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 […]
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Shiran: Finding Freedom Though Traveling and Tattooing
Giving beautiful tributes to Etta James, Nina Simone and Sam Cooke — Shiran could have easily become a professional illustrator, but somehow ended up in the tattoo field. Shiran is engaged to tattooer Artem Koro, who has been her rock through thick and thin, such as a long recovery after her leg and hand were smashed […]
10 Best Tattoo Artists of 2018—Editor’s Picks
The tattoo industry has grown immensely in the last decade. There is demand and appreciation for both old-school and new-school artists. Nowadays not everyone goes through a grueling apprenticeship (yet there may be a need for it as Ami James states in our interview); the new generation is often coming from universities (from fields like […]
The Illustrative Blackwork of Bruno Santos
Brazilian tattoo artist Bruno Santos is not your regular late bloomer. He was already signed as a professional football player in Brazil when he surrendered to the call of tattooing. Not many people can put teenage football star and kickass tattoo artist in the same resumé. As impressive as that sounds, it wasn’t as easy […]
10 Contemporary Embroidery Artists Carrying on the Tradition
There’s no stopping embroidery. As more people discover the traditional craft, the more that it continues to grow and change. Although many people work in traditional stitches and application techniques, their use of contemporary imagery makes the age-old practice new and modern. Sol Kesseler’s work is an example of new-school embroidery reinterpreting techniques from hundreds […]
Between the Lines: 10 Tattoo Artists Working in Negative Space
The term “negative space” is one of the first things you learn in art class, but it’s an innate concept. You’ve already seen it—you just needed a name for it. Oftentimes, negative space goes unnoticed. If it’s not adding anything meaningful to an image, then it might as well be invisible. But when this area […]
Minimalist Tattoos That Say a Lot with Just a Few Lines
The art movement known as minimalism is ubiquitous today, but it only emerged to prominence about 60 years ago. Established in the United States, it initially referred to artworks comprising geometric shapes. This approach, which included painters like Frank Stella, Donald Judd, and Agnes Martin, implores the viewer to respond to “only to what is […]
Japan-Based Tattooer Gakkin Creates Beautiful Body Suits
Once dreaming of becoming a fashion designer, Gakkin simply got bored of fashion school and preferred hanging out at local tattoo shops. Fast forward almost two decades later, he is revered in the international tattoo scene for his freehand color and black works. The latter being the focus of this feature and showing us he’s […]
Inking the Sacred: Mandala Tattoos by Katia Somerville
For Katia Somerville, the experience of tattooing is as spiritual and unique as the artwork she creates. Known for her complex black-ink mandala tattoos, Somerville adapts sacred geometry to the body through undulating compositions. Flawless line work, stippling, and shading allows her to develop tattoos that unfold the mind as personalized microcosms. Her studio, Rainfire […]
10 Artists Using Dotwork to Create Meticulous Tattoos
The dotwork style of tattooing has a rich history that goes well beyond contemporary culture and is deeply embedded in ancient societies. There’s evidence that the Egyptians used simple stippling to adorn blue faience figurines known as “Brides of the Dead.” The tattooed objects featured geometric patterns that ran in horizontal bands across the figure’s […]