Chris is known for his notable work in two main styles, Japanese and traditional old school, with some black and grey or black work versions of both styles thrown into the mix.
Hannya and snake back piece Black American traditional torso
Chris’ Instagram is full of both large and small scale work, including back pieces, full sleeves, one-offs, and job stoppers.
Hannya job stopperKintaro wrestling a wolf
His work is crisp and detailed, and you can tell how much pride he takes in his work by spending only a few minutes looking through his portfolio. Much of his work takes direct influence from woodblock Japanese artists as well as old school tattooers from the 19th-20th centuries.
Kyōsai’s frogBlack and grey Japanese sleeve
If you’re able to make the trip to Norway or are lucky enough to live in Europe where it’s easy to travel between countries, Chris is a must see artist.
The Battle Royale is an old school design that consists of an eagle, a snake, and a dragon, all battling it out to be number one (sometimes it is depicted as an eagle vs a snake, or even other animals fighting).
A more neo-traditional take on the Battle Royale by Sergio Latorre at Octopus TattooClassic colours in this Battle Royale by Tim Pausinger at Pearl Harbor Gift Shop
This design has been passed down for generations through tattooers and tattoo collectors, usually as quite a large design like a full back piece, chest, or stomach, but also as smaller work on arms and legs.
Black work Battle Royale by Nico at El Furgón Tattoo ParlourColour Battle Royale by Rudi Ridgewell in Worthing, England
This most famous design was tattooed on D.C (Dave) Paul by Huck Spaulding and Paul Rogers, though there are a few older designs that are bit different. One was tattooed by George Burchett when he was working with Japanese artist Hori Uno in his shop in London, and the other by Percy Waters in Detroit. Ben Corday’s version is also quite popular.
Black work Battle Royale by Gil Guerra at Heart of Oak Tattoo in BelgiumA more neo-traditional Battle Royale by Erich XXX in Buffalo, NY
The Battle Royale is an American traditional design that has clear roots in Japanese tattooing as well as American. It was designed to represent the eternal struggle of keeping balance, particularly between the East and West, but life in general as well. Everything in life requires balance and hardship. This is a battle that will never be won.
Bold and colourful Battle Royale by JF BourbonSpaulding and Rogers version by Leonardo Maria Cardinali at Fat Cat Studio in Viterbo Italy
Most people choose to get this piece in full colour as the first wearers of the tattoo would have, but it also looks great without colour, or as a more neo-traditional piece.
Black work Battle Royale by Alban at Lig Neverte Tattoo in MontréalA very bright Battle Royale done by Alfy Iglesias at Old Ironside Tattoo in Honolulu, HawaiiBen Corday’s Battle Royale by Rich Hardy
Combining classic old school portraits of ladies and the wings of butterflies has long been a staple in old school tattooing. Flash from such legends as Bert Grimm, Ben Corday, and others from the 1800’s and 1900’s featured variations of the designs below, and more.
Back design done by Kasper_ftw in Seoul South KoreaBlack and grey chest piece done by Rich Hardy in the UK
Portraits of women are one of the most popular images in tattooing, as are butterflies. Combining the two beautiful designs makes sense, and can form an elegant tattoo that stands the test of time.
Black work back piece featuring a butterfly lady atop a skull, alongside two at the bottom done by Paul Dobleman at Black Heart Tattoo in CaliforniaButterfly lady head done on the hand by Reuben Todd at Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba
One of the most popular ways for this design to be tattooed is a woman’s head with butterfly wings sprouting from behind, to the left and right.
Stomach butterfly lady head done by Francesco Ferrara in RomeButterfly lady atop a heart done by Blair Maxine Mckenna in Perth Australia
These butterfly ladies can also be seen more like fairies, with the bodies of women and butterfly wings.
Butterfly lady with a hidden face done by Capilli Tupou at Sunset Tattoo in Auckland New ZealandBlack work butterfly lady head done by Kim-Anh Nguyen-Dinh at Seven Seas in the Netherlands
Old school American traditional is the most common style for this design, but black work, black and grey, and Neo-traditional are also popular.
Black and grey butterfly woman done by Jade Harper at House of the Rising Sun Tattoo in WinnipegButterfly lady head on the chest done by naughtyjam_tattooer in Taipei, Taiwan
Nick Oaks is a tattooer working out of Bait & Schlang Tattoo in Montreal. His work is as classic as it gets. Filled with big bold dragons, lady heads, roses and skulls.
Classic Sailor Jerry monkey.Bright and bold back piece featuring a dragon and classic lady.
He takes inspiration from greats such as Sailor Jerry, Tony Polito, E.C. Kidd, and more.
Tony Polito cowboy skull.Black traditional E.C. Kidd dragon.
Whether you’re looking for black traditional or bright and colourful, Nick can take care of it for you.
Bright geisha head.Pharaoh’s horses on the stomach.
His Instagram is full of both small one off designs, and large scale work such as back pieces.
Classic lady head.Panther and snake in battle.
Nick has lots of flash to choose from, and lots of paintings for sale as well.If you’re in Montreal, or going to be, click the link above and check out his Instagram where he has his contact information.
A beautiful tiger, ready for a scrap.Healed lady head and tiger on the ribs.
Clemens is an artist working out of Electric Circus Classic Tattooing in Mannheim, Germany. Clemens specializes in neo traditional, traditional, and blackwork, with some Japanese thrown into the mix. Clemens does fantastic work using timeless designs mixed with new techniques and styles. He doesn’t shy away from tough designs or locations including full sleeves, bellies, ribs, back pieces, and even hands and faces for those whose lifestyles can afford them.
Hardcore full frontal blackwork traditional panther head and webbing with matching black and grey sleeves.Matching chest heads, dagger through a heart, and angry bear head in rad neo trad.Elephant head inspired by deities.American traditional classic of an eagle fighting a snake, sun and moon not by Clemens.Japanese backpiece with oni and namakubi in a neo Japanese style.Full blackwork backpiece inspired by the beauty of death with crow and matching coffins.Half backpiece in Japanese black and grey featuring a tiger, peony, and cloud background. with a matching sleeve.Whole bunch of job stoppers! Beautiful hand and neck pieces including traditional and blackwork.Crazy throat peony.Neo Japanese tiger head neck tattoo.American traditional eagle on the back of the neck/head.Crazy elephant inspired piece.Brilliant neo traditional fox and bear in a tender spot.Tasteful face piece. Blackwork nails in a bleeding heart.Blackwork traditional Native American lady head.Matching back of the knees traditional mandalas.Neo traditional Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad wolf.
If you’re in Germany Clemens Hahn is a must see artist!
