Beautiful Rock of Ages.Amazing colours in this bouquet and vase.
Esther does brilliant American traditional work in colour, black and grey, and blackwork.
Super cool Midsommar piece.Healed butterfly and rose and fresh chain and barbed wire.
Her work is made to last, with thick black lines and beautifully bright colours, or heavy blackwork.
Butterfly and stars for a classic throat piece.Killer scorpion.
Esther’s Instagram is full of classics such as Pharaohs Horses, Battle Royale’s, ships and more. But check out her flash for something drawn up by her, or email her for a custom design.
Blackwork Battle Royale.Lady head with flowers in her hair.
Large or small pieces, Esther has you covered. Whether you want a small gap filler in your sleeve or a full back piece, Esther is a must see artist if you’re visiting Montreal or live nearby.
Love this classic spiderweb lady.Awesome blackwork ship and mermaids.
Gorgeous flowers and ornamental vasePinup lady and eagleHealed Rock of Ages front piece with angels
Francesco does classic old school tattoos that are bright and vibrant in colour, with bold black lines. Looking at Francesco’s work, you’ll only see black, red, and yellow/gold making up these beautiful pieces.
Battle back piece and nautical back pieceDevil head and butterfly for the feetRock of Ages back piece
His portfolio includes both one shot smaller pieces, and large full back or front pieces. Among these gorgeous designs you’ll find classics such as the Rock of Ages, Sun Dance, devils and angels, lady heads, and animals such as snakes, eagles, and butterfly’s.
Queen of hearts and a feisty snakeClassic eagle
Whether you live in Rome or are passing through, Francesco is another must see artist.
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.
Duncan X is a old school artist whose inspiration comes from early photographs of old school tattoos. These photographs are of course all in black and white, so the tattoos appear black even if they were colourful. This led to Duncan tattooing in only black.
Bold anchor and rope.Lock and chain.
He is one of the most popular artists in London, and he works out of Old Habits Tattoo shop.
Filler rib piece.Lines and lines on a portrait tattoo.
Duncan was born and raised in London in the 60’s and was introduced to tattoos through the punk scene. Artist Dennis Cockell taught him tattooing and helped him shape his unique style.
Black work castle.Full sleeve done by Duncan X.
While Duncan uses mainly old school motifs for his source of inspiration, his style resembles medieval wood carvings and is distinctly working class.
Foxes on feet.An evil and beautiful looking crow.
To learn more about Duncan and see his own tattoos watch David Penn’s short film here.
The Sun Dancer tattoo is an easily recognizable American traditional design, first painted by Bert Grimm, a pioneer of American traditional tattooing who worked from around 1916-1970. An important part of Indigenous history and culture, the Sun Dance is a spiritual ceremony that was and is still very important to different groups, primarily to those of the plains cultures in America and Canada.
Sun Dancer with eagle and heads by Fabio Onorini. Blackwork back done by Clemens Hahn.
The ceremony is a gruelling but important one, primarily (though not entirely) performed by males. The dancer fasts, going without both food and drink for days at a time, while dancing around a sacred fire and traditional pole meant to represent the sun. Others drum and sing prayers while the dancer dances until exhausted.
Sun Dancer true to Bert Grimm by Kim-Anh.Backpiece true to Bert Grimm by Gustavo Silvano.
As part of the ceremony, piercing and suspension is also common. This involves a leader piercing rods into the chest or back of the dancer, while they drag a bison head until the skin rips. Other variations involve horses pulling at the rods, or the dancer being suspended from the pole by the rods in their skin. This inspired modern suspension.
Blackwork interpretation by Flurick Ruslan.Cute foot Sun Dancer by Heath Arnolde.
Often times the dancer would become delirious and hallucinate both from the physical and mental exertion, topped with dehydration and extreme hunger. Unfortunately the ceremony was banned in Canada in 1885 under the Indian Act, but the ban was dropped in 1951, though Indigenous people continue(d) to be treated unfairly. Today the Sun Dance is still performed by some communities.
Sun Dancer with dragon in this piece by Florian Santus.Big thigh Sun Dancer done by Nick Griffiths.
One of the first examples of this ceremony being painted is Bert Grimm’s Sun Dancer flash and tattoo. The original painting depicts a girl dancing with her left knee raised, right hand holding a spear, with a shield depicting a bald eagle in her left hand. A red sun and traditional roses make up the background.
Sun Dancer and dragon by Rich Hadley.Skeletal Sun Dancer by Roger Oliveira.
As the design was first made by a pioneer of American traditional tattooing, it is mainly tattooed today in the same style. Though people do take artistic liberties, sometimes including animals or other flowers, and even changing the subject of the tattoo. It is often done as a back tattoo, but can also be seen on arms and legs, usually as still large pieces, though through adaptation artists have created smaller pieces as well.
Punk interpretation in a painting by Miguel Neils.A more neo traditional animal version of the Sun Dance by Robson Nagata.
Over the last few years there have been numerous studies looking at tattoos and their effect on the immune system.
And for all you fellow tattoo collectors I have good news. Tattoos do in fact have a positive impact on your immune system!
Are they going to keep COVID-19 away from you? Unfortunately, no, but people who have more than one tattoo generally have a stronger and healthier immune system than those who do not.
Full back done by Don Ritson at Rebel Waltz Tattoo.
In one test, a group of 29 people were tested before and after visiting a tattoo shop in Alabama. The researchers tested levels of cortisol, which is one of the body’s indicators of stress levels, as well as Immunoglobin A, which is in simple terms is an antibody that helps our bodies fight infections . This study showed that those going in with no tattoos yet showed a greater strain on their immune system with a dip in their Immunoglobin A levels, while those going in for their second, third, or even tenth or more tattoo, actually experienced a large boost in their Immunoglobin A levels immediately following the tattoo. The full test can be read here “Tattoos to Toughen Up.”
Big Hannya mask done by Hide Ichibay at Three Tides Tattoo.
Another test done in American Samoa by the same researcher took 25 saliva samples at the start and end of tattoo sessions on both tourists and locals getting tattooed. They also measured the tattoo recipients height, weight, and fat density to account for general health. Again, both cortisol and Immonoglobin A were extracted and tested, as well as an inflammatory marker C-reactive protein. A similar finding was concluded here, with Immonoglobin A staying remaining higher in the bloodstream even after tattoos had healed. As well, people with more and larger tattoos tested higher Immonoglobin A levels than those with less or no tattoos prior to the start of getting tattooed. This effect also appears to be dependent on getting multiple tattoos and not just having some time pass after getting tattooed once.
Full front torso done by Rich Hardy.
Of course having lots of tattoos won’t guarantee your health, but based on testing it can be beneficial for general immune health, and in particular skin injuries and health.
Jacob Doney is the owner of Envision Tattoo Studio in Grand Terrace, California.
bold dagger and rose with popping reds and yellow against a strong black painful scorpion on the noggin
Jacob tattoos in American traditional style with popping colours and lines that are bold as hell.
pin-up girl two way burning candle
Though his main style is American traditional, he will make tattoos with a more Neo-traditional look as well. That being said, his themes are strongly American traditional, taking inspiration from old school motifs and keeping the true spirit of a traditional tattoo alive.
brilliant back piece featuring Jesus Christ
Jacob does both large and small pieces; everything from gap fillers to massive back pieces.
classic American eagle
His line work is crisp and clean and his colours are mainly classic traditional, black, red, green, and yellow.
mean looking snake head
If you want to reach Jacob you can find his instagram @jacobdoneytattoo
black and grey nautical chest piece
Make sure to reach out well in advance if you’re going to be in California and get yourself something cool!
Panthers have been a staple in American traditional tattoos for a long time, but they can also be done in many other styles such as neo traditional, realism, black and grey, and new school.
Panther and rose by Aaron Breeze.Neo trad panther head on a hand done by Didac Gonzalez.Neo trad panther head and skulls done by Drew Shallis.Neo trad lady and panther done by Isnard Barbosa.Panther paired with a peony flower done by James Armstrong.Gorgeous neo trad panther with red lighting done by Mike Stockings.Neo trad chest piece done by Shio Zargoza.Blackwork panther and peony flower piece done by Susanne Suflanda König Based in Manchester • Tattooer at Redwood Tattoo Studio.
Panthers are powerful animals, and make for a powerful tattoo. They can represent, power, strength, honor, wisdom, and beauty.
Panther and snake back piece done by Becca Genné-Bacon at Kings Avenue Tattoo in NYC.Angry panther head done by Diego Apu.Huge torso panther head paired with flowers done by Evgenia Sin.Panther and roses done by J Swan.Big traditional panther head done by Justin Dion.Terrifying panther head with third eye done by Peter Lagergren.Panther, skull, and dagger done by Simone Sbam.Realistic black and grey panther and skull done by Valentin Hirsch.
Panthers were most popular with sailors and prison inmates, up until the Vietnam war when they became popular with soldiers as well. Now they are more popular than ever as American traditional designs are still going strong.
Neo trad panther and flaming torch by Brian Flores.Classic panther design by Carlos Chavarriaga.Panther with arrow going through the head done by Fulvio Vaccarone.Black and yellow by Jack Goks Pearce.Small traditional panther head done by Nick Colin Corbett.Classic panther forearm piece done by Rich Hadley.A split open panther head done by Stu Pagdin.Pink new school panther head done by Zach Black.
Baphomet today is regarded as a Satanic figure, but for a long time Baphomet was actually a word for the prophet Mohammed in Islam, and worshipping a Muslim god or prophet was seen as idolatry. The Knights of Templar were accused of worshipping Baphomet the false idol in Medieval France, and were tortured under King Philip.
Baphomet head by Daniel Baczewski.Brilliant back of the head and neck piece by Róbert A Borbás.Majestic Baphomet head done on the skull by Jason Oz in Denver Colorado.Amazing long bearded Baphomet head by Matthew Murray, Black Veil Tattoo, Salem Massachusetts.
Over the next 500 years, Baphomet changed from Mohammed the prophet, to a hermaphroditic stone figure borrowed from Egypt or the Gnostic Christian Ophites. This was after both scholars and mystics studied the Knights of Templar, writing that the Knights brought back ancient magical knowledge from the middle East and North Africa. The idol in question was called Baphomet in 1818, and were most likely just misidentified artifacts from other cultures and religions.
Fantastic blackwork/linework full bodied Baphomet by Patrick Toussaint in Melbourne.Blackwork goat head by Anka Lavriv at Black Iris Tattoo in New York.Pentagram, goat skull, and flowers by Brooke Ashliegh at Binx Tattoo.Large Black Philip torso piece by Frederico Rabelo in Portugal.
But the final Baphomet that we picture today was created in 1854 by occultist Eliphas Levi for his book “Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie” (“Dogmas and Rituals of High Magic“). Levi describes Baphomet in detail in his book.”The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of hermetism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyn of Khunrath, the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The beast’s head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyn arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences.”
Large goat head on the torso by Alex Tabuns.Full bodied Baphomet in a fantastic blackwork backpiece by Sakari.Bright neo traditional Baphomet head and skulls by Matthew Kaufmann at Drunken Monkey Tattoo in Michigan.Three eyed Baphomet by Rodrigo Lopez.
As a tattoo, people often get the full bodied Baphomet, or a goats head, as goats are often also related to Satanism as well as witchcraft and paganism. Full bodied goats and goat heads are also popular in part thanks to the film The Witch, and the Satanic goat named Black philip. Generally these tattoos are done in blackwork or black and grey but also realism, neo traditional, and American traditional.
Three eyed goat head and quote by Ant Walsh in a neo traditional style.Baphomet head and snake done at forest ink tattoo, South Korea.American traditional take on Baphomet by Vince Genois Panthère at Noire Limoilou, Québec.Huge American traditional stomach Baphomet and dagger by Nestor Gonzalez at Sailor’s grave in Costa Rica.Full bodied Baphomet with a little bit of colour done by Tatiana Esmeralda Marcum Tattooer at Iron Rite.
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