Artist Pony Reinhardt transports us to the woods with her naturalistic tattoos. The monochromatic line drawings feature animals, flowers, and even fungi, stitched together in sprawling scenes that highlight the Earth’s beauty. Their detailed style showcases all of the outdoors, from meticulously-etched veins in leaves to roughly-textured bird beaks to the grain of wood on […]
Tag: Blackwork
Meticulously Stippled Ornamental Tattoos by Jessica Kinzer
Jessica Kinzer has only been tattooing since 2014, but she’s produced stunning body art in that time. She adorns her clients with monochromatic baroque designs that feature stylized flowers and elegant flourishes. To shade these sprawling pieces, she pricks the skin with countless tiny dots and creates a stippled effect. Kinzer’s works are inspired by more than […]
Lines and Dots: The Blackwork of Tattooer Okan Uckun
Having read various online news reports about “Turkey Ban[ning] Tattoos, Body Piercings and Dyed Hair in Schools,” one has to ask Turkish native and tattooer Okan Uckun if the industry has actually improved? He tells me that in the last three years it has gotten better. With artists completing their college degrees—understanding history and the […]
Single Needle Tattoos
Somewhere between a bold statement and “barely there,” the single needle technique is broadening the realm of possibility for micro tattoos. Whether hand poked or machine-powered, fine lines allow for more complexity in a smaller space. This can eliminate room for error, so it’s a task for only the steadiest of hands. But when it’s done well, the […]
Etching-Style Tattoos and Drawings by Thieves of Tower (Castlebasas)
The name Thieves of Tower will likely whisk our minds into the world of Tolkien or Robin Hood. It is the name of a studio founded by tattooer Houston Patton and creative director Dagny Fox. One inks and one directs—they work well together and you can see how much through their impressive portfolio of woodcut […]
Calligraphy Tattoos by Sadhu Le Serbe
The fact that he was already a calligrapher was an advantage for his transition to becoming a tattooer years ago, not only doing amazing scripts on paper, but also on human skin. I’m talking about Sadhu (aka Le Serbe) who has had past experience working as a letter artist, painter and graphic designer; currently working […]
Cisco’s Tattoos from 2014
Cisco’s blackwork is much stronger than his full-colored tattoos. The way he boldly outlines and shades with linear hatching and dots, there’s an old-school illustration quality to it. Some of his visuals take you on a journey to the golden age of Circus—with the knife juggler and lots of animals. One noteworthy tattoo is his […]