The first time I met Delphin Musquet, he was lying on a portable table in agony as Giorgio de Duesanti inked his body at a Californian event in 2019. Both he and Duesanti are part of the resident team at Sang Bleu—a well-known brand and studio based in London, Zurich, and Los Angeles. Musquet established in the […]
Category: Tattoo
Charlie Cartwright: The Godfather of Black-and-Grey Fine Line Tattooing
On my way to Charlie Cartwright’s home in Modesto, California, I was excited to be conducting a rare interview with the pioneer of single-needle tattooing. Cartwright (plus Jack Rudy and Freddy Negrete) changed the tattoo scene’s course; better yet, they helped build it to what it is today. All of them were inspired by 20th-century […]
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 […]
Design Bundles: Tattoo Graphics, Fonts, and Freebies
From retro typefaces to mandala vectors, Design Bundles has plenty of tattoo-related elements for your needs. Founded in July 2016 by Alex France and Andy Croft—Design Bundles is an online platform delivering over 800,000 products from illustrations, templates, photographs, add-ons, backgrounds, and more. Of course, not all of this is revolving around tattoos; there is […]
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 […]
Tattoo Love: Photography by Kaja Gwincinska
Known for her photographic work of “Faces of the Future”(curated by Hanumantra), Polish-Brit Kaja Gwincinska has focused on capturing the essence of tattooed people through her lens. In this photoshoot, she depicts the NR Studio tattooist Offline, and says, “Paul [Offline], has a kind and loving nature, and balanced approach to life.” Some of these […]
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 […]
High-Precision Realism: Interview with Tattooist Denis “Tidan” Torikashvili
Hailing from South Russia, specifically Rostov-on-Don, Denis “Tidan” Torikashvili began his tattooing career in 1997. That’s 23 years ago when there was barely an industry, acceptance, and fair working conditions. Tidan has had many setbacks and restarts, from moving and working in Moscow to London—the latter getting a big break at NR Studio in 2017. […]
Paradox: Mandala Tattoos and the Meaning of Life
Paradox’s career as a graphic designer producing logotypes and business cards in a stuffy office is almost like a past life. What made him quit, was his unwillingness to continue working a 9 to 5 job. Based in Enschede, Eastern Netherlands near the German border, Paradox attentively works with his clients, making tattoos that are spiritual […]
Ilya Cascad: Interview with Precision Tattooist of Ornamental Illusions
A native of Russia and resident artist at the acclaimed Love Machine studio in New York City, Ilya Cascad works hours on end to finalize geometric, motion illusion patterns on the bodies of his clients. “Symmetry” and “precision” are words that best describe Cascad’s tattoos, done in black ink; however, recently implementing color to arm […]