Tattoo Life January/February 2025

Cover girl: Élodie

A passion for tattoo that meant collecting from an early age and culminating in an Ornamental style body suit by Dino Vallely, the French tattooist famed for his Ornamental Neo Tribal. Meet Élodie, the cover girl of this issue and a tattoo artist herself with a brand new shop in Montpellier (France).

Chat at the top with Pietro Sedda

Fifteen years ago, at a time dominated by Tribal and the rougher and tougher styles of tattoo, Italian tattoo artist Pietro Sedda was one of the first to feel the need to find himself in a different kind of skin art, blending tattoo with a series of figurative inspirations found elsewhere. Going beyond tattoo in order to come back richer with a visual imaginarium and personal experience which gave him a mastery of the Surrealist Graphic Style.

The Realistic tattoos by Lu Guanting

Lu Guanting would like to become a role model for the tattooists of tomorrow. And as he tells us about this goal, he expresses his hope that many other young people can get into this marvellous craft in the not too distant future. As he works towards his professional aspiration, this ambitious artist from Shanghai is working hard in the Xuhui district not limiting himself to Realistic tattoos…

A fresh spin on Japanese from Nick Tran

Life swept him from Vietnam where he was born to Australia where he opened his first shop in Melbourne nearly ten years ago. Japan and its inner world and artistic language pours into his work from the cultural tradition of the country. Meet Nick Tran and the sophisticated body suits for which he has become famous the world over.

The patches tattoos of Duda Lozano

Trying to stand out and create a style of his own was what spurred Brazilian tattooist Duda Lozano to come up with patches like those on clothes or backpacks and turned him into such a trendsetter with his mix of Cartoon, Realism and embroidery. We tracked him down at the Baum Fest last October in Barcelona, the city where he lives and where two years ago he opened his own shop, Patch Factory Studio.

Welcome to Golden Star Company Tattoo, San Francisco

The name Golden Star Company Tattoo is a tribute to a historic American radio station which in 1939 served the Chinatown community broadcasting one hour a day in Chinese. Studio founder Matt Ahn pays homage to the station and in tattoo too, represents Asian tattoo culture and supports Chinatown through the work of his shop.

Who’s who: The dolls of Ornélie

A world of mesmerising dolls kept under a bell jar. A frozen expression, movement, a particular look forever distinguishes them. Welcome to the world of Ornélie and her reminiscences and revamping of the classic conventional fairytale princesses.

The new book Echoes of Time. 25 years of tattoo art

Tattoo Life celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary with a major new publishing project, a historical testimony covering the past 25 years of the best in tattoo art which it has always showcased. This is why the new book in the series The Great Books on The Art of Tattooing fresh off the press is called Echoes of Time. 25 Years of Tattoo Life.

Tattoo model: Victoria the yoga teacher from San Diego

She teaches yoga in San Diego, loves the Ornamental Geometric style because it enhances the body. A devotee of the goddess Kali to whom she devoted her backpiece because it represents the protective and fierce aspect of the divine feminine but that’s not all, as Victoria, the subject of the photos in these pages, tells us herself.

Tattoo Mix: A selection of the best in every style… and much more!