Alberto Hartleben is known as “El Nawal” in the tattoo community. A Guatemalan native who has lived most of his life in Brazil. In 2021, he co-founded a private tattoo studio in Houston, Texas, where he currently resides and works. As a tattoo artist, he employs black ink due to its beauty and longevity. In […]
Category: Abstract
Jio’s Tattoos Express the Joy and Pain of Life
Jio was born in Dzerzhinsk, Russia, and emigrated with her family to the South of Portugal, where she spent part of adolescence and eventually studied in Lisbon’s prestigious university (Faculdade de Bela-Artes da ULisboa). Even though she still has a strong connection to Portugal, that country did not give the opportunity she deserved to become […]
Let Go of Ego: The Holistic Tattoo Art of Dane
Having been on the road for six years and living in a van for two, Dane perceives “change” as part of his continuous personal growth. Now established in the countryside of Vogt, Germany, where he set up his private studio “Abseits,”—Dane loves his natural surroundings (earth, water, fire, air, and space) and reproduces those energies […]
The Abstract Tattoos of Artem Koro
What some readers may not know is that Artem Koro was born in Siberia, Russia, moving to Israel when he was eight years old. The old city of Tel Aviv has been become his work place and home. It is a “cultural capital” abundant of the arts and history that has been a primary source […]
Imrich Kovács’ Dadaistic Attitude is Expressed in His Tattoo Art
Tattooing really started for Imrich Kovács in the fall of 2011, when he inked his own body. Self-taught and struggling for years to learn this challenging trade through trial-and-error on clients and getting tips here and there, he kept at it and pushed forward trying to one day excel in the field. Traveling abroad helped […]
Brushstrokes and Splatters: Natalie Nox’s Tattoos
Currently traveling the world to tattoo conventions, such as the upcoming London one, Greek artist Natalie Nox is making a name for herself with her grim abstract blackwork that is characterized by mimicking painting brushstrokes and splatters. Her compositions vary from soft to hardcore fill, from a simple zen circle to darker skulls and roses. […]
Mimicking the Flow of Nature: Tattoos by Sanne Vaghi
Having studied fine art and illustration (and specializing in photographic etching) at the Rotterdam Academy, it was only after Sanne Vaghi’s graduation in 2008 that she decided to focus on tattooing. “It has been a long difficult road,” she comments. Now based in Berlin; her work in the last few years has evolved into something […]
Pain and Love: The Tattoo Designs of Yashka Steiner
Swiss-based, second-generation tattooist Yashka Steiner has worked as a graphic designer for over twenty years, now less in the field and more focused on body art. “I don’t use a pen, I work against the machine,” states Steiner, who works similarly to former chess player Garry Kasparov—against the computer, meticulously thinking of every move, every […]
Update from Postminimalist Tattoo Artist Okan Uckun
We featured the work of Okan Uckun in the past, but in the years since he has continued to create gorgeous tattoos. Formerly based in Turkey, he now works out of Bang Bang Tattoo in NYC. Minimalist tattoos seem to be all the rage at the moment (for example, see here), but Uckun distinguishes his […]
Beautifully Bold: The Tattoo Art of Effedots
Clients traveling from Canada, Malta, Israel and beyond come to Italy to get tattooed by Effedots—spending two to five days getting their skin decorated and patterned. In 2016 the artist’s work was known for its red-and-black pigment combinations but now strictly in primitive black; bold and beautiful with a mix of solid (blackout) designs and […]