10 year now. I really enjoy tattooing and all aspects of art.  I'm currently working in Albuquerque New Mexico at Good Fortune Tattoo.

     My strongest style at the moment is lack and grey realism. I love to do black and grey portraits of the works of great old masters such as Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and other great masters as well. I am very much attracted to Japanese inspired style works. I don't get to do much of it. I do have some projects already in the process and I hope to have them posted here in the next few months.  

Please feel free to text me or come by the shop to set up a consultation. 

Godd Fortune Tattoo

6821 Mntgomery Blvd NE 

Albuquerque NM, 87109

505-720-3735

Beppe's tattoo work features a predominantly black & gray pallet with dramatic red elements that give his work much depth.

Tattooing for 4 1/2 years, well rounded in all styles and specializes in color realism. 

I was born and raised in hot and sunny Southern California and made most of my memories roaming around the hills, beaches, and constantly making art.  Artistic visions have infected my brain since before I can remember but I was never quite sure what avenue to pursue. I wrote, drew, designed, made movies, and painted while managing to finally drop out of my third attempt at college. I fell in love with oil painting in 2009 and fully committed myself to it.  Around the same time I reconnected with an old friend and tattooer who was the catalyst that pushed me towards tattooing.  I must have been born under some lucky stars because I was fortunate enough to find myself an apprenticeship with Mike DeVries and MD Tattoo Studio. I started tattooing in the summer of 2014 and couldn't be more grateful for where my life is and blessed with the incredible people I am surrounded by!

my name is Terence Tait I am originally from "steel-city" Hamilton Ontario . Canada.ive been tattooing for 15 years.. I enjoy a whole range of tattoo styles . . anything from black and grey to color , im probably best known for colour ..

before tattooing I worked in  a steel factory , I always loved art and was drawing ...

I got my first tattoo at a young age. and from there I was hooked ... 

I  started a traditional tattoo apprenticeship , in Hamilton

before moving up to managing and owning the tattoo shop there ..

I moved to Australia with my wife and daughter and opened my tattoo shop Ink ur bod in Cairns  Queensland ,Australia . in 2012 ..

i have owned Cairns Ink.Ur . Bod for 6 years

i am Now located in Hamilton Ontario  at my studio The Dark Needle 

at 139 Keniworth avenue north .

I travel from time to time for guest spots and conventions  for all updates its best to follow me on instagram and or my facebook page. 

which will have all my up to date traveling on there .

I love tattooing customer and connecting with them i enjoy every tattoo i do  , love exploring different styles of tattooing and hearing the stories from my clients makes me enjoy what i do ! 

My name is Joseph R. Swider some just call me "Cracker Joe". Ive been tattooing for almost sixteen years now and I have had the good fortune to have learned from and worked with some of the most talented artists in the industry. I specialize in mostly illustrative style artwork but i have been known to do Black and Grey on occasion and I have recently started getting into some realism. All of my work is completely custom and hand drawn in most cases. I'm not affraid to take on even the strangest tattoo ideas and try to make them into amazing tattoos. I also specialize in cover ups and reworking older tattoos. I currently work at Skin Deep Ink Tattoo in New Milford, CT. I can be reached by phone at the shop 860-350-8282 or by e-mail joe@skindeepinktattoo.com . 

“Live Without Dead Time” - Situationist International

Born with the imposition of time limited, a life fragile and brief, the recognition that one day expiration will beckon and all that will be left behind is the legacy forged within a life span, artist Nic LeBrun attempts to embody a departure from conventional standards of the status quo. The intention is to Live Without Dead Time; to actively engage the elements of existence, to embrace and embody a life abundant with the practice of radical play, perpetual adventure, and insurrectionary fervor. With every artistic endeavor, intent is set in motion. With every act of creation, a continuum of re-awakening, re-enchantment, and the revolution of everyday life.

Highly influenced by deep immersions into the natural world along with the philosophical meanderings of a wildly imaginative mental process, an aspiration to reflect the deepest and most honest visions as to what it means to be alive becomes his motive to create. Expressions of what it means to struggle through passions and pains, and the attempt to convey with the utmost intention of sincerity the emotions rising from the depths of a burning heart becomes his approach toward art, toward life.

Through a varying choice of media, this exploration exists to reveal and challenge segments of life's experience; the perceptions, thought patterns, emotions, and deeds which at least in part make up the whole of one subtle and delicate existence. Meandering, evolving, forever unsated, this becomes his journey.

With a strong affinity to the craft of tattooing, Nic looks forward to collaborating with clients in the creation of unique and inspired designs intended to complement and accentuate the natural ebb and flow of the body. Equipped with an unyielding eagerness to learn, every tattoo becomes a catalyst to create the impossible, defy boundaries, and explore new frontiers.

Hi guys!! i'm Stefano "Cattivo" Fabretti,  tattooer based out of IV Deminsione Tattoo Studio in Treviso,Italy.

My training starts right, in the art of Lanciano and continues in the academy of Florence, on the one hand with the intellectual maturation and the other with the desire, more and more people discover their uniqueness. During the first approaches to the world of tattoos, unique expression of art that can not be created and destroyed again regenerated, I was guinea pig of myself with the first machine built by me, in a social context is particularly difficult at the turn of the 80s and 90s which show themselves in what has been and what you love often was a source of bias stupidly heavy. But the fact that I was gradually discovering it was very rewarding-history, techniques, styles-you can not improvise tattoo artists and this only certainty "some" years ago I embarked on a journey across studies and countries, from Rome, passing Spain to Germany, Canada, making the acquaintance of artists such as spenna, highway junction, Dutchman, Himmel and many others who have worked on me, and have contributed significantly to my professional training. In 1998 was born my study, "16thBallTattoo" a bet with myself, to be able to fulfill myself in a small provincial town. To date, the rewards are daily and my work recognized in international conventions.

Originally from Poland, Max has been in the tattooing game since 1999, during which time he has tattooed in Italy, Poland and now in the UK. Max is the owner and tattoo artist at Southmead Tattoo Studio in Bristol (England) since 2010.

As a Bristol tattoo artist, Max has been rapidly developing his skills in both tattooing and many medias of painting and digital art. Now comfortable in all styles of tattooing but is particularly focused on the “realistic” path, focused on colour work mostly. Max is know as one of the most traveling artists in the UK as well, heading conventions and guest spots every month for last couple of years. His hard work and dedication is giving him strong roots on “tattoo map”. 

After all these years he still concentrating on improving his work and artwork using all different techniques, learning all computer graphic programs etc. He is far away from giving away any opportunity to improve as an artist and person.

In 2013 Max took his realistic tattooing into another level and invented the “LEGOLISM” style which is based on Lego blocks world combined with realism using the same technics as Max is using in his everyday tattooing (blur effects, 3 plans of composition, alternative light etc).

Winning a lot of conventions and being nominated to Tattoo Artist Of The Year in 2013, 2014 and 2015 by various tattoo related publishers is giving some extra energy to work hard, but for Max the biggest energy source are customers willing “wearing” his tattoos. “Always remember where you coming from” - it`s Max`s rule of life, that`s why he always is pushing himself to be on the top of his game to make sure the customers will get the best from him for the trust they are giving him…

I'm Soma Zöld, and I had been working in the tattoo industry since 2008. Because the drawing and the painting were always close to me, I get an opportunity, thanks to my parents, to learn the way of the painting from a gifted Hungarian painter, Mihály Bakonyi. At the end of my high school years I started much more seriously in the tattoo industry. 2 years later I worked the first time in a tattoo studio, called Stinger's Tattoo, in Budapest. I like to do tattoos in all kind of styles but I prefer much more the realism and colour works. For the tattoo design I support the customers always with my personal opinion and I try to get out the best of the idea, to make the tattoos individually for them.

At the time I am working in Budapest, Switzerland and Italy. If you're interested in my artwork and you wanna get a tattoo from me, than contact me on this side via E-Mail.

I live in Aosta (a little city near to Milan) and i have a tattoo shop since 2002, the style i preferred is realism/dark

but since is not a very big city i do almost all the styles.

I have work like a guest in Stockholm for 5 years.

I play in a metal band called "Nefarium" since 1999 witch still continue to play live around the world.

Travis Greenough is a multiple award winning tattoo artist who specializes in dark black and grey tattoos. Travis' work has been in print and digital tattoo publictions and he has travelled internationally honing his craft. He is always accepting new projects and clients.

I'm a multi-award winning, internationally published artist speciallising in colour realism, whether it be a small realistic flower tattoo, an animal portrait or a dark and macabre horror themed portrait. Looking through my portfolio you can see a definite leaning towards horror orientated tattooing.

Ive been tattooing since 2008, working in street shops, taking on work in all styles, big or small. This experience has allowed me to build a solid foundation to progress my work into my chosen style.

I work out of Black Hope Tattoo, in Colchester, Essex, UK with a team of incredibly talented people who cover all styles of tattooing, specialsing in their own styles.

When I'm not tattooing I'm usually working on new art, wether its portraits in coloured pencil, with an aim on high detail realism or working in oil paints for a looser more stylised end result. I also enjoy reading the macabre stories of masters like Poe and Lovecraft or wasting away hours watching trashy horror films.

 I charge a flat day rate for portait work, with most pieces being finished in a single day session, multiple sessions will obviously be needed for larger projects.

You can find a list of Guest Spots and Conventions i will be working on the page, If your interested in getting tattooed at any of these then please message me through the Contact section of the website. I will aim to get back to all enquiries as quickly as possible.

Custom Art and Tattoos. Daily Hustle. Can't stop, won't stop. 

Tattooer at Tinta Cantina in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2009. My goal in this is to constantly work harder to better my art and myself.

Tattooer in Pittsburg, PA

Itzocan tattoos was established in 2008 which is located in the center of Sunset Park. Our artists come from many different art school background. All of our artist are licensed by the city of New York department of health. We are looking forward to working closely with you to design a very professionally and unique piece of art that will last forever and you will be proud to show off.

Call at 1-347-512-4592

Tattooer and painter currently working in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 

Art is all I’ve wanted and all I’ve known for a long time. From drawing covers for punk rock 45’s when I was fifteen to the first time I picked up a tattoo machine when I was 18. That was many years ago. Now tattoo is my everything, and it has pushed me into the visual arts world. Oil, watercolor, graphite, charcoal, to photo arrangements. I’ve taken on all of it to push my tattooing further than I thought possible.

This is what I want. This is what I was made for. Skin, a canvas. My eyes and hands are yours if you will have them.

I've been tattooing for 15 years. I enjoy all styles of tattoos and like to take on a good variety of projects. If you have an idea that you would like to get tattooed email a detail description of what and where you would like to put it. I will do my best to reply to the tattoo requests that are best suited for me and my availability. 

Jhon Gutti is originally from Colombia (South America).

His interest in tattooing began at the age of 15 upon receiving his first tattoo.

Some years later, while  studying architecture, Jhon realized that it wasn't for him and decided to dedicate his life to the art of tattooing.

Although Jhon did receive a degree in architecture while nurturing his growing talent and building experience in the world of tattooing, he could not see himself being confined by the structured and rigid confines of demanding architectural protocol.

He enjoys the art of tattooing and especially the freedom of expression that it brings. Jhon feels that life is too precious to be wasting in a career that does not bring him personal satisfaction nor lets him be who he wants to be .

Jhon has been tattooing just shy of 10 years and in that time he has showcased his amazing talent for tattooing realism in black and grey as well as color in numerous tattoo conventions and guest spots from Mexico all the way down to the bottom of South America.

Recently, Jhon left Canvas Tattoo (his own tattoo studio in Medellin, Colombia) so that he could join the crew at Outer Limits Tattoo in Long Beach, California.

He will be traveling the U.S.A. doing guest spots and attending conventions in the months to come.

Please feel free to contact Jhon directly or at Outer Limits Tattoo (long Beach location) for consultations and appointments!

Micah's bio is coming soon! In the meantime, please take a look at his tattoo gallery and check him out on Instagram at @micahmalone !