Wroclaw-based tattoo artist Mariusz Trubisz fuses several visual styles into a single tattoo. Delicate portraits are paired with bold colors and shapes, and the juxtaposition speaks to the larger concepts surrounding his work. “The basic idea behind my tattoo design is the symbiosis of human and mother nature,” he tells me. “I feel like these […]
Author: Sara Barnes
Neal Grundy’s “Transient Sculptures” Appear for a Second Then are Gone
Photographer Neal Grundy captures a fleeting existence in his series titled “Transient Sculptures.” Comprising flowing fabrics among outdoor landscapes, the colorful forms appear like ghosts moving within the frame. “The image captures a fabric form in ‘mid-flight’,” Grundy writes. “The sculpture exists for a split second in time; once photographed, it is otherwise lost forever, […]
Line and Dot Work by Francesco Rossetti
Currently working at the London Classic Tattoo Parlour, Francesco Rossetti takes a linear approach to his tattoo designs. Comprising blackwork and systems of dot work and straight lines, he creates images that have depth and movement without gradient shading. By subtly adjusting the weight of his lines—and injecting his work with moments of mystery—recognizable images […]
Neo-Traditional Tattoos of “Pastel Gore” by Brando Chiesa
Italian tattooist Brando Chiesa calls his work “pastel gore,” and the description is so apt. His bold neo-traditional style is seeping with cotton candy pinks, mint greens, and lilac. Despite this subdued palette, the content of his work is grotesque. His imagery is often inspired by Japanese pop culture—including animated films by Hayao Miyazaki and Pokemon—and given […]
Traditional Chinese Ink Wash Translated into Tattoos by Chen Jie
Chen Jie creates delicate “paintings” on skin. Here, the tattoo machine acts like a brush dipped in black ink, and Jie translates the subtly of this ancient artistic tradition. Her style, with its splashes of pigment, represents a modern form of ink wash paintings that adopts Western techniques. It’s fitting for the tattooing field, which is consistently innovating, refining, […]
Cosmos Collide and Consume in Blackwork Tattoos by Nik Square
Tattoo artist Nik Square has us seeing stars. In his surreal blackwork body art, he combines elements of the galaxy with our civilization. Cats, flowers, and statues collide with constellations and planets—but it often appears that the universe is consuming its host. The blackness of cosmos and the scale of planets like Saturn strip away […]
Magical Frogs and Kitties: Tattoos by Joanna Swirska
Joanna Świrska, aka Dżo Lama, focuses her colorful tattoo portfolio on nature with a psychedelic twist. The detailed portraits of birds, mushrooms, and moths come alive with splashes of neon hues. Her style, which is a mixture of realism and abstraction, began to develop over three years ago. While in art school, Świrska first designed tattoos […]
Nature’s Beautiful Tragedy Explored in Illustration by Teagan White
Illustrator Tegan White cites “picking wildflowers” and “collecting animal bones” as some of her hobbies. Both of them show up in some of her latest pieces (gouache and watercolor on paper), which highlight the beautiful decay of creatures—a concept that White is particularly interested in. Specifically, the larger scope of her work is about “nature’s […]
Time-Honored Artistic Practice With a Modern Twist by Andrey Surnov
In the education of an artist, live figure painting is often part of the curriculum. The nude human form holds a rich tradition in art, with statues and paintings of it that date back thousands of years. Moscow-based artist Andrey Surnov carries on this practice with his portraits of women. The images feature tall, plus-size […]
Illustrations Held at the Mercy of Secrets by Patrycja Podkościelny
“I love to draw plants and faces,” Patrycja Podkościelny tells me, “‘cause you can hide [in] there a lot of secrets.” Known for her compelling characters, the figures in her illustrations appear at the mercy of what they’re keeping. They tell none of it but rather suffer the consequences instead; whether they’re being bullied by […]