Ladies, close that Buzzfeed articles and click out of your Pintrest accounts. I am going to open your eyes to the tattoo artists that you should really be keeping on your radar. We’re all familiar with the classic “girly tattoos” that fill up our dashboards and find our way onto our Tumblr blogs, but what about the real tattoo artists making a huge difference in the art world? I bet you didn’t know that the tattoo industry is growing even more rapidly each and every year and that the highest paid tattoo artists make millions of dollars per year. I bet you also didn’t know that one of the top five tattoo artists in the world is female tattooing pioneer, Kat Von D.
Before Kat, there weren’t a lot of big name female tattoo artists (it’s safe to say that only true tattoo fans would be able to name artists like Maud Wagner and Shanghai Kate) and this L.A Ink star really shattered the glass ceiling for female tattooers in the industry. Since the beginning of time, whether you’re referring to the traditional artists Tokyo, Japan or 1900s traditional tattoos in New York, tattooing has primarily been a man’s game, both for artists and collectors. Tattooing women was seeing as largely taboo in Western society and the only woman who got tattoos during the early parts of American history were circus performers and burlesque dancers. Today, tattooing women and female tattoo artists are much more accepted in today’s society but there is still a great deal of gender inequality within the tattoo world. Female tattooers don’t always have the same visibility as male tattooers and often-female artists are typecast into doing traditionally girly or feminine tattoos.
But I am here to prove every assumption wrong and show the skeptics and the critics that there are some badass female artists out there who are taking the art world by storm. Whether they tattoo in traditional, Japanese, realism, or surrealism, there are countless incredible female artists worth mentioning but here are 5 female tattooers that you will want to keep in mind for your next piece.
Sasha Unisex (@sashaunisex)
If you have read an article about tattoos on Buzzfeed anytime between last week and the beginning of the internet, you’ve probably come across one of Sasha Unisex’s tattoos. And if you aren’t already familiar with the Russian based artist, you may not have known that her work as a real tattoo. No one else in the world, male or female, tattoos like Sasha Unisex. She has redefined the tattoo world’s perception of what a girly tattoo looks like and she is a true master of bullet-proof saturation. What makes Sasha special is that her style is entirely her own and her designs are comparable to elegantly fashionable jewelry pieces. She is a mastermind of giving the 21st century female tattoo enthusiast what they desire and there is no stopping this unforgettable tattooer. Unfortunately for many of us, Sasha works out of Russia and if you do happen to catch her at a convention it’s likely that this lady is booked into the next lifetime.
Sam Barber (@sambarbertattoo)
Over the last few years, realism has developed into one of the most popular and sought after tattoo styles and if you yourself are craving a realism tattoo, Sam is your girl. It’s hard to believe that Sam’s artwork is inked onto a real person’s skin and this L.A artist does not hold back in producing some truly spectacular tattoos. She gracefully integrates horror themes with Hellenistic beauty ideals to create haunting images that evoke mysterious origins. Sam has been recognized on tattoo blogs and in magazines from around the world and her talents have allowed her to travel everywhere from France to Italy. If her accomplishments weren’t enough, this tattooer also gives back, she has partnered with the Wolfdog Rescue in the United Kingdom and she even has two wolf dogs of her own!
Alex Strangler (@alexstrangler)
Some call this artist the Queen of Cute but I say that Alex Strangler is also becoming one of the most influential and sought after artists in the game. Alex proves that tattoos can have a sense of humor and that not every design has to be intimidating or serious. Alex brings the fun into her tattoos, inking iconic and contemporary pop culture icons onto the skin of her lucky canvases. Alex’s style is perfect for young millennials because her tattoos are cheeky, fun, ironic, and resonates deeply with our cartoon packed childhoods. You can’t help but look at Alex’s ink and think, I want that on me forever and be able to have a permanent reminder of how awesome the 90s were.
Rose Hardy (@rosehardy)
For decades, men have held a claim to the styles of American traditional and Neo- Traditional tattoos, but tattooer Rose Hardy has proven that a woman can stand strong in a characteristically male style. Rose Hardy is rapidly becoming one of the most recognizable artists in the industry, gracing the cover of magazines like Freshly Inked and guest judging on the reality show Ink Master. I had the pleasure of meeting this lovely tattoo artist in the fall and I can say with confidence that she has the same graceful and elegant demeanor as her tattoos. Rose’s tattoos evoke a vintage decadence and her pieces are ensured to stand strong for years to come. She has succeeded as a tattooer by manipulating the masculinized tradition of Americana tattooing and added her own feminine touch through delicate shading, precise line work, and charmingly feminine subject matter. But don’t let this tattooer’s beautiful appearance and dainty tattoos fool you, she is just as tough as any biker boy and she wasn’t afraid to dish out brutally honest critics to the competing artists on Ink Master.
Sarah Herzdame (@tilldthtattoo)
Dot work tattoos are highly sought after these days and one of the best artists in this style is Berlin based tattooer, Sarah Herzdame or as she is often known as, Tlldth. Sarah morphs subtle dot work techniques with her own feminine black work to create tattoos that any woman (or man!) would gladly accept as their own. No one creates dot work shading like Sarah and other artists in this style should seriously take some notice, because this tattooer is exploding onto the scene. Sarah’s tattoos are proof that each and every year, tattoo styles are evolving and that tattoos are getting better and better. Tattooers like Sarah are changing the perceptions of mainstream society of what a tattoo looks like and who tattooed people are, because with every new style that emerges, more and more people are getting tattoos. This artist is taking no prisoners with her intricately exquisite dot work designs and I would do pretty much anything to sit in her chair and let her do some magic on me.