Classic panther and snake going at it.What’s a more classic elbow tattoo?
Mathew is a tattooer at Rebel Waltz Tattoos in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Mathew does crisp American traditional tattoos the way they were meant to be made. Bold as hell!
A small, classic eagle.“Working class” skull piece.
If you take a look through Mathew’s work, either online or in person, you’ll see he really does the classics. His Instagram is full of eagles, pinups, sailors and pirates, skulls, snakes, and more.
An all black, classic Japanese/American dragon head.Another classic old school piece. The Rock of Ages.
If you’re looking for a bit of a Japanese twist to an American style, Mathew is also your guy. He’s done both dragon heads and full bodied dragons, and Japanese flowers.
A more Japanese styled chrysanthemum flower.Crisp lines on this rose and cross.
Mathew mentored under Don Ritson, the owner of Rebel Waltz, and you can certainly see Don’s influence in Mathews work. Both artists stick to a very traditional colour palette of mainly black, red, some green, and small amounts of yellow to make pieces pop.
Skull butterfly for a small filler piece.
Check out his work on Instagram @mathew.machado where you’ll find his email for making appointments. You can also watch Rebel Waltz’ Instagram to see when Mathew and the other artists there are doing walk-ins.
Beautiful pirate lady portrait, done as quite a large thigh piece.
Kelly Smith works out of Cry Baby Tattoo in Sheffield, England. Kelly mainly does American traditional pieces, but also works in black work and Japanese styles.
Bloody panther head and a deadly looking snake.Some gorgeous pink peony’s paired with solid black filler in a forearm half sleeve.Some old school flowers for a bold neck piece.Badass scorpion ready to sting for this side neck piece.Japanese kitsune, or fox spirit.
Kelly’s work is bright and bold as hell, mixing the traditional themes of Americana and Japan with the bright colours of a Neo-traditional style.
Some classic clasped hands and trad flowers on the collar bone.Traditional geisha wearing a beautiful kimono.Anchor featuring Neck Deep lyrics.Good luck horseshoe and some mountains done in blackwork style.Badass Sailor Jerry inspired piece.
If you’re looking for a banging one off then Kelly is the one to see, but don’t be shy about getting a big piece! A back or torso design will be a brilliant addition to your collection.
Toad getting that zen life.Lots of green in this gorgeous back piece featuring Eve and Lucifer with that dratted apple.A painful spot for a mean looking eagle.Wicked snake head with some bright colours.Very painful looking old school piece featuring a tiger and a snake battling it out.
If you happen to find yourself in the Sheffield area Kelly is one to visit. I know I will!
Blackwork lady and rose.Namakubi hand banger. Gorgeous blue tones in that bloody head.Another peony, featuring a cute old school butterfly.More pink peony’s and solid black. These pieces are great for some heavy contrast.Sick traditional dragon looking ready to get into some mischief.
You can find Kelly on Instagram at @kellysmithtattoos
Rob Kelly is the owner of BLACKOUT Tattoo in Hong Kong. Rob has been tattooing since 2005, and has lived in Hong Kong since 1994. BLACKOUT Tattoo was founded in 2010 and features brilliant permanent artists as well as travelling guest artists.
Realistic black and grey tiger.Realistic black and grey lion head.American traditional lady head butterfly.Black and grey Japanese Kitsune.
Rob tattoos in many styles including American traditional, Neo traditional, black work, Japanese, Chinese, black and grey, line work, realism, tribal, and more.
American traditional butterfly.Water colour dragon.Tribal chest panel.
Rob has a book of flash you can choose from, or you can book a consultation with him and collaborate on something completely original for yourself.
Blackwork half goat, half mermaid.Classic mom tattoo with a heart and dagger.Japanese lucky cat, Neko!
The shop abides by all health regulations, including using new ink and needles, so no need to worry about infections.
Blackwork chrysanthemum.Chinese dragon in American traditional style.Bright red chrysanthemum.
Rob has incredible attention to detail and will make sure you leave the shop happy and with a badass tattoo! Check out his website and set up a consultation http://www.blackout-tattoo.com
American traditional cherub and skull.Black and grey Harry Potter piece. Expecto patronum!Legend of Zelda sword.
Joel is an artist working out of Rebel Waltz Tattoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Classic cry baby.Big panther and a snake locked in battle.Deconstructed anchor and a bit of a seascape/sunset.Fingers crossed.Swallows and a heart for mom.Spooky demon.
Joel does classic American traditional tattoos. He has plenty of flash to choose from, or you can bring an idea to him.
Good luck horseshoe. This design used to usually be done with the horseshoe facing upright, to keep the luck in. But now people seem to get it upside down more and more, seeming to be a sign of making your own luck.Nice vacation in a bottle with this one.Geisha with a beautiful kimono and umbrella.Blackwork stomach with geometric flowers and peony. Lots of lines!Black rose and Bert Grimm crying heart.Mean looking spider and crying eye.
Joel does both colour pieces as well as blackwork.
Blackwork peony in more of a Japanese style.Twisty dragon, an American take on a Japanese design.Geometric vase and wrap around snake.Traditional Aboriginal lady head.Fortune teller lady head and Bert Grimm tiger head.
You can search him up on Instagram and see when he is doing walk-ins, or contact him and set up an appointment.
Sleazy Mickey.Blackwork snake.Tough boxer and rose in blackwork style.Butterfly for a gap filler.Crowned Jesus blackwork piece.
Joel sticks to the classics, and does it well. He has crisp bold lines and solid shading, all within a readable trad piece. He is a must visit artist if you’re in Winnipeg.
Don Ritson is the owner of Rebel Waltz in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
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.
Lera is an artist from Moscow, Russia. Her specialty is blackwork, particularly Asian inspired horror.
Japanese Yōkai featuring a couple of lantern demons and terrifying head.Terrifying demon woman.Incredibly dark blackwork demon and monsters.Japanese geisha demon with a geometric kimono.Detailed moth and moon.Shoulder flowers with eyeballs.Japanese inspired demon with too many hands!
Most of her work takes on a dark theme, such as ghosts, demons, and skeletons.
Skeleton and nude woman. Some fantastic details in there.Peony flowers covering up old scars.Robotic severed hand and knife.Sternum moth.Maneki-neko cat from Japan.Heavy blackwork goldfish.
When she isn’t doing blackwork, her other work is quite delicate, including flowers and other natural plants.
Delicate pink rose.Cute mushrooms!
Lera has an incredible attention to detail, with an eye for the supernatural and spooky!
Queen of hearts meets gruesome death.Creepy goblet of blood.Namakubi with incredible linework in the hair.Small butterfly with some great dotwork detail.Some brilliant kanji with great hand placement.Split lion head with a distinct Asian style.
Lera is a must see artist for your creepy blackwork needs.
Head tattoos are a bold statement to say the least. Whether you decide to let your hair grow out again, or rock the tattooed head 24/7. For such a bold placement, one needs a bold design.
American traditional tattoos are known for being bold as hell. Check out these trad head tattoos and get inspired!
Trad blackwork with some classic dice, reaper’s scythe, and chains. Done by Alex Snelgrove.Snakey done by Bertz at Skingdom Tattoo.Snake popping out the back of the neck done by Chris Anthon at Grand River Tattoo Company in St. Elora in Ontario.Snake and yellow roses done by Dane Soos.Blackwork mandala also done by Dane Soos.Rose and claw done by David Bruehl in Tampa, Florida.Pristine scorpion done by Eugene at Chapel Tattoo.Classic eagle and snake done by Franz Stefanik at The Okey Doke Tattoo Shop in Toronto.Pharaoh’s horses and web background done by Gonzalo Muñiz at Last Port Tattoo.Eagle head done by Gordon Combs at Til Death Tattoo in Denver and Art Work Rebels in Portland.Blackwork skeleton hand and leaves done by Han Shinko in Essen, Germany.Blackwork eagle and skull done by Jaca in Hossegor, France.Lil’ butterfly done by Joshua Marks in Los Angeles.Some trad filler done by Mando Islas in California.Cute bird and flowers in some nice bright colours done by Martina at Pretty Electric Tattoo.Bold ship design done by Matt Andersson in Gothenburg.Blackwork church and webs by Nate Kemr.Panther head done by Nick Mayes at North Sea Tattoo, Scarborough, UK.Eagle and skull done by Paulo da Butcher at Impact Custom Tattoo.Cross, snake, skull, and flowers done by Zach Nelligan at Mainstay Tattoo in Austin Texas.
Oscar Hove is co-owner of Ondo Tattoo in Barcelona, Spain. His work is mainly surreal Japanese blackwork, mixing traditional Japanese themes with macabre surrealist work.
Matching feet. Stylized noh mask with horns.Noh mask on snake body.Split mask down the middle.
A great deal of his pieces are Japanese masks, split in half, or more, and making them terrifying.
Five split noh masks with horns in brilliant chest piece.Horned mask with facemask common in Asian countries, with kanji lettering.Brilliant blackwork Japanese oni backpiece.Detached jaw noh/hannya inspired mask.Beautifully dark mask and peony flower.
Other than Japanese inspired work, Oscar also does some neo traditional, and American traditional blackwork.
Blackwork bird and skull on thigh.Traditional blackwork butterflies.
While his styles vary every once in awhile, his work is all dark both in colour and theme.
Mask split down the middle by Japanese knife.Terrifying split hannya mask.Yokai inspired rotting face.Split hannya on stomach, releasing inner monster.Matching hannya and noh masks with kanji lettering.
Oscar is a must visit artist if you find yourself in Barcelona!
