Gallows as we think of them today usually consist of two upright posts and a crossbeam from which a rope with a noose at the end hangs, usually with a trapdoor that will open, or something for the hanged person to stand on that gets pushed or kicked out from under them. But this traditional version of the gallows was not documented until 1760 in England.
Cool gallows and coffin by Devon Rae in Orange County, LAMedieval style gallows by Osang brutal in Seoul, South Korea.Beautifully detailed gallows by Ilja Hummel in Essen, Germany.
Gallows throughout history also refer to crucifixion during the Romans rule, and in the Middle Ages in Paris a square structure with wooden columns from which people would hang in the elements before being dropped into a pit to die.
Gallows over a fire done by Maciek Walczyk at Zaraza Tattoo in Warsa, Poland.Single gallows post by D. Cobb at Gold Irons Tattoo Club in Brighton, UK.
Gallows in their most notable form are meant to break the persons spine, killing them instantly, but often people died by strangulation or even beheading. Until 1832 in England many people were hanged by being drawn up from the platform by a heavy weight, causing death by strangulation which would have been very slow and painful.
Cheeky hanging skeleton by “tippingtattoo” at Township Tattoo.Rectangular gallows by Ewa Lidtke.
Public hangings were very popular and were even treated as good old entertainment for the whole family. In fact, the last public hanging in the United States was only in 1936, with the last public hanging in the United Kingdom taking place in 1868.
Single noose and post by Amber Ida at Seven Tattoo Studio.Gallows and crows on a cloudy day by Levi Polzin at Thunderbird Tattoo in Los Angeles.
As a tattoo, gallows are often done in heavy blackwork, pointillism or dotwork, American traditional, or black and grey. Gallows tattoos are popular with people interested in the more macabre side of life, and many artists who create darker imagery use gallows as a common theme.
Killer back piece with gallows and a badass demon done by Osang in Seoul.
Galina is a vintage non-electric (hand poke) tattoo artist based out of Moscow (though she does guest spots world wide when she’s able to).
Inspired by vintage photosBeautiful geometric and vintage Russian woman and Church
Her work is largely inspired by old school tattoos done in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, which includes lady heads, portraits, weapons, animals, etc.
Large hand poked tea partyClown featuring rare hand poked colour
Galina’s work is primarily inspired by both Russian and French prison tattoos, again mainly from the 18-1900’s.
Well placed tower on the back of the headA classic dagger and heart
Along with more old school work, Galina also does great geometric work, particularly on fingers for full hand pieces. Because the work is hand poked it allows her to do more detailed work then a machine could do, particularly in such a small space as a hand.
Lute player Traditional Russian woman
Most of her work is done without colour, but if you’re wanting some red thrown into the mix she can do that for you. Many people think hand poked tattoos have to be small, with very little detail, but Galina is proof that hand poked pieces can still be big and bold. If you’re visiting Russia Galina is a must visit artist! And pay attention to her Instagram to find out her guest spot dates.
The perfect combo, wine and cheese, with geometric fingersInspired by vintage French art
Pluviophile (n)- A lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.
Storm clouds by Shannon Mcfarlene at Iron Lotus in WinnipegRealistic black and grey storm clouds by Marcin Sonski
As a pluviophile myself, I love anything related to rain and storms. The sight, sound, and smell of rain all make me feel happy and at peace. Some of my favourite art is inspired by storms and rain, and that includes tattoos.
Storm clouds by Mel Mauthe at Iron Lotus in WinnipegSkeleton enjoying the rain by Madar Norbert at Knuckle Up Budapest
As a tattoo, some common rain themes include rain clouds, storm clouds with lightning, umbrellas, and people in the rain.
Dot and line work rain by Masi in NürnbergUmbrella and storm by La Maison Hantée
Common styles include black work, American traditional, realism, dot work, and black and grey.
Black work piece by Julaika at Vienna TattooRainy day window by Pixie Cat at Art Lab Tattoo Studio
What is your favourite thing about rainy days?
Dot and line work skull and umbrellas by Jay BaldwinAngel and rain by Rat at Imperial Tattoo Toronto
Bram Adey is arguably one of the most sought after tattoo artists in Winnipeg. Bram worked at the popular Rebel Waltz Tattoo for nine years, but as of August 2020 will be at Main Street Tattoo Collective.
Beautiful bird and flowers.
Bram takes inspiration from all things in nature, particularly animals. His birds and flowers are some of the most beautiful pieces you can get from him, among many others.
Matching swallows. Rose by Le Slyvie in Nelson B.C and wolf by Benny Hanya.
Bram does both machine work and hand poke pieces, and does dot work and delicate black and grey.
Beautiful nature inspired back piece.
Much of his work is also inspired by American traditional and Japanese styles, but done in black and grey with more realistic elements.
Matching dot work geometric pieces.
Check out Bram’s Instagram linked above to see more and get his contact information.
Who doesn’t love a good ghost story this time of year?
Black and grey/pointillism piece done by Angelo Parente at Black Casket Tattoo.
People have always had a fascination with death and dying, and with that fascination comes story telling. Some of my favourite books are ghost stories (or related). Here’s a short list of some of my favourites, and some great tattoos to go with them!
Heavy on the black, spooky sheet ghost done by Shannon McFarlene at Iron Lotus Tattoo in Winnipeg, Canada.
Hell House, by Richard Matheson.
American traditional ghosts around a fire done by Grace LaMorte at Spring Street Tattoo in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson.
Cute American traditional Casper tattoo done by Jackpot the needles in Seoul, South Korea.
The Taxidermists Daughter, by Kate Mosse.
A traditional Japanese ghost done by Rob Mopar at Sacred Monkey Tattoo.
The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill.
Super cute fall tattoo including a spooky lil ghost, done by Kassidy Autumn at Cincinnati Tattoo Studio.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, by Alvin Schwartz.
Terrifying sheet ghost done by Ryan Murray at Black Veil Tattoo in Salem, MA.
The Amityville Horror, by Jay Anson.
Halloween themed snow globe done in American traditional style, by Mandee Jane Robinson.
As a tattoo, many people prefer blackwork or black and grey, to maximize the dark feelings that generally come with ghosts. American traditional and realism can also be popular choices for a spooky ghost. Of course not all ghosts are scary, and American traditional ghosts tend not to be. Many American trad ghosts are based on casper the friendly ghost.
Sexy ghost costume done by Samantha Croston at Reign Supreme Tattoo Studio.
Do you prefer scary or fun ghosts?
Wicked pointillism Halloween themed piece done by Tulio Tattoo.
A bodysuit is the ultimate way for a tattoo collector to show their dedication to the craft. A bodysuit is most often done as one cohesive piece, usually in one style. But some people do start getting tattooed without the intention of having a bodysuit, then end up growing into it.
Japanese bodysuit done by Adam Craft at The Tattooed Heart.The late Rick Genest’s bodysuit done by Frank Lewis in Montreal Canada.Hyper realistic suit completed by Matt Jordan at Ship Shape Tattoo.Brilliant black work/tribal bodysuit done by Samuel Christensen.
Japanese is the most well known style for creating bodysuits. Done by one artist, tied together with background work such waves, clouds, and other nature themes.
Back and legs done by Shige at Yellow Blaze in Yokohama.The recognizable line work of Guy Le Tattooer.Black work and geometric bodysuit done by Nissaco in Osaka.Black work/tribal bodysuit done by Tomas Tomas at Seven Doors Tattoo in London.
More recently black work is becoming more popular for full bodysuits. Either heavy black work or smaller pieces.
Heavy black work torso and arm piece. A collaboration between Gerhard Wiesbeck and Little Swastika.Beautiful black and grey bodysuit done by Jason Butcher at immortal ink tattoo studio.Colourful bio mechanical bodysuit done by Paco Dietz in Santa Clara, Ca.Heavy black work done by Valerio Cancellier.
Similarly people get bodysuits of American traditional pieces. Hundreds of small pieces filling up a body to make it look more or less like one huge suit.
Geometric and dotwork done by Cory Ferguson at Good Point Tattoo in Ontario Canada.Arm, Back, and leg done by Julian Siebert at Corpsepainter Tattoo Munich, Germany.Black/geometric bodysuit done by Pierluigi Deliperi.
Black and grey, neo traditional, and realism styles are also being used for bodysuits now, making for eye popping artwork.
Black work torso and shoulders done by Duncan X in the UK.Full body Japanese suit with lots of black done by Koji Ichimaru.American traditional bodysuit done by Rich Hadley in the UK.
The word bodysuit may make you think of really a full body covered in tattoos, but it also refers to torso pieces that lead onto the arms, and/or legs.
Beautiful and heavy black work nature themed bodysuit done by Gakkin.Heavy black Japanese done by Lupo Horiokami Italy at mushin studio.American traditional mostly black work torso and arms done by Rich Hardy in the UK.
Jack is a black work artist working out of Insider Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Peony in the ditch.Back of the neck and across the shoulders in a more Polynesian layout.Two cuffs, leading onto the hand.Heavy black and some dot and linework in this sleeve, featuring mandalas.Lots of flowers!Gorgeous hand and cuff piece.
Jack uses geometric patterns, adding flowers, mandalas, solid bands of black, and sometimes religious icons.
Healed and heavy on the black.Chest piece with laurels.Gorgeous finished Ganesha back piece.Flowers and collar.Matching shoulder peony flowers.Detailed back of the neck piece, all the way up onto the bottom of the head.
Jack has incredible attention to detail, making large pieces filled with incredible line and dotwork.
Ganesha and geometric patterns.Healed full sleeve with sacred geometry.
Jack does do some smaller pieces, but most of them are fairly large. Such as sleeves, backs, half sleeves, and chest pieces.
Beautiful face tattoo.3/4 sleeve with lots of dotwork for the shading.Forearms added to existing pieces leading onto the hands.Mandalas, dots, and lines on the legs, leading onto the feet.
Jack is a must visit artist if you are in Scotland.
Susanne is a tattooer at Redwood Tattoo Studio in Manchester. She does fine linework, dotwork, and blackwork. All of her tattoos use only black ink, but her intricate dotwork make a great contrast to the heavy black.
A girl and her cat, the start and the moon.Victorian octopus lady looking very serious.Fantastic night time land and city scape.Gorgeous Venus piece!Lovely jellyfish in a jar.Three adorable foxes cuddling.A girl and her big dog!
Much of her work features popular characters or places from books, film, and tv.
Eleven from Stranger Things!Severus Snape wearing Neville’s Grandmother’s clothing.The first years heading to Hogwarts!
She draws much inspiration from histories famous painters, and even does their portraits.
Brilliant portrait of Van Gogh with his own sky design as the background.Frida Kahlo as one of her own portraits.Dot and blackwork Picasso vase!Katsushika Hokusai’s wave, one of the most iconic Japanese motifs.
Her whimsical animal portraits are fantastical and heartwarming, such as space narwhales, dogs in space, dinosaurs in clothing, etc.
Sloth bathing in some tasty ramen!Super cool badger rocking out.Pirate kitty!!Narwhale with a cool space theme.Brachiosaurus in some fancy clothes.Very pretty mermaid.A heavily tattooed and bearded merman.
Susanne is a must see artist if you’re in Manchester!
Hogwarts is the fictional (maybe) school from J.K Rowling’s series “Harry Potter”. To many fans of both the books and the movies, Hogwarts is a second home. As J.K has said before, “Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
Hyper realistic miniature Hogwarts done by Andrea Morales.Hyper realistic mini Hogwarts during a beautiful sunset. Done by Savaş Doğan in Istanbul Kadıköy Moda
Many people feel so strongly towards the school that they choose to have it tattooed on them permanently.
Bright neo traditional Hogwarts done by Carly Baggins, Perth, Australia.Heavy blackwork Hogwarts done by Jessica Svartvit.
Here are some facts you may not know about the school. According to the first book, there are over 142 staircases in Hogwarts; many of which tend to move, even while someone walks on them, making it difficult to get to classes on time.
Matching Hedwig and Hogwarts done by Carly Montgomery at First String Tattoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba.Cute Always and Hogwarts done by Keely Rutherford at Jolie Rouge Tattoo in London.
The school motto “Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus” sounds pretty impressive in latin right? When translated into English it means “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.” Not the most inspiring motto to live by maybe, but definitely a practical one!
Bright night time miniature piece done by Daria Stahp.All was well. Mini dotwork Hogwarts done by Mali at Cool Kidz Tattoo.
The castle can keep its own secrets and choose to reveal them to those it deems worthy. Such as the room of requirement, which is eventually used as a safe haven for the students to hide from the Death Eaters running the school in the seventh book.
Realistic black and grey piece with Hedwig, the deathly hallows symbol and candles. Done by David Irizarry Ink & Dagger Tattoo : Foundation Tattoo.Hogwarts snow globe done by Nicole at Voodoo Tattoo Club.
Hogwarts was founded in 990 AD, meaning it was founded before Oxford University which was founded in 1209, making it one of the oldest English institutions .
Black work Hogwarts done by Demon Dance at Easy Tiger Tattoo.Tiny black and grey piece done by Peta Heffernan.
The ceiling in the Great Hall is enchanted to reflect the sky outside. Meaning the Great Hall could be bright and sunny, or pouring rain while lighting crackles across the sky.
Dotwork Hogwarts done by Dino Nemec.Another Always piece. Done by Sanae Garcia Tattoos.
The first Triwizard Tournament was held 300 years after the school was founded.
Neo traditional Hogwarts with frame and roses done by Drew Shallis.Great use of negative space done in this one by Sierra Granger at Freaks and Geeks Tattoo Sideshow in Asheville NC.
Muggles cannot see Hogwarts. Electronics also do not work on the school grounds, so no WIFI!
Triangular realistic nighttime view of Hogwarts done by Giuseppe Cozzolino at Ozon Tattoo Studio, Napoli Italy.First years on their way to Hogwarts done by Susanne Konig at Redwood Tattoo Studio in Manchester.
Peeves who is unfortunately not featured in the films, first came to Hogwarts in 993 AD and is an indestructible spirit of chaos!
Realistic half sleeve done by Jamie Schene.
As a tattoo Hogwarts is often done in a realistic style, often as black work or neo traditional.
Purple neo traditional Hogwarts done by Jessica Channer in Toronto.
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