There is unfortunately still quite a bit of subtle (and not-so-subtle) racism in the tattoo industry. It’s often believed that customers with darker skin are harder to tattoo, but that’s certainly not the case. Especially as body modification is such an important part of all cultures and histories, not just white ones.
Black ink is also not the only ink that has to be used on dark skin, contrary to what many believe. Darker skin can still feature bright and colourful pieces. you just have to know what you’re doing with that tattoo machine.
More tattoo artists should push themselves to learn how to tattoo different skin types, including darker skin, as the subculture of tattooing isn’t so “sub” anymore. It can be disheartening for black or tanned customers walking into a tattoo shop when all they see is flash painted on white paper, and portfolios filled with white skin, or only very dark tattoos on darker skin.
(June 2020) With the world finally rallying beside our black brothers and sisters it’s more important than ever to support black businesses, including tattoo artists.
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.
Along with being adorable little snuffle faces, pugs also used to be treated like royalty. Emperors of China used to keep them as pets and pampered them to the extreme; sometimes giving them their own pug sized palaces and guards.
Cute neo traditional pug with flowers done by Adriana Maluquer at Seny Tattoos in Barcelona.Devilish pug done by Debora Cherrys in Madrid.Sailor pug! Done by Jacob Doney.Realistic pug portrait done by Michael Patrick at Milestone Tattoo.
Pugs are thought to have originated in China and their lineage is said to go back to before 400 BCE, being related to a similar breed called lo-sze. Before Emperors started keeping pugs, Buddhist monks kept them as pets in their monasteries.
Two pugs in American traditional style done by Bob Geerts at Bunker Tattoo in the Netherlands.Pug on vacation! Another done by Debora Cherrys in Madrid.Pug in a teacup by Kevin Becvar in CA and Portland.Hipster pug done by Sam Oi in Warsaw.
The name pug actually comes from a kind of monkey called marmoset, which were nicknamed pugs. The two share similar facial features, and both are very cute!
Pug portrait with frame done by Bob Lewis at Town Hall Tattoo in Wilkes-Barre Pa.Watercolor style pug in a hat done by Ellie at Perfect Image in Waterloo.Geometric pug done by Laura Murphy at Little John’s Tattoo in Greensboro, NC.Bright watercolor pug done by Sasha Unisex in Rome.
Pugs make excellent companions due to their fun loving personalities. They’re great for a cuddle (if you can put up with snoring) and they won’t say no to a romp in the park either!
Black pug in a donut! Done by Christina Hock at The Dolorosa Tattoo Company in California.Pug with his own Japanese irezumi done by Horitomo.Pug with fruit done by Ly Alesiter.Realistic black and grey pug portrait done by Stefan Sramko at skin city tattoo in Dublin.
It’s the most, wonderful time…. Of the year!! Some people hate winter, some people love it. What we can all agree on though, is snow can be beautiful!
Gorgeous hyper realistic black and grey/white hand snowflake and moose done by Niki Norberg in Gothenburg, Sweden.Dotwork/geometric snowflake done by Bicem Sinik in Istanbul, Turkey.Dotwork head mandala/snowflake done by Emil Supertramp.Lots of pink in this one. Snowflake landing on a flower done by Karl Marks.Realistic Jack Frost portrait tattoo and snowflake done by Maksims Zotovs.Newschool snowflake design by Mattia Mambo.Watercolour snowflake with mountains done by Sasha Unisex.
Snowflake tattoos are often done in a realistic, dotwork, black and grey, or bright/new school style.
A painful palm snowflake in dotwork style by Alexandra Baksza.Elegant micro tattoos done by Banul in Seoul, South Korea.Tiny finger snowflake done by Georgina Ostheimer in Munich, Germany.Blue foot done at Lucky Bella tattoo shop.Hand mandala and snowflake done by Marilyn at Studio Curitiba.Dark blackwork snowflake done by Olaf Botel.Dotwork/linework wrist snowflake done by Shanna Keyes.
Each snowflake tattoo here is unique, just like the real deal!
Bright blue and white snowflake leg piece done by August Thompson.Dotwork penguin and snowflake background done by Caro Walch.Dotwork negative space snowflake done by Kevin Koskela.Micro tattoo snowflake done by Pablo Torre in Madrid.Fantastic hyper realistic locket and snowflakes done by Martin Wilkström.Snowflake and leaves on the sternum done by Sára Reichardt, at Wonderland Tattoo, in Budapest, Hungary.Bright and colourful snowflakes done by Simona Blanar.
Frida Kahlo was a painter born in Mexico in 1907. She mainly painted self portraits, but many were heavily stylized, and some based on current pop culture.
American traditional portrait done by Alix Ge in France.Sketchwork style done by Victor Montaghini.Portrait in a heart done by Amanda Toy in Milan, Italy.
Her art explored questions of gender, identity, class, race, and postcolonialism in Mexican society.
Geometric, dotwork deer piece by Bob Mosquito.Blackwork style done by Sue Jeiven.Neo traditional portrait with roses done by Christophe Bonardi.
Frida’s art has been called surrealist, and magic realist. Her paintings are praised today by feminists for their depictions of the female experience and form.
American traditional portrait done by Dennis Gutierrez in Barcelona.Blackwork/dotwork portrait done by Susanne König.New school skeletal portrait done by Eric Moreno at Birdhouse tattoo in Madrid.
Frida became an artist during recovery after she was injured in an accident when she was eighteen.
American traditional portrait by Esther de Miguel in Berlin.Black and grey portrait done by Wina Brasil.Blackwork geometric, dotwork portrait done by Fredão Oliveira in Brazil.
She became interested in politics in 1927, and joined the Mexican Communist Party where she met her husband. The two divorced in 1939 but did re marry.
Mostly black and grey portrait done by J Swan.Trash polka portrait done by Jessica Damasceno.
Frida traveled Mexico and the United States, and was given a solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1938, which was a massive success. This was quickly followed by another exhibition in Paris the following year.
Frida as a deer done by Kirsten in Wonderland Tattoo in Portland Oregon.Realistic day of the dead sugar skull version of Frida done by Logan Aguilar.
Frida had her first solo exhibition in Mexico in 1953.
Beautiful surrealist portrait done by Mariusz Trubisz.Unfinished realistic portrait done by Megan Massacre.
She died the following year at the age of 47 due to bronchopneumonia.
Skeletal portrait done by Mike Grant.Blackwork portrait done by Paul Aherne.
Though she was relatively well known in certain circles during her lifetime, her work wasn’t appreciated the way it is now until the 1990’s, when her paintings became icons for feminists, Chicanos, and the LGBTQ community.
Bright and colorful portrait done by Sebastian Brade.Colorful geometric piece done by Steph Hanlon.
Spirited Away is Hayao Miyazaki’s most popular film to date. It is an Academy Award winner, and Japan’s highest grossing film of all time. It came out in 2001 and is still one of the most popular Japanese films out there.
Bright neon, neo traditional take on Haku and Chihiro with a smiling No Face underneath. Done by Brando Chiesa in Florence, Italy.Dotwork No face with soot sprites and bath house done by Hugo on Seoul South Korea.Yubaba and heads done by Russell Van Schaick in Orlando Florida.
The film was created without a script. The artwork came first, and it was drawn, directed, and written by Miyazaki himself.
Cute little soot sprites and cherry blossom branch done by Carly Kroll at Seven Tails Tattoo in Melbourne Australia.Three tiny soot sprites done by Jessica Channer at Tattoo People in Toronto Canada.Watercolor Haku by Jess Hannigan at Paper Moon Tattoo Collective.No face with leaves done by Scott M Harrison in Melbourne Australia.
The lead character, Chihiro, was actually based on one of Miyazaki’s friends’ daughters. She was supposed to be a relatable character and as average as possible. This was to show that ordinary people, particularly young women, could be heroes too.
Black and grey portrait of Chihiro with some kanji, done by Kozik in Melbourne.Haku and Chihiro in a geometric background done by Joice Wang at Grit N Glory in New York City.Cute No face with cherry blossoms by Lunie Chan at Coup de Foudre.Dotwork geometric No face done by Violette Chabanon at Bleu Noir in paris France.
A common occurrence in Miyazaki films are the quiet scenes of inaction. These are often some of the most beautiful scenes in his films. In Spirited Away, these scenes include driving, various nature scenes, and characters staring off into the distance.
Another vibrant Haku with cherry blossoms done by Chris Stockings at Legacy Tattoo.No face offering his gold done by Josh Legend who is a traveling tattooer.Sketchwork watercolor Haku done by Marc Durrant at Hidden Los Angeles Tattoo.
Spirited Away has many memorable characters that make for fantastic tattoos. Some of the most popular characters for tattoos are no face, Chihiro, Haku, Yubaba, and the cute little soot sprites!
Another soot sprite hard at work, done by David Le Goon in Melbourne Australia.Start to a sleeve featuring Chihiro, Haku, and the bath house. Done by Josh Crotty in Duluth MN.Whimsical Watercolor Haku done by Josie Sexton.No face with the bath house and sky inside of him, done by Matteo Nangeroni.
These tattoos are often done in blackwork, neo traditional, dotwork, and watercolor.
No face in full rage done by Hori Benny in Osaka Japan.Dotwork No face and soot sprites done by Jules Gordon at Frontier Tattoo Parlour in Cardiff Wales.New school Haku head done by Simon Zook in Santiago Chile.Bright geometric No face done by Simon K Bell at Design 4 life in liverpool England.
The werewolf myth dates back thousands of years, in numerous cultures; but it became most popular between the 16th and 19th centuries. These stories grew so popular that it seemed almost every town in Europe had its own werewolf tale. Books such as Discours de la Lycanthropie published in 1599, described werewolves as “men so denatured, that they have made bastards of their first origin, leaving this divine form, and transforming themselves into such an impure, cruel and savage beast.”
Brilliant neo traditional sleeve by Matt Curzon at Tattoo EMPIRE in Melbourne, Australia.Classic American traditional werewolf and moon by Dan Gagné at Loveless tattoo in Montreal.
Another term for werewolf is lycan. Lycanthropy, then, is the change of man or woman into the form of a wolf, either through magical means, so as to enable him or her to gratify the taste for human flesh, or through judgment of the gods in punishment for some great offence, as put by Sabine Baring-Gould in his 1865 book The Book of Werewolves.
Fantastic forearm piece by Darnell Waine in Los Angeles.Crisp half sleeve by Chris Ramirez.
When sideshows were a popular part of circus life, people with hypertrichosis were often branded as werewolves.
Absolutely terrifyingly realistic werewolf by Paul Acker at The Séance Tattoo Parlor in Bensalem.
Popular werewolf movies include An American Werewolf in London 1981, The Wolf Man 1941, The Curse of the Werewolf 1961, and The Wolfman 2010.
Black and Grey Wolf Man portrait by Lea Vendetta.Fantastic realistic and dark werewolf from An American Werewolf in London by Javier Rodriguez Immortal Art Studio.Haunting werewolf from An American Werewolf in London by Joe K Worrall in the U.K.Professor Remus Lupin from Harry Potter in the form of his werewolf, done in watercolor and sketch style by Russell Van Schaick Orlando, FL World Famous Tattoo.Terrifying realistic black and grey piece also from An American Werewolf in London by Matt Perlman Aces High Tattoos West Palm Beach Fl.A big and bloody wolf man by Elen Soul.
As a tattoo, werewolves are often done in black and grey style, realism, neo traditional, and American traditional.
Skeleton and werewolf by Chris Thompson at 522 Tattoo.Dark werewolf head with red moon by Alex Werder at Good Fortune Tattoo.Angry looking werewolf stealing a woman away, by Hilary Fisher White in Brooklyn.Blackwork werewolf with crescent moon and bones done by James Armstrong at Holy Mountain Tattoo.Big and bold neo traditional werewolf head done by Jan Veldman at Gypsy Cat Tattoos in Winnipeg.Midway transformation piece by Jonathan Penchoff.Fierce and realistic looking werewolf head by Jordan Baker at Penny Black Tattoo.Werewolf looking to party done by Noelle Lamonica at Black Cobra Tattoo Club.
Anubis is the ancient Egyptian god/guardian of the dead. The name Anubis actually comes from the Greek, but the earliest Egyptian names for him include Anpu, or Inpu. Both have the same root word which means “royal child”, and “inp” which means “to decay”.
Watercolor Anubis done by Agny Fran at Black Velvet Studio in De Santiago, Chile.
He is generally depicted as a black, jackal-dog-man hybrid, with the body of a man and head of a jackal/dog. The colour black was chosen for its symbolism of both decaying bodies, and the soil along the Nile river.
More American traditional version of Anubis by Andrew Conner.
Anubis is first seen as the son of Ra and Hesat, before he is brought into the story of Osiris, and said to be his son.
Black and grey full bodied Anubis by Bryan Hidalgo Reyes.
Anubis is the earliest god depicted on tomb walls, usually presiding over the mummification process, or weighing of the soul. This is the process in which a persons soul is weighed against the feather of truth.
Brilliant black and grey Anubis and Ra by Codrea Bogdan.
Anubis is both judge and guide of the dead. Making him an authoritative figure, as well as a protector. This makes him one of the most important gods in Egyptian history.
Neo traditional Anubis by Dany Linhares in Brazil.
Later in history he was partially adopted into Greek mythology, associating him with Hermes.
Blackwork skeletal Anubis by Dono B in Seoul, South Korea.
As a tattoo, Anubis is often done in blackwork, black and grey, neo traditional, water colour, and realism styles.
Neo traditional Anubis by Fatima Oliveira.Heavy matching black/dark colour Anubis and Bastet by Heather Bailey at Black Heart in San Francisco, CA.Black/dotwork Anubis head by Mario Farfán Calderón at Blackmoon Custom Tattoo in Mexico.Realistic black and grey Anubis by Melissa Flattinger at Corpsepainter Tattoo and Piercing in Munich, Germany.Realistic black and grey Anubis head by Meza Cruz in Mexico.Neo traditional Anubis head and scarab beetle by Miss Poppy in the Netherlands.Black and grey sketchwork Anubis head by Ráa Fernandes in Tokyo, Japan.American traditional Anubis by Shawn Qin at Cat Town Tattoo in South Korea.Brilliant neo traditional Anubis by Yeray Perez in Sitges, Barcelona.
The geisha, or, “person of accomplishment” date back to 1751 in the mid-Tokugawa period in Japan. Geisha’s were originally men, but eventually became women.
Deep in thought by Ami James.
Geisha’s were trained artists skilled in tea ceremony, flower arranging, and as singers, dancers, storytellers, servers, and conversationalists. These women were all literate and were familiar with poetry and tales of warriors in order to entertain their patrons. Geisha’s were not prostitutes, but worked in the pleasure districts, also called “the floating world” and while not they were not sex workers, some did become concubines or mistresses for men who would buy their contracts from their masters.
Black and grey neo Japanese geisha with cherry blossoms by Andrew Mcnally at Northside Private Rooms in Newcastle, UK.Realistic side/stomach piece with cherry blossoms by Anna Yershova.Brilliant Japanese back piece by Horiyasu.
Geisha’s are known for their musical prowess, particularly with an instrument called samisen, which today is also used in kabuki plays and has an inherently “Japanese” sound. As for appearance, while working a geisha would wear a kimono tied from the back, which is another difference between a geisha and a prostitute as a prostitute would have her kimono tied in the front. A thick white foundation of makeup is applied to the face, neck, and upper chest, with a line around the hairline creating a mask like appearance. Other makeup includes black around the eyes and eyebrows with bright red lips.
Fantastic neo traditional neck piece also with cherry blossoms, by Daniel Gensch in Berlin, Germany.A more Westernized neo traditional geisha by Emily Rose Murray in Melbourne, Australia.Blackwork Japanese piece of a sly looking geisha by Gakkin in Amsterdam.Another traditional Japanese back piece with cherry blossoms, skeleton, and Buddhist imagery by Horihana in Brazil.Dark American traditional geisha and flower by Jarrad Serafino at The Sweet Life Tattoo in Melbourne, Australia.
Geisha’s still exist today, though due in part to the rigorous training in order to become one, are much less frequent. Today, geisha’s mainly entertain politicians at parties.
Neo traditional namakubi or severed head geisha with peony by Kevin Nocerino at Still Life Tattoo.Realistic black and grey geisha by Mark Wosgerau at Sinners Inc in Denmark.Bold mix of black and grey and colour in a realistic style by Michael Litovkin.Soft, colourful, realistic geisha by Pavel Krim in Stockholm.American traditional black and red work by Reuben Todd at Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg.
As a tattoo a geisha will generally be done in Japanese traditional style, neo Japanese, American traditional, neo traditional, black and grey, or realism.
American traditional work by Shon Lindauer in Hollywood.Fantastic Japanese piece by Thomas Pineiro at Black Garden Tattoo in the UK.Bold American traditional piece by Tony Nilsson in Norway.Modern watercolor piece by Victor Octaviano in Brazil.tiny blackwork geisha and hannya by William Roos in Stockholm.Geisha head and fan by Zak Partak in Toronto.
Geisha’s are an important part of Japanese history and make a fantastic design!
