EXPLORE THE CRAFT.

Learning / 27.10.2026

From copying documents to tattooing: the story connecting Edison and O’Reilly

Patents from 1876 and 1891 reveal an unexpected adaptation. The original documents help explain a chapter of tattoo culture without reducing it to a single-inventor legend.

Learning / 24.10.2026

Maud Wagner: behind the portrait of a tattooed woman was a tattoo artist

Two archive photographs offer a different way into tattoo history: Maud Wagner, Nora Hildebrandt and what a portrait reveals—and leaves out—about a life.

Learning / 20.10.2026

Dragons on paper: the prints that help explain Japanese tattooing

From Water Margin heroes to kabuki actors: two Kunisada prints offer cultural context for Japanese tattooing and a practical lesson in drawing around the body.

Learning / 23.10.2026

Before drawing the tattoo: turn an idea into a clear design brief

Practise listening, clarifying scale and composition, and agreeing on expectations with a simple brief. A consultation exercise for aspiring tattoo artists.

Learning / 22.10.2026

Tattoo lettering: give a word a voice of its own

From calligraphic movement to abstraction: learn to look at letters, spacing and flourishes before drawing a tattoo phrase. With real images and a practical exercise on paper.

Learning / 18.10.2026

Blackwork: learning to draw the space you leave untouched

Black catches the eye; the space around it makes the composition work. Explore history, artists and four real photographs before taking those ideas into your sketchbook.

Learning / 18.10.2026

RL, RS and Magnum: stop buying tattoo needles by guesswork

Needle count is only part of the label. Learn to distinguish grouping, diameter and taper, then compare catalogue options without confusing size with technique.