INSTAGRAM: Top 12 London-based tattoo artists you should be following

Sure Instagram has revolutionised the way we can make sharing a photo of a salad so achingly cool (#clean #cleaneating #healthy), ensure any scene from 2014 looks like it was taken on a really lame camera decades before and tilt-shift the sh*t out of our pets. But you know where it’s made a huge, life-changing, money-making difference? For those working in creative roles that totally lend themselves to the photo-sharing app’s highly-visually, high-viral and highly-addictive nature.

From graffiti artists to creatives at ad agencies, hair stylists to fine art enthusiasts, it’s great to take a break from all of your mates’ selfies for a while and bask in some really incredible creative goodness. And some of our favourite Instagram creative goodness comes from tattoo artists all over the globe.

Now back in 2012 we published a gallery of our top tattoo artists on Instagram, but fast-forward to 2014 and there are just so many incredibly talented tattooists using the app to showcase their creations we just couldn’t update the list and be done with it. So instead we’re dividing it up a little bit. To start with, here are just twelve of our top, London-based tattoo artists.

A huge thanks to all of those who helped me with this list on Twitter (I’ve tried to give you all credits!). If there’s anyone you’d have loved to have seen on the list, please berate me in the comments below. It probably won’t be long until I’m updating it for a third time round…

1. @tamaraleedot

Tamara Lee tweets photos of her mesmerising tattoo work AND her cat. So she’s pretty much hit Instagram gold, which is probably why she has 16,780 followers and counting.

The London-based tattoo artist attached the ‘dot’ to her Instagram handle because she specialises in dot work, that’s hugely intricate works of art formed out of carefully placed dots … and wow are they beautiful.

From flowers to stars to mandalas to geometric patterns to hell, even dinosaurs, Tamara’s work will have you scrolling back months and months, in fact nearly as much as you’d scroll through a potential date’s social media accounts. But don’t worry Tamara, we’re not looking for a date, we’d just love to be adorned by your incredible work.

Thanks to @GemmaFreeman for the recommendation.

2. @goodtimestattoo

It’s often hailed as one of the best tattoo studios in London and has certainly attracted a lot of publicity, given some of the artists starred on ‘London Ink’, they’ve tattooed the likes of Kate Moss and Boy George, the spot looks like some kind of eclectic temple and of course, the team are talented and have huuuge waiting lists to prove it.

Given the fact there are six full time members of the the Good Times team, the Instagram account is extremely varied and jam packed full of incredible work, which is what makes it so addictive to scroll through.

We’ve particularly fallen in love with the intricate mandalas and beautiful floral work, but this eye has us totally mesmerised.

Thanks to @GabbiCahane for the recommendation.

3. @graceneutral

Grace works on the Good Times team and has a more unusual style of working – she creates hand poked tattoos. This means that instead of using a gun, she uses a needle and her own hands (hence the ‘hand’ poking bit) to pierce the skin and create brilliant works of art.

She ‘poke’s (it sounds rude, right?) a lot of different tattoos this way, but we love this mandala the most. Or maybe this modern recreation of everyone’s favourite Disney princess, Ariel.

4. @frithsttattoo

Another studio that’s often hailed as one of the best in the country, let alone the capital.

Take a look at the team’s Instagram account and you’ll see a bright and bold mix of sleeves and chest pieces full of tattoo favourites, like koi, sailor girls and swallows. But that doesn’t mean the team isn’t ambitious, there are plenty of more unusual and surreal pieces, as well as some hyper-realistic portraits.

Thanks to @allsteve1 for the recommendation.

5. @maic

Maic, or Michele L’Abbate is an artist at The Family Business and his work is probably my favourite in this whole gallery.

He combines a lot of geometric shapes, circles and simple lines with beautiful natural imagery, like bugs, skeletons, foxes and birds. I particularly love the way he takes pretty standard tattoo subjects, like anchors and flowers, yet puts his bold and unique stamp on them.

Thanks to @rmitty for the recommendation.

6. @thefamilybusinesstattoo

It made our first list, and, if we continue to make these lists for the next 50 years it’ll probably be on our last. The Family Business is by far the top studio in London amongst my Twitter followers, and from what I can tell, the rest of the world too.

Based in Exmouth Market, The Family Business has an Instagram account that’s packed full of impeccable detail, truly incredible designs and lots of really visceral work that I can guarantee will have you double tapping for days.

7. @gianluca_fusco

One of my favourite tattoo artists from The Family Business, Gianluca creates very bold, very bright and very beautiful works of art. His recent Instagram snaps are particularly focused on images of people and animals.

We particularly love this Native American inspired piece.

8. @thecirclelondon
The Circle studio is based in Soho and we love that its photos are packed full of small, subtle tattoos of women and natural objects through to entire chest pieces of much more dark subject matter, like this beautiful exploding (or maybe it’s blood-splattered?) skull.

It’s another studio that famously boasts a helluva lot of talent, so expect a lot of variety and something for everyone on this Instgram feed.

9. @aaronanthonytattoo

Aaron works at The Circle London and produces some of the most intricate mandala tattoos you’ll ever have seen. Like, seriously, check them out. They look so detailed we’re not entirely convinced they’re real.

Not only are Aaron’s tattoo masterpieces a sight to behold, but he also knows a thing or two about how to edit his amazing snaps. Through a series of smaller edits to contrast and brightness and a tonne of vignetting, his Instagram photos make his work really pop. You really must take a look at his whole Insta-stream, we promise you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to @GemmaFreeman for the recommendation.

10. @cassandra_frances

Instagram is the ideal home for Cassandra’s distinctive style of bright and bold tattoo work. Many of her pieces are traditional, and her treatment of female faces and flowers are a real sight to behold. She somehow makes her bold lines and simple shapes look distinctly feminine, which is why she’s one of our favourites on the list.

Thanks to @rey_z for the recommendation.

11. @hughsheldontattoo

Hugh Sheldon’s work all about turning bright, bold and traditional tattoos into more unusual works of art. We particularly love his take on female faces and Eastern-inspired designs.

Thanks to @ddarrko for the recommendation.

12. @teidetattoo

Teidetattoo is a popular tattoo artist on Instagram, and in the real world he works at Seven Doors Tattoo near Liverpool Street. His tattoos are inspired by a range of cultures and feature bold lines and bright colours. His Instagram account is full of a mix of traditional subjects, as well as much more unusual symbolism.

We love this black and red forearm fish.