Bram Stoker based his fictional character, Dracula, on the real person with a taste for blood, Vlad the Impaler. Vlad III, the Prince of Wallachia, was born in 1431 in what is now Transylvania.
Terrifying portrait in heavy blackwork style done by Ryan Murray at Black Veil Tattoo in Salem Ma.A bloody Vlad with impaled skeletons done by Melissa Vargas in Costa Rica.
Now to his gruesome nickname. Vlad invited hundreds of people to a banquet, people who were questioning his leadership, and had them stabbed, then impaled on spikes. According to legend he then continued to eat while watching his guests twitch as they slowly and painfully died on large spikes.
Vlad and the castle done at Black Book Tattoo in Romania.Zombified Vlad head in American traditional style done by VT at The Amber Rose Tattoo.
Vlad is also credited with impaling dozens of Saxons in 1456, as well as a group of Ottoman men. The latter refused to remove their turbans for Vlad, and Vlad commended them on their belief, saying they would never be apart from their turbans again, reportedly nailing their turbans to their skulls.
Realistic black and grey portrait with some red background done by Jason Herring at Inkaholics Art Studio.
Though there is much uncertainty surrounding Vlad, it is confirmed that he did die, unlike the numerous Dracula stories. Vlad was killed during a raid, but there is much debate as to where his tomb is.
American traditional Vlad portrait done by Jelle Jansen at The Office Tattoo.
Many lovers of horror choose to get tattoos of Vlad, the “original” Dracula. Most tattoos are portraits, often blackwork or American/neo traditional.
Beautiful line work piece with Vlad and impales bodies, made to look like the old wood carvings. Done by Lisa Orth.Wood carving of Vlad eating while watching his guests being impaled.
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.
NSFW. Shibari is the ancient Japanese artistic form of rope bondage. In Japanese, Shibari simply means “to tie.”
Snake and woman in Shibari ropes done by Alix Ge in France.Blackwork woman in kimono done by Phil Kaulen at Elektrotinte Tattoo.Full Shibari back piece and octopus done by Zhuo Dan Ting at Shanghai Tattoo in China.
Shibari dates back to the 1400’s when police and samurai would use Hojo-jutsu, the martial art of restraining captives. This was used to both imprison captives as well as torture.
Woman tied up, upside down done by Alvaro Contreras in Barcelona.Delicate blackwork piece by Sad Amish tattooer at The Church tattoo in Bordeaux.Neo traditional demon woman in Shibari rope done by Wes Harrison at Black Wren Tattoo.
By the late 1800’s and early 1900’s this evolved into a new kind of erotic rope tying called Kinbaku. Today, this erotic art form is generally just called Shibari.
Red rope Shibari woman done by Clara Welsh at Evil From the Needle in Camden UK.Heart and Shibari rope by Scott Garitson at Til’ Death Denver.
The knots used in Shibari accentuate characteristics in the models body, and show sensuality, vulnerability, as well as strength. The ropes create geometric patterns on the models body that contrast the bodies natural curves.
More Japanese style piece, featuring her own Japanese tattoos done by inserseriusseries at Two Of Hearts Tattoo.Torture by Shibari done by Sergey Vaskevich in Warsaw.
Shibari tattoos are erotic and sensual, showing off the human form in all its beauty. They are often done in black work, black and grey, realism, and neo traditional styles.
Blackwork heart and rope done by Lopes Onepunch at Gone fishing tattoo in Portugal.Leg wrapped in rope by Tine DeFiore at Black Oak Tattoo in Chicago.
To see some live Shibari art please check out shibari.jp to see my favourite Shibari artist, Hajime Kinoko.
Realistic black and grey piece done by Németh S. Csilla at Deep Art Tattoo in Nové Zámky.Blackwork shibari and video camera done by Ufoo Tattoo at Kult Tattoo Fest.
Don Ritson was the owner of Rebel Waltz in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Now he and his wife work out of a private studio together.
Black and red Japanese dragon.Japanese geisha piece with flower kimono.Classic American traditional filler rose.Demon making off with a woman as a painful stomach piece.Japanese Oni demon.Healed lil castle and flower.
Don works in mainly in American traditional style, as well as Japanese and some black work. When doing American traditional style, his pieces are heavy on black and red.
Jesus with the cross.Lady head with some spooky skeletal hands.Bright red chrysanthemum flower.Classy smoking woman.Classic design featuring an eagle, skull, and snake.
Don has done two of my own tattoos, both of my forearms which are a gramophone and a design based off of the rose of no mans land. Don is a very friendly guy who makes getting tattooed a genuinely pleasant experience.
My own forearm pieces. Blackwork gramophone and rose of no mans land.Bert Grimm’s tiger. Lots of black with some red to make it pop.Creepy reaper.Traditional wolf. Heavy on the black!Rock of ages in a beautiful full back piece.
You’ll find Don taking walk ins on Saturdays, though starting earlier this month (April 2018) the shop will rotate the main artist doing walk ins. You can find Don’s contact info on the Rebel Waltz website.
Vicious looking dragon head on the inner bicep.Asian woman with a wrap around snake.Butterfly with woman’s face.Statue of Liberty and the Virgin Mary.The Forks in Winnipeg.
Don is a must see artist if you are in Winnipeg. He also does guest spots in Canada so watch his Instagram for that as well.
The pharaoh’s horses are an American traditional design that dates back to the early 1900’s when it became a staple as a back and chest tattoo, along with other designs such as the Rock of Ages and The Last Supper.
Horses with horseshoe and eagle done by Alexander Tyrrell in Melbourne Australia.Brilliant mix of red and black in this traditional piece done by Don Ritson at Rebel Waltz in Winnipeg.Traditional blackwork piece done by Hamish Clarke in Brisbane Australia.In progress back piece done by Kirk Jones in Melbourne, Australia.Very old school looking design by Rich Hadley at Inri Tattoo in Manchester, England.
One of the earliest examples of this design is by Gus Wagner who worked as a tattooer, and circus performer from the late 1800’s until his death in 1941.
Horse, anchor, and roses done by Ben McQueen in Indianapolis.Full traditional sleeve topped by horses done at Wild Rose tattoo in Seoul, South Korea.Angry looking horses done by Herb Auerbach in Santa Cruz.Bold design on the back of a head done by Matt Kerley in Asheville.Gorgeous stomach piece done by Rich Hardy.
The design of the pharaoh’s horses comes from biblical times, when horses were seen as a symbol of wealth, status, warfare, and power. Horses are specifically linked to pharaoh Ramses II who lived more than 3000 years ago. These horses of course portray a sense of power, but there is also an implied reference to Exodus 14 which reads thus. “The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horse-men the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.” This appears to be a warning of following a singular pursuit without regard to the consequences.
Chest piece with some nice blue done by Colin McClain at Tide and Tattoo.Smaller horse piece done by Duan Woo at Sick Rose Tattoo Parlour in Shanghai, China.Chest piece with classic flowers done by Jason Donahue at Liberty Tattoo in Seattle.Big stomach piece topped by an eagle done by Nick Mayes at North Sea Tattoo in Scarborough, UK.Heavy black design by Shon Lindauer in Hollywood, CA.
These tattoos are often done as large pieces on backs or chests, but can also be done as larger parts of a sleeve or leg piece. The horses are often accompanied by flowers, horseshoes, chains, and other traditional pieces such as eagles.
Brilliant full front torso as a piece of armour by Dan Pemble at Sacred Tattoo Studio Marquette, MI.Large stomach piece full of flowers done by Frank William in Chicago, IL.Chest piece by Kai Soong at Sick Rose Tattoo Parlour in Shanghai, China.Traditional blackwork piece done by Philip Yarnell at Skynyard tattoos, UK.Fantastic back piece featuring an eagle, websm and flowers done by Tammy Kim at The Okey Doke Tattoo Shop in Toronto.
Jinpil Yuu is tattooer and owner of the tattoo studio The Ravens Ink in Seoul, South Korea. Jinpil is famous for his flower tattoos, particularly his peony’s. Jinpil uses brilliantly deep and vibrant colours for his colour pieces.
Bright peony flowers on the sternum coupled with a black snake.Fantastic life sized jellyfish on the ribs.Traditional Korean styled tiger, bird, and tree.More of a neo traditional style fox on the thighs, with bright jewels and flowers for ornamentation.A Korean/Japanese styled kitsune, or fox spirit that can have multiple tails and great wisdom.
For his flower tattoos, Jinpil uses heavy contrast between red/orange, and black/dark greens.
Beautiful flowers alongside a very dark whale.Brilliant dark red and pink peony flowers that wrap around the arm.Beautiful, matching fish and flowers.Vibrant dark red peony as an arm filler in the elbow ditch.Bijinga (beautiful woman) with multiple flowers, from the arm to the chest.Stunning pink peony flowers with dark green leaves with a large dark snake wrapping around them.
He is also known for his blackwork, and Korean style pieces. Particularly gakubori, such as clouds and water, as well as snakes.
Bijinga, flowers, and traditional Korean background.Blackwork goldfish.Terrifying blackwork hornet.Blackwork hannya mask.Brilliant blackwork peony flower on the neck.More American traditional blackwork horned wolf head with dagger.Gakubori traditional Korean cloud back piece that extends onto the shoulders.Absolutely stunning full head piece featuring flowers, a snake, and traditional Korean background.Traditional Korean gakubori cloud wrist cuff piece.
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.
Jason Voorhees is the iconic villain from the Friday the 13th franchise. Jason is a silent, undead killing machine, and mamma’s boy. Jason haunts Camp Crystal Lake where he drowned as a child due to inattentive lifeguards. As a tattoo Jason is done in a realistic style portrait, American traditional style, neo traditional, black and grey, and new school/cartoon. He is usually seen wearing his hockey mask, sometimes paired with his machete or other weapons, or seen in Camp Crystal Lake.
Jason mask with full bodied Jason in very dark tones done by DJ at True Color Tattoos.Hyper realistic Jason in a killing position done by Paul Acker The Séance Tattoo Parlor in Bensalem PA.Colour piece by Joe K Worrall at Heart & Arrow Tattoo Studio in the UK.Black and grey Jason at Camp Crystal Lake with nude camp counsellor by Matt Beirne at Stefano’s Tattoo Studio in Ft. Lauderdale.Great contrasted Jason mask and machete by Moira Ramone at 25 to Life Tattoo in NL.
Jason was born with facial deformities and a mental disability. His mother kept him away from other people, homeschooling him and looking after him herself, but when she was unable to find a babysitter she resorted to sending him to Camp Crystal Lake where she worked as the cook. Jason was bullied by the other kids and thrown into the lake where he drowned while the counsellors were having sex in the woods. Mad with grief, Pamela, Jason’s mother, murdered the counsellors she blamed for Jason’s death. Jason came back to life and waited for his mother to come back to him, for 20 years. Years later the camp tried to re open, but Pamela murdered all but one of the counsellors. The survivor, Alice, cut off her head, while Jason watched. Jason killed anyone who came back to the camp, mostly using the machete that killed his own mother.
Adorable cartoon Jason done by Alessia at Bikini Bottom Tattoo shop.Realistic black and grey Jason head and chain by Fran Muñoz.American traditional Jason mask with “mamma’s boy” and flower by Megan Fell.
Jason has a kill count of over 150 throughout the films he’s been in. Jason’s supernatural powers include immortality, regeneration, superhuman strength, enhanced speed, and durability.
Jason mask and machete’s in classic skull and crossbones fashion by Amanda Fox in Glasgow.Mostly black and grey Jason mask by Jesse Torres.Blackwork mask and machete by Murrmosavich at Blue Blood Custom Tattoos.Blackwork Jason mask and trees by Sabrina Sawyers.
Jason is a fan favorite in the horror genre, often paired with Freddy Kreuger, due in part to the film Freddy VS. Jason.
Jason’s torso and machete, with chains, done at Bespoke Body Art Tattoos in Grimsby, UK.Neo traditional Jason and Camp Crystal Lake tattoo by Matt Bishop at Artistic Edge Tattoo.“Mama tried” American traditional mask and flower by Tony Davis in VA.
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