This post started as a small collection until I started to really look at the top tattoo artist in the field. I could have easily made the list twice as big. I’ll save more for a later post. In the mean time enjoy the work of these top tattoo artists working today.
Aaron Cain – Tattooing since 1991, Aaron Cain has developed the biomechanical tattoo style like few others. Taking inspiration from the top tattooist and artist in his field Aaron Cain has risen to the top of the custom tattoo spectrum. Cain’s tattoos can be distinguished by thick lines and hard edges amid the cluster that is biomechanical. Not only is he on the top of the tattooing field Cain produces a full line of custom tattoo equipment.
Paul Booth – The name Paul Booth immediately brings images of death and mayhem to mind. An established tattooist and artist Booth is well known in the tattoo industry for his almost lifelike portraits of everything evil. After devoting nearly twenty years of his life to the art of tattoo, where his is revered for his efforts to elevate the medium into the realm of fine art, Paul Booth has become a household name. His unparalleled dedication to the evolution of his craft has garnered him numerous awards around the globe, top tier magazine features (among them, many cover stories), public and television appearances including CNN, MSNBC, DISCOVERY, A&E, TLC, MTV and more.
Nick Baxter – Nick Baxter is well known for his gorgeous large scale color tattoos. “Tattoos are an exciting and especially rewarding medium to work in, as the personal interaction and displaying of the work is a large part of it. However, there are some visual limitations to working on skin, but a lot of the challenge and fun for me is to figure out effective ways around these, to try to push the genre to new heights and possibilities.” Baxter Says.
Ryan Dearringer – Ryan Dearringer is an award winning, custom tattoo artist at Sacred Ink, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is among a new breed of tattoo artists, who attempt to blend art, in all its wonders and splendors, into the world of tattoo. He pulls inspiration for his tattoo work from all styles and influences of art, and attempts to push the boundaries of tattoo to new levels. Whether it be Portraits, Old School tattoos, New School tattoos, Graffiti style, or Fine art tattoos, Ryan has a way of making it work in an innovative manner. He believes that the core of what makes a tattoo artist great, is that they are an artist first, and a tattoo artist second. He approaches each and every tattoo design he creates in a similar manner.
Carson Hill - At just under 30 years old Carson Hill is a biomechanical master. “My goal as an artist of any kind is to improve. To further understand dimensional reality, light and shadow and how it plays with all things, the complexity of simplicity, the depth of infinity, and so on, and interpret it into my work. To further define my subtle message through each artwork I bring into manifestation.” Hill says.
Mike DeVries – A rather young addition to the ever competitive tattoo market, Mike DeVries has stood his ground as one of the top color tattooist in the country. DeVries continues to create ultra realistic color tattoos that look as though they will jump off the skin at any minute. Hoping to expand his abilities, to achieve the utmost realistic pieces on skin. “Portraits, animals and pin-ups are my favorite things to do; anything that is real.” Mike says.
Jesse Nesse – Specializing in cover up tattoos as well as world renowned custom color tattoos, Jessee Nesse has risen to not only the top tattooist in Nebraska, but to the rank of top tattooist in his field. Nuclear Ink Custom Tattoo first opened in the summer of 1999 located in South Omaha. In 2000, it moved to it’s current location just north of 72nd and Dodge Street in Midtown. The shop was started out as a shop exclusively for custom tattoos.
Bob Tyrrell - Bob Tyrrell started tattooing at the tender age of 34, already a student of art, Tyrrell has risen to the top of the tattooing field with his insanely realistic black and grey portraits. If you are in the market for a wickedly realistic tattoo then you should look no further then Bob Tyrrell. The finished works of this tattooist look like they are ready to jump off the skin and join in conversation.
Brandon Bond - Brandon Bond is one of the most successful, published, and award winning tattoo artists in the world. He is the owner of the thriving All or Nothing Tattoo empire in Atlanta, Georgia. He also owns a publishing company called Stranglehold which sells movies, books, clothing, artwork, and other tattoo related products. After 15 years of compulsive workaholism, Brandon still tattoos constantly, staying booked about a year in advance. Last year Brandon opened a second studio Anti Art Elite. Located northwest of Atlanta, GA.
Guy Aitchison - Guy Aitchison is at the top of the biomechanical tattoo field. He has produced some of the best large color biomech tattoos I’ve ever seen. Torn between painting and tattooing he has created numerous works featured in top art and tattoo magizines. Guy believes tattooing is a very critical type of commercial art, where success or failure of any given project has very deep implications for the client. This forces an extra degree of dedication and flexibility on the part of the artist, and the clients’ participation helps maintain a flow of fresh ideas and images into the artist’s bag of tricks.
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Tags: Tattoo · Tattoo Styles
58 responses so far ↓
1 Anthony // Apr 10, 2009 at 2:52 am
James Kern Tattoo monster is also one of the best !
2 Paul James // Aug 15, 2009 at 11:17 pm
A few honorable mentions:
Robert Hernandez
Tim Kern and James Kern
Tom Renshaw
Kat Von D
Nikko
etc. etc.
3 Daniel Rainey // Aug 19, 2009 at 7:08 pm
You missed Steve Moore of Vancouver who absolutely deserved to be on this list.
Also Nikko Hurtado, Lu’s Lips, Derek Noble, Tim Biedron…I guess making it a top ten is tough…so many amazing artists.
4 Nick Serman // Sep 6, 2009 at 11:58 am
Definitely Filip Leu, Jack Rudy, Jose Lopez, Victor Portugal and my personal tattoo artist- DammNice from NYC!
5 Frank // Sep 25, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I can’t believe you don’t think Jose Lopez, from Lowrider Tattoos, is one of the top 10 tattoo artist in the world, I think his work is much better than some of those you have mentioned in your site, his work is absolutely incredible.
6 Curt // Sep 26, 2009 at 11:26 am
I appreciate everyone commenting on who they think is the top of the tattoo field.
This isn’t a list of the best tattoo artists. I simply featured ten of my favorite artists. I will be making another “top artists” post shortly and appreciate the input.
7 Mike // Sep 26, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Really good list. Appreciate it as a really good research point. Looking forward to your “top artists” post
8 Michael // Nov 4, 2009 at 10:09 am
Russ Abbott should be on this list. As should Cecil Porter.
9 gerald // Nov 9, 2009 at 11:02 pm
DAMN!!! paul booth and bob tyrell is the greatest artist in the world… all their works are just copied by other artist!! including the artist in the top.!!
10 Ben G. // Nov 18, 2009 at 2:15 am
What really makes an artist a “top artist” anyway?
I believe its the careful balance of skill on all accounts. What’s important to me may not be as important to you.
I prefer a talented artist that I feel comfortable with. Someone I wouldn’t mind having touched me in such a way as to leave a lasting impression.
There’s an artist out there for ever personality type. The guys mentioned above are some of the more famous. I’m sure they’re all kick ass to know in person!
P.S. I have a calf sleeve session with a one Mr. DammNice. Stay tooned!
11 bryan // Nov 28, 2009 at 3:03 pm
i agree with the list with the exception of jesse.
12 Terry Ribera // Dec 3, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Shige, Filip Lue, Robert Hernandez, Marcus Pacheco, Steve Moore, Dave Knight, Lars uwe, Aaron Cain.
Well this is my list.
I do tattoos for a living.
Terry Ribera
13 Terry Ribera // Dec 3, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Oh yeah, Chris Conn too
14 Big R // Dec 18, 2009 at 10:40 am
Nate Beavers is amazing as well, especially his photo-realism mixed with old school. wow.
http://www.tattoosbynate.com/
15 Jon // Dec 22, 2009 at 10:43 am
Very nice list… Guy Aitchison, hands down, greatest tattoo artist ever. The other guys are all amazing, and I’m sure there are countless others who are ridiculous as well… montetattoo.com
16 Kay // Dec 22, 2009 at 1:49 pm
I’m surprised no one mentioned Mario Barth.
http://www.mariobarthtattoo.com
17 Francisco P. // Dec 24, 2009 at 1:52 am
First, I want to say thanks to Ben G. After reading your comment, I looked up DammNice and agree-he is the real deal!
Francisco Pagan
18 chad // Dec 30, 2009 at 9:29 pm
the best ive seen is reco from king of ink ive see him do a bob marley peace in 30 min and it was just like the pic killer artist and very fast
19 Jerry // Jan 2, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Does anybody know of a tattoo artist that can do legit, chinese stlye tattoos?
20 Josh 0'connor // Jan 5, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Are the majority of posters on this blog US citizens: I found this blog to be very biased towards american artists: The names on this blog are 85% american…
Apart from Victor Portugal and Robert Hernandez no-one mentioned any european or south american artists!
21 Mads (Denmark) // Jan 6, 2010 at 3:40 am
Tim Kern Should definitely be on that list…
22 John // Jan 6, 2010 at 9:00 am
A 5k round trip to the US is out of the budget for a lot of us. Would be nice to see a top 10 europe and a top 10 world wide to accompany this.
23 Kay // Jan 7, 2010 at 10:30 am
Mr. Mario Barth is from Austria, and has recently opened up a Starlight Tattoo in Malaga, Spain, and is working on opening three more in Europe and one in Asia (according to his website, mariobarthtattoo.com). :)
24 Terry Ribera // Jan 14, 2010 at 2:10 am
Filip Lue
Lars Uwe
Rob Koss
Robert Hernandez
Mick
Boris
Marcus Lehnard
Claus Foremen
Zed La head
Tin Tin
I don’t if it’s the best in Europe, but they are a few of my favorites
25 Markus // Jan 18, 2010 at 4:29 pm
You missed Steve Moore from Vancouver, BC for sure.
26 misetro // Jan 19, 2010 at 10:36 am
hes the best of the best no one can top him fuck a mami fuck a poda fuck a chicago tattos misetro is the #1 artist.
27 JOHN DIMARTINO // Jan 20, 2010 at 3:31 pm
YOU PEOPLE IN THE TATTOO WORLD SHOULD KNOW BETTER MARIO BARTH IS BY FAR THE BEST ARTIST IN THE WORLD AND BY THE WAT ONE OF THE BEST PEOPLE YOU WILL EVER MEET BELIVE ME I ONCE KNEW HIM VERY WELL AND I COULD ASSURE YOU HE IS VERY DEDICATED IN HIS FIELD
28 miestro // Jan 21, 2010 at 9:40 am
miestro is one of the best tattoo artist i mean not sayin he is just the best but i know their is an chick out in LA and she does some sick shit.
29 arghlemonster // Jan 22, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Don’t forget mentions to Carlos Cabral and Marcio Magath, from Brazil.
30 michaelangelo // Jan 30, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Victor Portugal, originally from Uruguay and now curently living in Poland is in a league of his own. He shits all over the majority of the american tattoo artists that are mentioned on this blog. Not only is his style unique but he is a very humble man, a rare attribute in this day and age. He is a true artist and i feel blessed to have tattoos done by this artist. Mark my words, in the next 4-5 years Victor Portugal will be a name to be reckoned with (if he already isn’t).
31 travis // Feb 1, 2010 at 10:05 pm
robert hernandez should for sure be on that top ten list. i like that nick baxter is on there. he is rediculous. aaron cain shouldnt be on the top maybe number 6. dan marshall is one of my favs. and mike cole will probably blow some of you away. jose lopez is good but not top ten. filip leu not top ten to me either. and jerry as far as legit chinese tattoos, i dont know why you want that but chris trevino from perfection tattoo in austin texas has chinese nailed well enough to get 200+ bucks an hour and have a huge wating list. or maybe he does jap shit who can tell…
32 Jesse Neese // Feb 7, 2010 at 1:28 am
Wow, I am really flattered to be included in your list, although you have my website, pics etc. with the wrong surname.
33 Dan // Feb 12, 2010 at 11:13 am
Robert Hernandez is amazing,… glad he atleast got an honorable mention. Another amazing artist is
Victor Portugal. He is every bit as good as the others, in fact, I think he is better, but that is probably just a personal preference.
34 Curt // Feb 14, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Hey Jesse, I fixed the typo. sorry about that.
35 miestro // Feb 16, 2010 at 8:07 am
now u know he iz a good artist miestro is my step father he does mine and my tattoos they’re great so amny peolpe come to him for tattoos not just that but his hand writing is so pretty most people get it tattooed on them.
36 Daniel // Feb 19, 2010 at 11:03 pm
F*ck mario barth and his starbucks of tattooing, whoever said that, and brandon bond does not belong on the top 10, 20 or 100. He’s average at best. Its based on art and skill not how much money you make for both of those two. Marketing doesn’t hide lack of skill!
37 Roger // Mar 10, 2010 at 11:48 am
Mario Barth is low level bad taste stuff. Plus he looks like a complete douchebag in his website. What’s that look he has on his face? Blue Magnum? Is he pimpin his chain? His list of clients is prob tops, but his work is low level stuff.
38 Mister Cocktail // Mar 16, 2010 at 5:00 pm
I’m sorry but a few of the artists quoted above are very far from being part of the best in the world. General public will focus on the global rendering of the tattoo.
But when you’re a tattoo artist, you start understanding that there are two totally different things, that are technique, and creation. It’s not the same when the tattoo is done freehand without references, or frop photoshoped picture. Therefore, Mike DeVries or Nikko are absolutely nothing when compared with Roberto Hernandez, for instance.
Taking nice picture, using two or three options on photoshop, making patiently children-like transfers isn’t art. It’s technique. It’s nowhere creation. If you give Mike Devries a pen and a white sheet, or if you ask him freehand, you’ll see how far away he’d be from guys like Roberto Hernandez or Luca Natalini.
Focusing on ONE stuff (portraits) and ultra-specializing to the point you become awesome in that area makes you nothing more than a huge technician.
For me, top level tattoo artists are guy who create, who have visions and put them on skin. And if once in your life you have the opportunity to see Roberto Hernandez at work in a convention, you’ll see how much above he is from people who basically are nothing more than a color copier with color popup feats.
39 Roger // Mar 16, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Agree with Daniel. Btw where is Chris O’Donnell on this list??????
40 ryan // Mar 22, 2010 at 11:59 am
Sean Herman @ royal street tattoo in Mobile, Alabama!
41 OSCAR // Mar 23, 2010 at 11:37 pm
All these artists are excellent, and we each have different tastes in what we like to see in tattoos. But to me Shige from Japan stands as the top tattoo artist, at least in my book. You can see the control in his lines and shading, his colors are so balanced, its almost perfect. Ya’ll should check him out, http://www.yellowblaze.net
42 r // Mar 27, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Oleg is the best tattoo artist just check goblins taking out time,
43 swag // Mar 31, 2010 at 1:21 am
Mister Cartoon? Chris Lombardi?
44 Annie // Apr 29, 2010 at 6:53 am
Jaja, how come there is never something “new” to find or even listed? Sorry, but these “artists” are all great craftsmen but a bore and not really inspiring. What about the french design?? Bugger. When it comes to individuality and new style there are two that should be ahead of all the rest: Yann from yourmeatismine and Jef from Boucherie Moderne.
45 kohs // Apr 29, 2010 at 1:49 pm
You guys need to check out Jeff Gogue..serious serious artist and possibly the most original..Mister cocktail might agree…and yea..that Barth guy and damn nice…yea..not good
46 Karl // May 9, 2010 at 8:05 am
It is very hard to say who the top 10 is. It is a progression, the guys doing the best work years ago, might not seem to be the best these days, but they brought the changes and techniques needed for todays top guys be where they are. Shige and Thomas Hooper are who I would regard as being up there also these days.
I agree with the Robert Hernandez comments. I have two Hernandez tattoos, both freehand no stencils and one done with no references or prior sketching. He seems to be one of the influential artists of the last few years.
47 Lauren // May 10, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Anyone know of the best artists in Colorado? Austin seems to be the nearest artist on these lists to me…
48 Bobby Durango // May 14, 2010 at 2:00 am
It’s awefully egotistical to say any of these guys are the BEST. Were dealing with art which follows all types of guidelines and when incorporating styles, techniques, and induvidual onlooker taste, who’s to say which is better than another. But I do agree with most, it’s the versatility in the artist that truley makes him or her valued on the scale overall.
Check out Randi Polillo’s work from Dynasty Tattoo in New Jersey. He’s got what it takes.
49 Dan // May 14, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Ha,… I have seen a lot of lame tattoo out there and I can say, those are lame tattoo’s and crappy art. I have no reason to be pc. Some people do crappy work, some people do medium work, some people do great work, and some people are geniuses. Some people just know how to capture the beauty in different areas better than others and it doesn’t matter what the piece is. It could be a skull or it can be a flower. I just looked at Jeff Gogue’s work and he does do nice work. Victor and Robert,…- awesome
50 Austin Jacoby // May 16, 2010 at 6:03 pm
does steve moore work out of a shop? if so..which?
51 nevame // May 18, 2010 at 6:52 pm
Robert Hernandez is amazing definitely top three at least. Also check out Juan Salgado from Puerto Rico and Elio espinal from brooklyn.
52 steve // Jun 7, 2010 at 10:41 am
although they all at one point or another worked under paul booth, (liorcifer the only to ever apprentice under him), Dan Marshall and Liorcifer are two amazing tattoo artists to say the very least. Also, Anil Gupta has not been mentioned, and as far as miniatures go, his work is phenomenal. Still, a good list. This is all opinion as everyone has different tastes.
http://www.tribulationtattoo.com
53 steve // Jun 7, 2010 at 10:43 am
Oh and btw, damm nice is far from being one of the best tattoo artists in the world. LOL.. never heard of him although he’s located in yonkers where i live.
54 Jules K. // Jun 11, 2010 at 1:51 pm
I like Dammnice too! He’s still young but def. up and coming tattoo artist. His work gets better each time.Anyone who lives in Westchester County/NY area would be a fool not go get a tat at his private studio!!! He is the best artist in that entire County.
55 Zander // Jun 21, 2010 at 1:03 pm
I am going to be traveling to San Fran, Maui, Hawaii and Vagas. Any idea of who would be the best person to get some work from?
56 JW // Jun 24, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Some of my favorites
Tim & James Kern
Cecil Porter
Joshua Carlton
Joe Capobianco
Jeff Gogue
Jess Yen
Mike Demasi
Nick Baxter
Chris Black
Bob Tyrell
Robert Hernadez
Jesse Lopez
57 JW // Jun 24, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Victor P & Shige – also
AMAZING!
58 Anna // Jun 25, 2010 at 8:57 am
Robert Hernandez and Kore Flatmo should be included…
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