Some people regard tattoos as purely decorative. Solar recreates antique European jewels and royal artifacts using the fine-line tattooing technique popular in South Korea. Solar is all about the details, from brooches to crowns, curlicues, and bling! She is currently working with 30 other colleagues at Sol Tattoo studio in Seoul. She prefers working there […]
Category: Color
Tattooist Basil’s Poetic Geometric Art
While micro tattoos are not for everyone, there is a sizable global market for this work, with South Korean tattooists in high demand for their meticulous talent. Basil is another emerging tattooist who incorporates art and design elements into her geometric tattoos. A customer sends visual references (photographs of birds, flowers, or landscapes), and she […]
Hansan’s Tattoo Remakes of Famous Paintings
Hansan is a tattooist based in Seoul, South Korea. She lives with three cats which she regards as more than family; they are soul-mate creatures who provide her joy and health. And inspire her to tattoo cats, dogs, and other animals on the skins of her customers. While this is one of her primary themes, […]
A Conversation in Eden’s Tattoo Garden
Eden, her creative name, relates to a paradise of peace, abundance, and happiness. Eden, also known as God’s garden and Adam and Eve’s first home, serves as inspiration for this young Korean tattoo artist, who focuses on drawing leaves, snakes, and apples, all of which are related. Furthermore, producing remakes of Vincent van Gogh and […]
Kari Barba: The Queen of Modern Tattooing
Kari Barba has been tattooing for four decades. She was one of the few female tattooists in the 1980s and has devoted herself to promoting gender equality and advancing tattoo hygiene standards to what they are today. She is tattoo royalty and the co-owner of Outer Limits, the longest-running tattoo studio in America and the […]
Filip Fabian’s Watercolor Tattooing in San Francisco
Slovakian-born Filip Fabian got into tattooing at the age of 16 because of his cousin, who had a tattoo studio. Eager to get started, he bought a $20 coil machine and tried inking a rose on himself, but the device broke down. With practice, better tools, apprenticeships, and many guest spots, he became a professional […]
From Berlin with Love: Tattoo Flash by Brian Kelly
Prolific tattooists Ben Corday and Sailor Jerry have continued to inspire new generations—think: sailing ships, pin-up girls, skulls and hearts—all of those symbols defined the “American Old-School Tattoos.” The same icons that US-native Brian Kelly has revived on skins and in tattoo flash. “Sometimes I use liquid acrylic for the white parts of the paintings. […]
Jenna Kerr Interview: On Design, Passion, and Flight
If you have an eye for Baroque and Art Nouveau-inspired tattoos then you might already be familiar with Jenna Kerr’s work. Her work has certainly garnered attention over the last few years; glistening gemstones and intricate gold inlay brought to life in staggering detail. The style in which they are evoked calls directly back to […]
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 […]
Interview with Tattoo Goddess Ryan Ashley Malarkey
In just a few years Ryan Ashley Malarkey has soared to international fame by winning the 2016 “Ink Master” and starring on the 2017 reality show, “Ink Master: Angels.” In 2018 she was the most sought-after tattooist—headlining conventions in many countries including the United States, Mexico, England, Spain—and on the cover of top magazines Tattoo […]