This is a list of notable tattoo artists.
Name | Date | Nationality | Note |
---|---|---|---|
Guy Aitchison | b. 1968 | American | Tattoo artist and painter based in Illinois, featured on TLC's Tattoo Wars. |
Hannah Aitchison | b. 1966 | American | Chicago, Illinois based artist featured on TLC's LA Ink . |
Phil Andros | 1909–1993 | American | a.k.a. Samuel Morris Steward. Tattoo-Artist "Phil Sparrow" [1] and writer from Ohio, later based in California. |
Bang Bang | b. 1985 | American | Real name is Keith Scott McCurdy. |
Kari Barba | b. 1960 | American | Current owner of tattoo shop in Long Beach, CA, that has continuously operated since 1927 |
Alex Binnie | b. 1959 | American | |
Mark Bodé | b. 1963 | American | |
Paul Booth | b. 1967 | American | |
Darren Brass | b. 1972 | American | |
Betty Broadbent | 1909–1983 | American | Tattoo artist and most photographed tattooed lady of the 20th century |
Myra Brodsky | b. 1987 | German | New York based tattoo artist |
George Burchett | 1872–1953 | British | Known as "King of Tattooists". [2] Tattooed royalty and The Great Omi. [3] |
Scott Campbell | b. 1977 | American | New York-based tattoo artist |
Mister Cartoon | b. 1970 | Mexican American | a.k.a. Mark Machado |
Vincent Castiglia | b. 1982 | American | Artist at Vincent Castiglia Gallery & Custom Tattoo |
María José Cristerna | b. 1976 | Mexican | Known as "The Vampire Woman" and "The Jaguar Woman". [4] Recognized by Guinness World Records as the most tattooed woman in the world, with 96% of her body covered. [5] |
Jason Cruz | b. 1974 | American | Lead singer of punk rock band Strung Out, worked briefly as a tattoo artist. |
August Coleman | 1884–1973 | American | In 1918, he opened a tattoo parlor in Norfolk, Virginia, near the navy base there. |
Ben Corday | 1875–1938 | American | Prolific tattoo flash artist |
Alan Dean | b. 1964 | British | Owner of Tattoo UK, UK based tattoo studio chain. |
Amund Dietzel | 1891–1974 | Norwegian American | Early American tattoo artist, "Master of Milwaukee" |
Manu Farrarons | b. 1967 | French | Polynesian tattoo artist based in Tahiti, French Polynesia. |
Chris Garver | b. 1970 | American | Formerly based in New York City, now based in Florida. Featured on TLC's Miami Ink . [6] |
Shotsie Gorman | b. 1951 | American | New Jersey-born artist known for his photorealism and large scale portraits. |
Julia Mage’au Gray | b. 1973 | Papua New Guinean | Credited with revitalising women's traditional tattooing, such as veiqia from Fiji, in countries in Oceania. |
Jacci Gresham | b. 1951 | American | Her shop, Aart Accent Tattoos & Body Piercing, is Louisiana's oldest continuous tattoo business. |
Mary Jane Haake | b. 1951 | American | Known for her work in medical tattooing and permanent makeup. |
Yoji Harada | 1973–2019 | Japanese | Florida based tattoo artist, featured on TLC's Miami Ink . |
Don Ed Hardy | b. 1945 | American | Known as "the godfather of modern tattoo." [7] Hardy trained under Sailor Jerry and Japanese masters, Hardy is a noted proponent of the use of Japanese tattoo designs and techniques in American work. He founded Tattootime. |
Christine Harvey | New Zealand | One of New Zealand's only female tā moko artists. [8] | |
Henry Hate | b. 1968 | American | a.k.a. Henry Martinez Jr. |
Shanghai Kate Hellenbrand | b. 1942 | American | Called "America's Tattoo Godmother" |
Dan Henk | b. 1972 | American | |
Adal Hernandez | b. 1973 | American | Based in New York City |
Daniel Higgs | American | Lead singer of Lungfish | |
Martin Hildebrandt | 1825–1890 | German-American | Early tattoo artist in New York City |
Herbert Hoffmann | 1919–2010 | German | |
Horihide | 1929–2017 | Japanese | |
Horiyasu | b. 1953 | Japanese | One of the most respected contemporary tattooists in Japan |
Horiyoshi III | b. 1946 | Japanese | |
Nikko Hurtado | b. 1981 | American | Has been a guest artist on LA Ink several times. |
Greg Irons | 1947–1984 | American | |
Ami James | b. 1972 | Israeli | Co-star of Miami Ink |
Jason Jones | American | ||
Katzen | American | ||
Jessie Knight | 1904–1992 | British | First prominent female tattoo artist in the UK |
Manfred Kohrs | b. 1957 | German | Student of Horst Streckenbach, conceptual artist |
Greg Kulz | American | ||
Dr Lakra | b. 1972 | Mexican | a.k.a. Jeronimo Lopez Ramirez |
Vyvyn Lazonga | b. 1947 | American | a.k.a. Beverly Bean. Based in Seattle, Washington. |
Nikole Lowe | b. 1973 | New Zealand | Based in London. |
Miryam Lumpini | b. 1993 | Swedish | |
Sutherland Macdonald | 1860–1942 | British | The first tattooist in Britain with an identifiable premises open to the public. |
Leslie Mah | b. 1964 | American | |
Mark Mahoney | American | ||
Ryan Ashley Malarkey | b. 1987 | American | Tattoo artist based in Grand Junction, CO, featured on Ink Master & Ink Master: Angels. |
Corey Miller | b. 1967 | American | |
Louis Molloy | b. 1963 | British | |
Shannon Moore | b. 1979 | American | Former wrestler; owns Gas Chamber Ink in Southern Pines, North Carolina. |
Grace Neutral | b. 1989 | British | Born Grace Walker |
Chris Núñez | b. 1973 | American | Featured on TLC's Miami Ink . [6] |
Samuel O'Reilly | 1852–1908 | American | Patented the first electric tattoo machine |
Whang-od | b. 1917 | Filipino | The oldest Filipino tattooist and Kalinga's last mambabatok. |
Opie Ortiz | b. 1971 | American | |
Joey Pang | b. 1979 | Chinese | Known for her Chinese Art and Calligraphy pieces |
Sua Sulu'ape Paulo II | 1949/1950–1999 | Samoan | Samoan master tattooist |
Eric Pele | b. 1969 | American | |
Thomas Pendelton | b. 1971 | American | |
Cally-Jo | b. 1989 | British | |
Jacki Randall | b. 1959 | American | Known for original and freehand, tattooing as well as painting, illustration and cartooning. Currently owner/operator of Charm City Tattoo, Baltimore, Maryland. |
Cliff Raven | 1932–2001 | American | |
Tom Riley | 1870-? | British | Tattoo artist in the 19th century |
Franklin Paul Rogers | 1905–1990 | American | Designed tattoo machines |
Jack Rudy | American | Known for his "black and gray" work. Owns/tattoos at Goodtime Charlie’s Tattooland in Anaheim, California. | |
Kim Saigh | b. 1973 | American | One of the artists on the first season of LA Ink. |
Sailor Jerry | 1911–1973 | American | a.k.a. Norman Keith Collins. |
Henk Schiffmacher | b. 1952 | Dutch | a.k.a. Hanky Panky. The Amsterdam Tattoo Museum showcases his tattoo collection, the largest in the world. |
Jonathan Shaw | b. 1953 | American | Founded a tattoo shop in New York City in 1976 |
Daniel Silva | b. 1993 | American | Based in San Francisco, California. |
Janet 'Rusty' Skuse | 1943–2007 | British | |
Horst Streckenbach | 1929–2001 | German | a.k.a. "Tattoo Samy" |
Paul Timman | b. 1972 | American | Notable for his work on celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore and his line of porcelain dinnerware with Ink Dish. |
Trym Torson | b. 1974 | Norwegian | Drummer with death metal band Zyklon. [9] |
Bob Tyrrell | b. 1962 | American | Known for his "black and gray" portraits |
Lyle Tuttle | 1931–2019 | American | California based artist who tattooed Cher, Jane Fonda and Janis Joplin. [10] |
Lokesh Verma | Indian | India based artist who tattooed Guinness Reshi's successful Guinness World Record attempt for most number of flags to be tattooed on human body. | |
Kat Von D | b. 1982 | Mexican | Featured on TLC series Miami Ink and LA Ink . |
Maud Wagner | 1877–1961 | American | The first known female tattoo artist in the U.S. [11] |
Christian Warlich | 1891–1964 | German | Hamburg based tattooist who professionalised tattooing in Germany. He supposedly was the first one to use an electric tattoo machine in Germany [12] |
Leo Zulueta | b. 1952 | Filipino American | Known as "the father of modern tribal tattooing." [7] [13] Zulueta championed all-black tattooing, called "the king of black." [7] Featured on TLC's Tattoo Wars. [14] |
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A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes and techniques, including hand-tapped traditional tattoos and modern tattoo machines. The history of tattooing goes back to Neolithic times, practiced across the globe by many cultures, and the symbolism and impact of tattoos varies in different places and cultures.
Madonna Louise Ciccone is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen of Pop", Madonna has been widely recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. She has pushed the boundaries of artistic expression in mainstream music while maintaining control over every aspect of her career. Her works, which incorporate social, political, sexual, and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A prominent cultural figure spanning both the 20th and 21st centuries, Madonna remains one of the most "well-documented figures of the modern age", with a broad array of scholarly reviews, literature, and art works about her, as well as an academic mini subdiscipline devoted to her called Madonna studies.
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Body painting is a form of body art where artwork is painted directly onto the human skin. Unlike tattoos and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, lasting several hours or sometimes up to a few weeks. Body painting that is limited to the face is known as "face painting". Body painting is also referred to as "temporary tattoo". Large scale or full-body painting is more commonly referred to as body painting, while smaller or more detailed work can sometimes be referred to as temporary tattoos.
Warren Pleece is a British comics artist. He is best known for his work at the DC Comics imprint Vertigo and the 2012–16 Irish novel series Zom-B.
Tattooing has been practiced across the globe since at least Neolithic times, as evidenced by mummified preserved skin, ancient art and the archaeological record. Both ancient art and archaeological finds of possible tattoo tools suggest tattooing was practiced by the Upper Paleolithic period in Europe. However, direct evidence for tattooing on mummified human skin extends only to the 4th millennium BC. The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date is found on the body of Ötzi the Iceman, dating to between 3370 and 3100 BC. Other tattooed mummies have been recovered from at least 49 archaeological sites, including locations in Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Mongolia, western China, Egypt, Sudan, the Philippines and the Andes. These include Amunet, Priestess of the Goddess Hathor from ancient Egypt, multiple mummies from Siberia including the Pazyryk culture of Russia and from several cultures throughout Pre-Columbian South America.
Don Ed Hardy is an American tattoo artist known for his tattoos, strong influence on the development of modern tattoo styles, and his eponymous apparel and accessories brand.
Tattoo inks consist of pigments combined with a carrier, used in the process of tattooing to create a tattoo in the skin. These inks are also used for permanent makeup, a form of tattoo.
Michael Jackson was an American entertainer who spent over four decades in the public eye, first as a child star with the Jackson 5 and later as a solo artist. From the mid-1980s, Jackson's appearance began to change dramatically. The changes to his face, particularly his nose, triggered widespread speculation of extensive cosmetic surgery, and his skin tone became much lighter. He was diagnosed with the skin disorder vitiligo, which results in white patches on the skin and sensitivity to sunlight. To treat the condition, he used fair-colored makeup and likely skin-bleaching prescription creams to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would have further lightened his skin. The lighter skin resulted in criticism that he was trying to appear white. Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and that he was not trying to be anything he was not.
Leo Zulueta is an American tattoo artist. He is known as the "father of modern tribal tattooing."
Manfred Kohrs is a German tattooist and conceptual artist, who has been tattooing since 1974. He was a student of Horst Streckenbach. Together they developed the barbell piercing in 1975. Kohrs invented a rotary tattoo machine with main part an electric motor and an ink reservoir. In 1977 Kohrs founded the first German Tattoo Artist Association.Kohrs has been chairman of the board of the Institute for German Tattoo History (IDTG), which he founded 1997. He gave up tattooing in 1990 and began studying economics. Since completing his economics degree in 1996, he has served as tax consultant and Certified Public Accountant (GER).
Sailor tattoos are traditions of tattooing among sailors, including images with symbolic meanings. These practices date back to at least the 16th century among European sailors, and since colonial times among American sailors. People participating in these traditions have included military service members in national navies, seafarers in whaling and fishing fleets, and civilian mariners on merchant ships and research vessels. Sailor tattoos have served as protective talismans in sailors' superstitions, records of important experiences, markers of identity, and means of self-expression. Common symbols include swallows, nautical stars, and anchors.
New school is a tattooing style originating as early as the 1970s and influenced by some features of old school tattooing in the United States. The style is often characterized by the use of heavy outlines, vivid colors, and exaggerated depictions of the subject. New school also represents a transition towards openness in the sharing of techniques in tattooing.
Trash Polka is a tattoo style created by tattoo artists Simone Pfaff and Volker Merschky in Würzburg, Germany. The characteristics of Trash Polka tattoos can be a combination of naturalistic, surrealistic, and photorealistic motifs with graphic, lettering, and calligraphic elements primarily in black & red.
Horiyasu is a Japanese tattooist, specializing in Irezumi. He is one of the most respected contemporary tattooists in Japan.