Tattoo Artists

When did you decide to pursue tattooing professionally and what was your first shop experience like? I was a late starter in tattooing however, I was lucky enough to be introduced into tattooing by a friend who then introduced me to other artists and it developed that way. I ...read more

What first got you into tattooing? I quit my job at a TV studio and decided to live for myself. When I returned home, I decided to order a tattoo machine from China. Next morning, while surfing internet, I realised that Chinese machines are not worth ordering. And by that ...read more

How did growing up in New Zealand make an impact on you as an artist? I grew up in South Auckland, a part of New Zealand that you could say was rough around the edges. This has made a huge impact on me as an artist, but also kept me humble. Where we came from, people like me ...read more

Imagine what it would be like to be the one and only tattoo artist in your entire country. Pretty cool, right? Well, in 1925 Scottish tattoo artist Prince Vallar could lay claim to that title. ScotlandsPeople, a genealogy website run by Scotland's government, has named Vallar the ...read more

8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-Healed! Get tattooed at 10 different shops and you are bound to get at least five different sets of instructions on how to care for your new ink. And out of those five, we’re pretty sure all of them each have some merit. So that being said we took the advice of ...read more

This year, we started posting viral tattoo memes on our Instagram. And you guys loved them! We're looking back at the best and funniest tattoo memes for artists and collectors. Take a look at some of our favorite memes from 2018 in the gallery below and let us know your thoughts ...read more

I want to preface this argument by saying that I consider myself to be an extremely tolerant and open minded individual when it comes to dating preferences. I've dated men, women and people who identify outside the conventional gender binary. I've dated people that are slightly ...read more

Last summer, the tattoo world was totally obsessed with the foam tattoo reveal craze. Well, get ready because this trend has evolved and it's all thanks to a tattoo artist named Alex Rodriguez. Take a look at the hilarious viral Instagram video in the gallery below and let us ...read more

We've seen plenty of terrible and insulting celebrity portrait tattoos over the years, however, this may be the worst of them all. Take a looking at a shocking portrait tattoo of the lovely Angelina Jolie in the gallery below and let us know your thoughts, opinions and questions ...read more

While a select few tattoos are freehanded onto a client, 9 times out of 10 an artist uses a stencil as a guide for their design. An artist named Alejandro Mazkre of Miami, Florida decided to film a stencil reveal for his Instagram and the short clip has since gone viral ...read more

While tattoo shops can be serious and quiet, most times, artists like having fun while creating permanent art on their clients. Usually, this just means casual banter or rocking out to a playlist. However, sometimes, artists and their coworkers go the extra mile and prank other ...read more

The most common question that people ask laser tattoo removal technicians is, "how many sessions it will take" to remove a tattoo. And unfortunately, the answer isn't as simple as most people would like to hear. Laser tattoo removal is a complex process that a technician must ...read more

Every year, more and more people shock us with terrible head, face and neck tattoos. And 2018 was no exception. We saw some shockingly bad job stoppers over the last 12 months and it's time we reviewed the worst of the worst. Take a look at the gallery below to see naughty, ...read more

We seen plenty of amazing tattoos every single day, however, it takes something extra special to create an entire article in homage to a single piece. But, the tattoo you're about to see truly knocked our socks off and is honestly one in a million. Take a look at one hell of a ...read more

These days, there are thousands of gorgeous tattooed women out there and because of social media, we can take a look at each and everyone one of them. Today's subject happens to be a tattooed beauty from Germany, who continuously gains attention for her beauty on each platform of ...read more

While all pain is relative, some spots on the body hurt universally no matter what. And if you ask anyone who's had their nipples tattooed, they would likely all agree that spot hurts like hell. Nipples, whether they belong to a man or a woman, are extremely sensitive. Someone ...read more

For our latest issue of INKED Magazine (on stands now), we featured Ryan Ashley and Arlo DiCristina on the cover. This was Ashley's second cover and DiCristina's first—and it made major waves in the tattoo industry. And we couldn't have predicted how artists from around the world ...read more

We've heard plenty of crazy client stories at INKED, from fans bringing severed heads to celebrity tattoo artists to a slew of penis tattoos. However, what you're about to read may be the wildest and grossest client story we've ever heard. This story comes from an artist named ...read more

As an artist, cancelation from a client is unfortunately a regular part of the job. And when it comes to tattoo etiquette, it is imperative that the client notifies the artist as soon as possible, so that they can fill your slot and get paid for the day. However, sometimes things ...read more

Las Vegas is the home of many beautiful women; however, none are quite as magical as those created by Kurtis Rykovich who pulls his inspiration from fairy tales, horror, comics and the furthest depths of his imagination. However, while his Damsels are the focus of his career as ...read more

2018 is coming to an end and that means, we need to start looking ahead. 2019 is full of possibilities and we know for certain that there will be plenty of amazing tattoos that have yet to be inked in the coming year. And while we cannot predict the future of the exact tattoos ...read more

With 2018 coming to a close, it's time to look back at the celebrities we lost this year. From musicians to actors to models, 2018 was a year that marked the end of many prolific star's lives. Take a look back at the celebrities who passed on this year in the gallery below and ...read more

While there were plenty of beautiful and tasteful tattoos done in 2018, these are not them. These tattoos are rude, crude and down right dirty. They're for tattoo collectors with a sick sense of humor and we're totally on board. Take a look at some of the best (or worst) tattoos ...read more

While there are many tattoo reality shows currently on the air, from Ink Master to Black Ink Crew to How Far is Tattoo Far—at one point, there were dozens of programs airing at one time. Throughout the mid 2000s, tattoo reality shows were all the rage and there were a variety of ...read more

This year, hundreds and hundreds of artists from around the world created beautiful and amazing tattoo designs. And for many of them, we shared their incredible work with our fans on our Instagram, @inkedmag. Every year, we evaluate the most liked tattoos and it's time to share ...read more

In 2018, a tattooer can't just be an artist on skin, they need to find other ways to stand out and promote their brand across multiple industries. This is why many artists have branched out to create clothing lines, aftercare products or YouTube empires to take their careers to ...read more

Henna is commonly associated with temporary tattoos and for the most part, it is an extremely safe practice that can be done on children as young as three years old. However, not all henna is created equal. Some henna contains deadly chemicals that can cause severe and permanent ...read more

You may recognize Arlo DiCristina from his stunning tattoo portfolio, but what do you really know about the talented tattoo artist? Well, it's time we let Arlo himself tell you a few fascinating facts about himself. Take a look at 10 facts about Arlo DiCristina and if you want ...read more

Ryan Ashley Malarkey first emerged into the public eye on season 8 of Ink Master, going on to become the first female winner in the show's history. She made her debut post-show on the cover of INKED and has since gone on to tackle a number of other ventures in ...read more

He's finally here, Kat Von D's baby boy has been born! After months and months of anticipation, Von D is finally a proud mama! Take a look at the gallery below to see the first pictures of her son and share the love for the tattooed mama in the comments section on Facebook. For ...read more

While many artists take inspiration from nature, music or life experience, other times they find a focus from fellow artists. Art movements begin when artists become inspired by each other and the exchange of creativity is especially magical when it crosses between distinctive ...read more

There are a handful of tried and true symbols that have been appropriated throughout tattoo genres for hundreds of years. For example, an artist can interpret a rose into every single style under the sun—from neo-traditional to realism to black-and-grey. Another common tattoo ...read more

Like in every industry, tattoo artists have developed their language based on a set of shared experiences. Over time, these shared experienced have been celebrated and discussed through a variety of distinct mediums—from tattoo magazines to chatrooms and now on social media. And ...read more

Breakups can be extremely difficult and many people cope with their emotions with tattoos. However, there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to get tattooed after a tough breakup. Take a look at 12 of the best and worst breakup tattoos we found online in the list ...read more