A number of people have brought to my attention that Max Rathbone has a large number of sexual assault and abuse allegations against him. Whether they are true or not is not for me to decide, but the number of women making claims against him is outstanding. Hence I have deleted photos of his work and will not be including him in future articles.
If you or someone you know has been abused by a tattoo artist, please say something. It’s an industry that unfortunately all too often allows men to prey on innocent people that are in a vulnerable position.
übler Friedrich is a Neo-traditional tattoo artist who works in Berlin, Giessen, and Vienna.
stag beetle on the hand
Knights helmet and flowers.
Incredibly detailed black and grey cat portrait with flowers.
Gorgeous candlestick piece.
He works mainly in colour, but also does brilliant blackwork and fantastic black and grey pieces.
Healed forearm pieces. Brilliant rose and a dagger through a heart.
Ruler of the sea, Poseidon!
Portrait/scenery piece featuring a waterscape scene.
Huge skull and octopus thigh piece.
His pieces are both realistic and traditional, making a perfect blend of the two.
Vicious looking spiked mace.
Mean looking hawk with skulls on the neck.
Badass Roman skull torso piece.
Arrows and knots on a thigh.
Übler is not shy about tattooing faces or heads, and gives people brilliant and visible pieces for the world to admire. He also does both small and large pieces, so don’t be shy about getting something big!
Healed knees! Painful looking chimp and a bat.
Bright blue octopus head piece.
Delicate bluebell face tattoo.
Absolutely terrifying demon on a forearm.
Currently (January 2019) his books are closed, but you can check out his Instagram @friedrichubler and send him an email when his books are open again!
Gorgeous flowers on Oli Sykes from Bring Me The Horizon.
Raven and castle thigh piece on the back of the leg.
Butterfly head piece.
Wicked bear head chest piece done in only two sessions.
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!
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.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (better known as Alice in Wonderland) was written in 1865 by Charles Dodgson (under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll).
Black and grey Caterpillar (Alan Rickman) done by Omar Orozco.Bright back piece done by Brian Reaid at Ace of Spades Tattoo in Asheville NC.Bright pastel coloured Tim Burton sleeve done by Jules Boho, an Austrian based traveling artist.Matching Alice and the White Rabbit in a delicate black and grey design. Done by Abbo Florez.
The story follows a young girl, Alice, who falls down a hole into a fantastical land full of bizarre characters and situations.
Watercolor Cheshire done by Aleksandra Katsan in Kiev, Ukraine.Linework version of Disney’s Alice done by Bryan at Nirvana Tattoo Studio in Glasgow, Scotland.Dark and sinister looking Mad Hatter done by Kristen Goetz.Cheshire in Mad Hatters Hat done by Ricardo Gomez at Soledad Tattoo.
There are also films based on the book, with the most popular being Disney’s animated version from 1951.
Realistic and stylized version of the Red Queen. Done by Alex Moro done in London, UK.“Drink me” done by Efthimis Vrettos in Athens, Greece.Stylized White Rabbit in a teacup done by Luca Testadiferro in Jesi Italy.Sleeping Alice done by Lello Sannino in Italy.
More recent films Alice in wonderland (directed by Tim Burton) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (directed by James Bobin) are also produced by Disney, but take on a much darker theme.
Hyper realistic White Rabbit and his pocket watch done by Ben Kaye at Ship Shape Tattoo, New Zealand.Black and grey Disney’s Mad Hatter done by Fabio Onorini Fronte Del Porto tattoo , in Rome.Neo traditional portrait of Alice done by Mugs Costa in Australia.Blackwork Mad hatter and teacup done by Sigbjørn in Copenhagen.Sketchwork/watercolour Cheshire done by Tania Catclaw.
People in the 1960’s-80’s speculated about what the story was “really” about. Many people thought that it was really a psychedelic trip. Due in large part to the frequent usage of drugs such as LSD and magic mushrooms at this time. Experts usually disagree with this theory though, as Charles isn’t thought to have been a user of recreational drugs.
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland sleeve done by Brent O’Leary at Blue Collar Tattoo in Plainfield IL.Linework version of the Walrus and the carpenter with their tasty clams. Done by Gina Gila at Riverwest Tattoo Company Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Brilliant black and grey version of the Mad Hatter done by Nick Imms at The Church Tattoo.Queen of Hearts and White Rabbit, also done by Nick Imms.And a third done by Nick Imms.
Popular characters include the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, Red Queen (Queen of Hearts), the March Hare, White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, and many more.
A partial watercolor style March Hare and a lovely cup of tea done by Bruno Corvalan Mission Ink in San Francisco.Neo traditional Red Queen done by Jack Goks at Cloak and Dagger Tattoo in London, UK.Brilliant neo traditional White Rabbit hand piece done by Oash Rodriguez.Hatter’s hat, pocket watch, and painted rose done by Steve LaMantia at Ever After Gallery, Spring Hill, FL.
Jan Veldman works at Gypsy Cat Tattoos in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Matching Russian nesting dolls with totem designs.Blackwork death’s head moth.Big ole’ werewolf and red moon.Badass cobra with witchy hands.We all float down here… Pennywise and balloon.A Salvador Dali inspired piece.Traditional ship with flowers.He’s late! Black and grey white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.Terrifying snake lady with barbed wire.
Jan’s style can be characterized as neo traditional and new school, with a hint of American traditional thrown into the mix. He tattoos everything from classic roses to characters from shows and movies.
Ghost sheet tattoo with some classic flowers.Devilish baphomet in black and grey.American traditional style Jesus Christ and cross.Hobo cat doing his thing!Japanese good fortune Maneki Neko cat.A drunk Speedy Gonzales.Road Runner and Wile E Coyote.Creepy new school spider with eyeball.
Most of Jan’s work is bright and bold, but he doesn’t shy away from some brilliant black and grey work either!
Neo trad woman and wolf head.Classic and deadly scorpion with red background.A ghostly Bart Simpson with some script and trad flowers.Cute little cactus with budding flowers.Bender!Bright red chameleon.Adorable Michelangelo with his favourite food.Super cute new school cupcake.
Bring in your own design or pick one of his. Whatever you choose, Jan is a must see artist in Winnipeg!
Shawn Beatty is a tattoo artist working out of Soul Survivors Body Art in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Shawn is a talented artist who works in several styles; including American traditional, black and grey, realism, blackwork, new school, neo traditional, and some Japanese.
Disney’s Cinderella and quote.Badass grim reaper.Neo traditional flower and snake.Black and grey surrealist death moth.Black and grey realistic/neo traditional sleeve featuring a demonic version of V from v for vendetta, a bird, snake, and caged heart.Black and grey neo traditional fortune teller and tarot card.Black and grey compass with arrow and biblical quote.Bright new school Sailor Moon piece.Canadian Eddie from Iron Maiden!Realistic black and grey tiger with skull and quote.Japanese tiger and flower cover up.Knight inspired armour full sleeve. Looks like the real deal!Red crescent moon and skull.Neo traditional leopard headdress piece.Simpsons pig and donut, anti fascist piece!Lego leg piece tearing through the skin.David Bowie astronaut piece inspired by the song Heroes.
Shawn Beatty is a must see artist if you’re in Winnipeg!
Monmon is a Japanese term for tattoo, and a monmon cat is a cat with tattoos. They were designed by Horitomo, a Japanese tattoo artist well known for his hand work (tebori) and his monmon designs. He published a book entitled Monmon Cats and has inspired other tattoo artists around the world.
Sassy looking cat with skeletons by Amber Bananafish at Bananafish Tattoo Parlour.
Monmon cats are usually done in traditional Japanese style, and usually have their own Japanese tattoos. They can also be done realistically, in black and grey, and have other tattoos such as American traditional, flowers, and skulls.
Realistic cat with rose by Ash Valentine.Samurai cat by Simina at Old Bastards Tattoo Shop in Romania.New school cat with geisha back piece by Heather Sinn at Tattoo Room in Simi Valley, CA.Matching foot monmon cats by Horitomo at State of Grace tattoo in Japantown SJ, CA.Another by Horitomo with American traditional tattoos.Stomach cat by Horitomo with peony tattoos and a fun ball of yarn.Full sleeve with monmon cat also by Horitomo.More matching monmon by Horitomo with mean looking Oni!Monmon cat doing its own tebori tattooing by Jason Rose.Large monmon with koi fish and cherry blossoms by Jamie Negro at Be Hardcore Tattoo.Monmon with waves by Kika Blunt.Monmon with cloud and wind designs and cherry blossoms by Luana Cavalcoli.Monmon drinking sake with a wicked dragon tattoo and flowers by Sarah Baldwin at Control Tattoo in FL.Cute cat with peony flower tattoos by Sebastian Giraldo Nieto.Blackwork monmon cat with skull inspired by Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre by Utagawa Kuniyoshi done by Steph White at Cock A Snook Tattoo Parlour in Newcastle.
Sailor Moon is a popular Japanese Anime show based off the 52 manga chapters entitled Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. The show premiered in Japan in 1992 and was popular there as well as overseas.
Brooch and crystals with colourful dotwork on the knee done by Alivia Foley at Artful Dodger Tattoo in Seattle.Dotwork mandala and brooch by Uls Metzger at Puro Tattoo in Italy.Photo realistic Sailor Moon portrait by Nikko Hurtado at Black Anchor Collective In L.A.
Sailor Moon is the heroine name of the main character, a young woman who fights evil. A cat named Luna gives Sailor Moon, or Usagi (Serena in English), a magical brooch that transforms her into Sailor Moon. Throughout the show Usagi/Serena meets other young women who are also given magical objects able to transform them. Together they form the Sailor Soldiers. Along with being able to transform, they have other items that help them to fight evil.
Bright purple one by Laura Anunnaki.Black dotwork piece by Charlotte Ann Harris at Castle Ink Studio in Birmingham, UK.Fight like a girl! By Eric Flannes.
The show is particularly popular with young woman as it is about strong, powerful women who fight evil and are portrayed as strong and capable, but also human, capable of having human breakdowns as well as strength.The show also has themes of love triumphing over hate.
In Japanese Sailor Moon is called Usagi which translated means bunny! Realistic piece done by Erick Holguin at Ink and Dagger in Roswell, GA.Brooch, dotwork mandala by Helena Darling in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Lotus and crystal thigh piece done by Kimberly Wall at Black Rabbit Tattoo in Richmond, VA.Neo traditional flowers, script, and brooch by Teresa Sharpe at Unkindness Art in Richmond, VA.
As a tattoo, many people get Sailor Moon or the other Sailor Soldiers, the cats Luna, Artemis, and Diana, the different magical items, and the crescent moon. These tattoos are often bright and colourful but can also be done in blackwork. Styles range from American traditional, neo traditional, realistic, new school, dotwork, blackwork, black and grey, and watercolour.
Luna by Kadee Spangler at Chroma Tattoo.Bright realistic/ neo traditional Artemis by Brando Chiesa on Florence, Italy.Neck Artemis with sceptre by Brando again.One more Artemis and creepy Sailor Moon by Brando once more.
