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.
While existing for centuries, cacti have become extremely well known as a pop culture phenomenon more recently over the years, particularly among my fellow millennials. This definitely has something to do with how easy they are to take care of, requiring only sunlight, sand, and water on occasion; they pretty much thrive if left alone in a sunny spot.
Black and grey cactus by Julien Perron in FranceA cute new school cactus by Bronte Evans in the UK
They’ve become so popular now that you could light your cactus candle for the dinner table to see your cactus salt and pepper shakers and cactus glasses before you reveal your new cactus tattoo, all without ever having to mention the word cactus.
Ram skull and cactus by Laura Gómez at Blessed Art Tattoo in BarcelonaSkeleton lovers, cactus, and a dreamy sunset by Kayla Gohm Webster at Kitchen Sink Tattoo
People seem to love the diversity and toughness of these prickly plants. They can come in all shapes and sizes; from tall and skinny to short and fat, perfectly round, multiple offshoots, each with their own unique personality.
An old school cactus by Randy Sanchez at All Is One Tattoo in New MexicoTortoise and cacti by Maggie Campanelli at Hereditary Tattoo
This diversity makes them look great in photos, paintings, and tattoos, and their tough exterior could represent a kind of (symbolic) protection for the tattoo wearer.
Old school skull and cactus by Nichher in Puerto RicoBlack work cactus by Chris de Arms in California
As tattoos, the most popular cacti by far seems to be the tall skinny ones (San Pedro Cactus/cereus). These pieces are often done in old school, black work, neo-traditional, fine line, or new school styles.
A classic black and grey vase and cactus by Jade Harper at House of the Rising Sun tattoo in WinnipegOld school cactus with swallow done by Samantha Fung at the 59 Tattoo in Hong Kong
Ryan Cooper Thompson is a well-known tattoo artist based in Portland, Oregon. His work is a highly recognizable take on classic American traditional, using only black, red, and green in his colour palette, and taking direct inspiration from greats such as Percy Waters, Bob Wicks, and George Burchett.
A beautiful rose/butterfly lady A bold back of the head lady head
Ryan’s lady portraits in particular are highly sought after, and his instagram feed is full of them for good reason; his ladies range from heads to full bodied nudes to butterfly ladies, and are wonderful to look at whether they’re palm sized or full backs.
Dragon lady thigh pieceA bold knee design
If you’re getting your own RCT piece you can choose to have something custom designed, a piece of flash made by Ryan, or a flash piece based on older artists work that often date back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
A beautiful nude portrait and some butterfliesA gorgeous dragon lady back featuring butterflies
Along with ladies you’ll find lots of flowers, dragons, butterflies, and other animals in his portfolio and on the walls of his shop.
A bright and bold peacockA classic panther and rose
Ryan tattoos everything from hands to backs, large and small, one session to multiples. So whether you live nearby or are just passing through you’ll be able to get yourself a timeless piece. (Though he is only tattooing people in the Oregon and Washington area during pandemic times). If you can’t make the trip to get a tattoo you can also buy prints of his here.
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.
Josh is an artist specializing in American traditional style tattoos, working out of Love Tattoo Parlour in Melbourne Australia.
Classic dragon Spiderweb belly button filler.
Josh bases his designs on classic old school art, with a focus on American traditional work. He also creates tattoos with a Japanese influence, done in American traditional style.
Battle Royale back piece.Based on Japanese classic, Kintarō wrestling the carp.
Currently (April 2020) Josh (and the rest of the world) is not tattooing, but you can commission paintings by him by sending a DM on Instagram
American traditional flowers done up in a vase.A classic chest ship.
If you’re a fan of old school classics and want your own piece from Josh, whether you live in the Melbourne area or are stopping in on a trip, make sure to set up an appointment with Josh.
Joel is an artist working out of Wild Rose Tattoo Co. in Calgary, Alberta.
A finished full sleeve.A classic hand tat for mom.Classic demon.A bold back of the head Japanese inspired skull.
Joel does mainly classic American traditional tattoos, as well as some more Japanese inspired pieces. 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.Gorgeous cross with great placement.Beautiful flower, always classic.Black rose and Bert Grimm crying heart.
Joel does both colour pieces as well as blackwork or black and grey.
Blackwork peony in more of a Japanese style.Two great healed pieces. Love the fortune teller in particular.Twisty dragon, an American take on a Japanese design.Geometric vase and wrap around snake.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.Tough boxer and rose in blackwork style.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 Calgary.
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!
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