36 inspirational examples of tattoo art

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As a creative it can be difficult to settle on the best tattoo for you – you want something cool that reflects your personality as well as your taste in design (take a look at our post on top designers and their awesome tattoos to see how others decided on their body ink). 

For those of you thinking of taking the plunge, we've rounded up some of the best tattoo art from around the world. These are the tattoo artists really pushing the artform to its limits. Or if you're after something more subtle, see our 70 best tattoo designs.

01. Frank Carrilho

Carriho's linework works with the body to create bold yet delicate designs

Frank Carrilho's 'chaotic blackwork' might sound messy, but it's anything but. Every single line works with the image to create a unique sense of movement, and build up a sense of three dimensionality. The Canadian artist doesn't need even a hint of colour to produce realistic artwork that's full of impact.

02. Mr K

Mr K's intricate works are nothing short of masterpieces

Sanghyuk Ko – or Mr K as he is more often known – is a Korean-born tattoo artist currently based in NYC. His intricate linework is nothing short of bewitching, as he manages to create the same depth and shade as with a soft B pencil. His hypnotic art retains a sketchy, delicate quality without sacrificing detail. It's no wonder they cost a pretty penny!

03. Liz Clements

Quirky doll-like portraits are Clements' speciality

Brighton-based illustrator Liz Clements creates the most impressive, unique pastel-pretty illustrations of women – And she as handy with a tattoo gun as she is with a pencil and ink. If you're not so sure about going under the gun, you can pick up a print version of one of her gorgeous portraits on her online shop .

04. Johnny Gloom

Gloom was studying advertising before she took the plunge into tattoo art

Paris-based inker Johnny Gloom is in fact a female tattoo artist who was quick to carve her niche in the male-dominated industry. Her powerful, dark, film-noir styled fetish line drawings prove simplicity is by no means substandard – in fact less can be more. Love, hate, violence and passion are the things that make Gloom tick, as is clear in her dramatic tattoo art.

05.  Michael Taguet

Taguet's portrait in tribute to late Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington

French tattooist, Michael Taguet is a master in photorealism. Featured in the print edition of tattoo artist directory L’Annuaire des Tatoueurs Français, it's easy to see why Taguet is so sought after. His detailed colour portraits could be mistaken for photography, but it's come after a long road of hard work and trial and error. Taguet has been tattooing for over eight years, trying out all sorts of different techniques before finding his niche – but it was clearly well worth the wait.

06. Matt Hunt 

Matt Hunt likes to mix up nature, geometry and watercolour

The co-owner of Modern Body Art in Birmingham since 1999, Matt Hunt has been tattooing full-time for the last 10 years. He enjoys tattooing in a graphic style, creating striking imagery that mixes up elements from nature with abstract geometry and soft watercolour backgrounds.

07. G.NO

G.NO's delicate botanicals have won her plenty of admirers

Floral designs are something of a specialty of G.NO's. This picture-perfect rose tattoo art is a good example of her signature style – although she also dabbles in expressive watercolour tattoos. G.NO is at Tattoo People in Toronto, and her work is so popular you'll be lucky to bag an appointment. 

08. Lewisink

Geometric tattoos are one of the oldest forms of body art and Lewisink believes they age best

Lewisink fell in love with geometric art whilst studying graphic design. However, even after seven years of study, he never pictured himself as a graphic designer. Learning through computers gave him the opportunity to create more complex patterns and geometric shapes than he could attempt by hand, leading him to transfer this style into tattooing. 

The Paris-based artist says his preference is dot work as he is interested in the texture and believes they age best on skin (we'll take his word for it!).

09. Jun Cha

Jun Cha's classically-inspired ink has an incredible depth to it

Based in Los Angeles and booked solid until the end of 2018, Jun Cha specialises in fine-line black and grey tattoos inspired by classical sculpture and Renaissance art, with the most amazing sense of depth and solidity to them. 

He won't take on any old client; each inquiry is carefully considered, and only those who share the values of his studio, understand his process and are committed for the long term will be accepted.

10. John 'Yogi' Barrett

Mixing photorealism with punchy graphics, Yogi Barrett's tattoos are a joy to behold

A versatile tattoo artists comfortable with most styles, John Barrett is at his best when he's mixing up photorealism – at which he's an absolute dab hand – with more traditional graphic elements. He's currently a travelling tattoo artist based in Georgia.

11. Giuseppe Orrù

Orrù's designs reflect his love of cyberpunk

London-based tattoo artist Giuseppe Orrù works under the studio name Black Circle. His love of all things cyberpunk is clear from his signature designs, which transform clients' bodies into cyborgs. You'll need some strong nerves to get tattooed by this man though – his work typically features large areas of black. Ouch.

12. Aleksandras Kuznecovas

Kuznecovas specialises in gory designs

Currently based at Stigma Studios in London, Aleksandras Kuznecovas has a particular talent for horror tattoo art. His Instagram page showcases everything from bleeding eyeballs to zombie nuns. He mostly favours black and white designs, although blood red also makes an appearance, for obvious reasons.

13. Kim Rense

Rense's tattoos are often inspired by folklore

Kim Rense is a tattoo artist based in The Hague, Netherlands. His designs look almost like traditional book illustrations, but have been given a modern edge thanks to the interesting subject matter. Rense's black and white efforts are often inspired by fairy tales and folklore, and her attention to detail is a real winner here.

14. Sam Ricketts

Ricketts' style flourishes over a range of designs

Steadily gaining Instagram followers, Sam Ricketts is a Swindon-based artist whose colourful creations have earned him plenty of fans. From full body pieces to smaller, palm-sized executions, his unique style is shines through. He Ricketts also has an online print store, for those who aren't ready to get inked just yet.

15. Charlie's Ink

Charlie enjoys helping translate the ideas in her clients' heads onto their skin

Charlie studied art and design at university, but struggled to settle on one medium or style. A family friend mentioned there was an apprenticeship going at a local tattoo studio, and the rest is history. She's currently based at Ten Tonne Purley in south east London, and exploring dotwork tattoos. 

"I find that some clients struggle getting the idea in their head put to paper, so I work with them closely to get the best possible result," she says on her website.

16. JonBoy

JonBoy has tattooed a whole bunch of celebrities

When it comes to simplicity, JonBoy is king. Based in New York City, he's tattooed the likes of the Kardashians. Whilst his work mostly consists of blink-and-you'll-miss-them quotes and simple linework, it's easy to see why celebs are flocking to his studio. Take a look at his Instagram page for a whole host of tiny but beautifully rendered tattoos, from constellations to lightning bolts, ghosts and letters (plus some far-from-tacky Chinese symbols).

17. Kenji Alucky

Alucky's super-sized geometric designs make a real statement

Tattoo artist Kenji Alucky specialises in large-scale geometric designs. He runs his own tattoo studio in Amsterdam called Black Ink Power. Alucky doesn't do things by halves – his intricate, symmetrical designs often covers entire limbs.

18. Hannah Keuls

Keuls' work look like it has been painted on

Hannah Keuls works at Good Times Tattoo in Shoreditch, London. She has a unique, sketchy style that features swooping curves and feathery linework, and much of her tattoo art looks more like it has been painted onto her clients' skin with a brush and ink than with a tattoo gun.

19. Dmitriy Samohin

Incredibly, Samohin is completely self-taught

Hailing from Odessa, Ukraine, Dmitriy Samohin is a master of bold, realistic pieces with incredibly intricate detail and vibrant colour. A self-taught artist, he's been in the business for more than 10 years and his workshops are much sought-after at tattoo conventions.

20. Jean Le Roux

Jean Le Roux takes an original approach to animal and portrait tattoos

Jean Le Roux has an original illustration style that's generally focused on stylised animals and portraits. He graduated as a graphic designer and followed his passion into illustration, which led to an apprenticeship at a tattoo parlour. As well as tattooing at Black Garden Tattoo in London, he also runs The Tallon – a shop that sells clothing and bags adorned with tattoo-style designs.

Next page: more inspirational examples of tattoo art...

21. Gakkin

Gakkin's work mashes up traditional styles with modern influences

Gakkin, who works at Harizanmai tattoo studio in Kyoto, takes a new approach to traditional Japanese themes, strongly influenced by manga, graffiti and graphic design. But although his tattoos are definitely 21st-century, Gakkins still follows many of the traditional rules of Japanese tattoo art, such as: 'Never put momiji [message dolls] and sakura [cherry blossom] in the same drawing', and 'Tigers should always go with bamboo'.

While the background of this design is reminiscent of traditional Japanese prints, the colourful maple and the steaks of bright red on the koi makes it stand out as strikingly modern.

22. David Hale

David Hale's beautiful tattoo work is on a par with his outstanding illustrations

David Hale is an artist living in Athens, Georgia, where he runs design and tattoo studio Love Hawk. This is just one of his incredible pieces of tattoo art. His work typically uses only black and red ink, and he favours designs the combine geometric simplicity and a natural world subject matter.

23. Jason Donahue

Jason Donahue's work has a traditional tattoo art vibe

Artist Jason Donahue works at Liberty Tattoo in Seattle. His work often features Native American themes. His minimal use of colour is both subtle and striking, and his style looks great on both smaller hand pieces and larger coverings.

24. David Corden

Corden's portraits are uncannily realistic

When it comes to realistic portraits, there's no one better than UK artist David Corden. He's inked tattoo versions of everyone from Sean Connery and Harrison Ford to Eminem and er... Keith Lemon. Despite getting a 'U' in A-Level art (he was told that his work looked so much like a photo, he may as well have handed in a photo) and spending 15 years working as a ventilation engineer, he eventually followed his true calling in tattoo art.

25. Genko

Genko gives traditional Japanese tattoo designs a modern look

Genko is known for putting modern spin on traditional Japanese tattoo art, although he insists that 'his style is having no style'. His portfolio of work takes in tribal, new school and greyscale tattoo designs. He's based in Japan and has won multiple awards for his work.

26. Adriaan Machete

How about a zombie apocalypse? On your leg

Not only is this artist a sublime master of his craft, he also has a very cool name. Adriaan Machete is the kind of name you expect from a tattoo artist. Check out this awesome, if gruesome, leg design: vibrant turquoise against pink with clever line work make the characters pop.

27. Peter Aurisch

Peter Aurisch's tattoo art takes inspiration from cubism

This design from Peter Aurisch is a great example of the artist's painterly, cubism-inspired style. His colourful, abstract works have put him in high demand as a tattoo artist. Aurisch is currently based in Berlin. 

28. Shige

Shige creates full-body masterpieces

Shige is a self-taught tattooist based in Yokohama, Japan, and the founder of Yellow Blaze Tattoo. While the basis of his work is Japanese history and traditional culture, Shige has created his own original style, which he describes as a never-ending work in progress. His large-scale works are truly breathtaking.

29. Peter Lagergren

Bizarre yet brilliantly executed

We love Peter Lagergren's work purely because it's so bizarre. The Swedish tattoo artist is currently working at Malmö Classic Tattooing, and specialises in acid-bright, trippy images of animals and monsters.

30. Ed Perdomo

The expression, shading and unique colour palette are all typical of Ed Perdomo's work

Ed Perdomo is a tattoo artist from Columbia who now resides in Goteborg, Sweden – although he loves to travel, so he might not be sticking around for long. "I only do custom, love colours and big spaces... my work is optimistic and a bit crazy," he says.

31. Tim Senecal

Tim Senecal favours bright, bold, freehand designs

Tim Senecal has been tattooing since 2001, and is known for his big, bright, bold, freehand designs. He's currently looking to evolve his style: "I am interested in hearing ideas which may have me explore outside what you have seen from me," he says on his site. "I will be accepting all projects that catch my interest, and none that do not."

32. Anthony Romero

Tattoo artist Anthony Romero is a masterful craftsman

Also known as The Man With the Neck Tattoo, Anthony Romero is a dab hand at recreating haunting black and white portraits on his clients' skin – he's inked tattoo versions of everyone from John Lennon to Yoga. He also has a bit of a thing for horror – as you can see in the design shown above.

33. Ondřej Konupčík

Ondřej Konupčík's is a master of the watercolour tattoo style

Who says ink has to be well-defined and crisp? Well not Czech tattoo artist Ondřej Konupčík, that's for sure. He studied fashion before moving into tattoo art, and building up an international reputation as a master of the now super-popular watercolour tattoo style. As well as beautiful expressive tattoos, he also creates artwork. 

34. Myke Chambers

Myke Chambers travels the world inking his customers

If you'll excuse the pants, check out this intricate (and suitably large) traditional American piece of tattoo art by Myke Chambers. Coverage is very high but the colour work is stunning – as is the detail in the various animal and human portraits that run through the design. Chambers completed his first amateur tattoo aged 12 (shudder), and never looked back. 

35. Emily Rose Murray

Emily Rose Murray is the leading lady of tattoo design

Australian tattoo artist Emily Rose Murray blends a strong comic art-influenced style with some amazing colour and shading work. The Melbourne-based artist is known for her glamorous women with a gothic edge. 

36. Amanda Wachob

With a background in painting, Amanda Wachob has created a unique brand of tattoo art

Originally a painter, Amanda Wachob has developed a beautifully unique style of tattoo art. Influenced by the work of Hans Hofmann, she allows the organic forms of the body to influence these abstract shapes. Take a look at this interview to discover how she earned herself an almost cult-like following.

• What happens when tattoo design meets illustration
• How to generate new ideas for character designs
• How to hold a pencil correctly

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