Just as painters have different types of canvases to draw their art pieces, tattoo artists draw on people's skin. 

Tattooing is a great form of art and is growing among many people. Many tattoo artists use their own art and learnings to draw on their clients. 

There are several tattoo artists all over the world. They all give services to the best of their capacities and hard work.

Like any other professional career, many tattoo artists have become famous because of their Ink. Moreover, they made lots of money from their incredible body artwork.

Here’s our list of the 20 most famous tattoo artists in the world: 

20. Nikko Hurtado

On number 20 of the list comes a famous tattoo artist from America, Nikko Hurtado.

He specializes in colored portraiture and has more than one million followers on his official Instagram handle.

 He began tattooing in 2002 and eventually opened his tattoo shop, Anchor Collective, in Hesperia, California.

Now, the shop has a second branch in Los Angeles as well. He was featured on the famous television shows LA Ink and Ink Master and many other tattoo events and shows.

He has traveled all over the globe and has even given many seminars about his color theory and tattoo techniques. In 2012, he was one of the jury members at the Chaudesaigues Award, which also features many other tattoo artists.

He is now the owner of Revolution Ink, a tattoo ink made for professional tattoo artists, and a California-certified tattoo machine called Aero Custom Weld Design.

He is focusing on selling his Vegan Blue Ink.

Instagram: @nikkohurtado

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19. Yoji Harada

Originally from Japan, Yoji Harada is a famous tattoo artist and musician who moved to the USA later on with Ami James.

Yoji gained fame after he was featured in the American reality TV show Miami Ink. After that, he even got married and had his first baby daughter.

However, he passed away a long back in the Netherlands. His artistic talents were always remembered. 

Instagram: @yojiroharada

18. Darren Brass

Known for his sweet personality, Darren Brass has always made his clients feel at ease right at the first appointment.

Darren is covered in bright tattoos, and he was first introduced to tattooing by one of his friends. He is often confused about being Latin, but he is half-Irish and half-Polish. 

Before moving to Miami to continue his journey as a tattoo artist, Darren co-founded a children's clothing store called Ruthless and Toothless.

Darren became famous after being featured in a famous reality show, Miami Ink. There, he worked in a LoveHate Parlour to showcase his artistic talents. 

Instagram: @brass305

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17. Mark Mahoney

Mark Mahoney is a famous tattoo artist from America, known as the founding father of art with a single needle.

He started his journey as a tattoo artist in 1977 in Boston when tattooing was illegal. He started his tattoo journey in the midst of the 1970s punk scene, and now he is considered the most famous tattoo artist of all time.

During the 1980s, he was pivotal in the famous tattoo movement and even inked some famous Hollywood celebrities. He is famous for different tattoo arts, like religious icons, girls, and many more.

He is even a designer of a children's clothing line called Babyeggi.

Instagram: @markmahoney_ssc

16. Joey Pang

Joey Pang is a famous tattoo artist from Hong Kong.

She is known to use a specific brush-stroke technique that closely resembles Chinese Art. 

Other than that, she also details different paintings and layering aesthetics related to Asian mythology as well as other abstract tattoo arts.

Before starting her journey as a tattoo artist, he got her training in cosmetics, graphic designing, Chinese arts, Thangka art, Calligraphy, and different body art forms.

Her artworks have been featured on CNN, AL Jazeera, and many more. She is one of the growing famous tattoo artists and has also worked with many celebrities. 

Instagram: @joeypang

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15. Mike Rubendall

Mark Rubendall is a famous tattoo artist who is a founder of Kings Avenue in New York City.

The studio was ranked top 5 places to get tattooed by Inked in 2015. Mike started tattooing at the age of 17, and he opened Kings Avenue back in 2005 with few employees.

Now, he is the most followed tattoo artist in the United States and has even worked with many celebrities. If you wish to be inked by Mark, you probably have to be on a year-long waiting list.

Huffington Post listed him as a top tattoo artist to follow on Instagram in 2014, and he was named 'top city inkers' by the New York Magazine.

He was featured in VICE in the part of the tattoo age. Similarly, he was also there in seasons 2 and 5 of the Ink Master, Tattoo Wars, and Prick. With these listings, he comes on number 15 on the list. 

Instagram: @mikerubendall

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14. Don Ed Hardy

Don Ed Hardy is a tattoo artist who developed a strong influence on modern tattoos and has published more than 25 books on different types of tattoo art. 

Hardy has been interested in tattoos ever since he was young. He remembers taking pens and making art for the neighbor's kids.

He got his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts with a specialization in printmaking. And later on, he declined a full scholarship from Yale to pursue his career as a tattoo artist.

Hardy even went to Japan to learn about Japanese tattoo techniques and aesthetics and added them to his American style.

Other than tattooing, he has a collection of different clothing and accessories. He retired from tattooing in 2009 but still owns a tattoo studio named Tattoo City in San Francisco, California.

Instagram: @donedhardyart

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13. Sailor Jerry

Norman Keith Collins, better known as Sailor Jerry, got his perfect nickname because he was known for making sailor tattoos.

Jerry was a prominent tattoo artist based in Hawaii, and he originally learned tattooing from a man named Big Mike in Alaska, who taught him tattoos made from hand pricking.

Similarly, he met Tatts Thomas from Chicago in 1920, who taught him to use a tattoo machine.

Before moving to Hawaii to start a career as a tattoo artist, Jerry used to practice on drunks brought from Skid Row. When Jerry enlisted in the Navy at 19, he learned more about arts, especially from South East Asia.

In tattoo history, Jerry significantly contributed and expanded the range of colors by using his pigments.

He was one of the first tattoo artists who utilized single-use needles and created custom needles that made less trauma on the skin. 

Instagram: @oldironsidetattoo

12. Bob Tyrell

Bob Tyrell is a renowned American tattoo artist based in Michigan, California.

Tyrell started his journey as a tattoo artist in his thirties and is best known for his work on Kid Rock's back.

He has been featured in LA Ink and London Ink, and he was one of the jury members in the first Chaudesaigues Award.

It is a tattoo award that recognizes the artwork of different artists. Bob was even present at the worldwide tattoo conference and appeared on Ink Master as a special guest. 

Instagram: @bobtyrrell

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11. Ami James

Ami James is an Isareli-American tattoo artist and a television personality.

James used to suffer from severe ADD growing up, and he was really drawn into art and tattooing from a young age. He disclosed that his father was also a painter and a tattoo artist. 

After moving to the United States, he moved to Miami with his family. He got his first tattoo at the age of 15, and that's what determined him to be a tattoo artist.

He rose to fame after his reality shows, Miami Ink and NY Ink, featured his own tattoo parlor, Love Hate Tattoos in Miami and Five Points Tattoo in New York.

In 2022, James became one of the judges at the famous tattoo show Ink Master. James also has his own jewelry line.

Instagram: @amijames1

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10. Kat Von D

Kat D Von is a Mexican-American tattoo artist, model, and entrepreneur. While growing up, Kat was raised in a strict Christian household where the tattoo was considered taboo.

She is best known for being featured in the famous reality television tattoo show LA Ink and was there for four seasons. 

She has tattooed some famous celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato. She is also an owner of her makeup brand, KVD Vegan Beauty, and is quite well-known in the tattoo world. 

Instagram: @thekatvond

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9. Jonathan Valena

JohnBoy is one of the famous tattoo artists who have tattooed more than 20 thousand people till now. And among those people are celebrities and artists.

He is one of the favorite tattoo artist of Kendall Jenner. John's work on Bella Hadid made him one of the most famous tattoo artists in the world.

He drew a pair of wings on her ankles, especially for her walk at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The Biebs even made John draw art on his body. His clean and artistic style has attracted a crowd, and his tattoo is now a cult among many celebrities. 

Instagram: @jonboytattoo

TikTok: @john_boy_tattoo

@john_boy_tattoo @eyal vaingarten @Dani Ginzburg ♬ OnlyDani - john boy tattoo

8. Bang Bang

Keith Scott, better known as Bang Bang, is a celebrity tattoo artist based in New York, United States.

He started tattooing in 2004 when he got his first tattoo kit and began practicing on his close friends and family members.

Within a year or two, he found a total commitment to tattooing and became a professional tattoo artist by tattooing two guns on both sides of his neck along with the letter "Bang Bang." 

A year later, he moved to New York, and that's when he grew up as a tattoo artist. People would be amazed at his skills whenever he showed his portfolio.

In 2007, Scott met a famous artist, Rihanna, and tattooed her hip area. Rihanna's tattoo transformed his life and brought many more clients to him, including celebrities like Selena Gomez, Adele, and many more.

In 2015, he published Bang Bang: My Life In Ink. Scott even has his tattoo parlor. 

Instagram: @bangbangnyc

7. Samuel O’Reilly

Samuel O’Reilly is known as one of the oldest tattoo artists in the United States, and he was one who patented the first electric tattoo machine back in 1891.

Samuel started tattooing around the mid-1880s in New York, and his machine was based on the rotary technology of Thomas Edison's autographic pen.

His first pre-patent tattoo machine was made out of a dental plugger and was later on kept on exhibitions at different museums. His contribution to the tattoo world is greatly appreciated. He passed away in 1909. 

6. Zhou Danting

Zhou Danting is known as the first lady of tattoos in China.

She is covered with tattoos from head to toe, and she combines Chinese and Western tattoo styles, making her stand out in the inking business.

She started tattooing around 2001 in Harbin, and there were not many tattoo shops at that time. 

Zhou was just 17 when she got her first tattoo; a year after that, she became the owner of Shangai Tattoo.

She is better known for the different background spaces and textures. She is quite good at making ultra-realistic portraits of skin. She has her tattoo salon in the USA too. 

Instagram: @zhuodanting

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5. Say Teven

Say Teven was some of the tattoo artists that survived the Khmer Rogue, and even now, he is a part of a group that practices sacred magic in Buddhist, Hindu, and his cultural roots.

Say still follows a few traditions prior to inking his clients. His clients are required to give him an offering of fruits, incense, and a candle as he recites a special spell and sprinkles holy water in his clients before starting the sacred inking ritual.

For a final touch, he blows on lines and twirls, as it is also a part of the spell.

4. Sompong Kanphai

A famous tattoo artist from Thailand, Ajarn Noo increased tattoo tourism in Thailand after he tattooed famous celebrity Angelina Jolie.

He drew five lines of Buddhist blessing running down her back, and that's how the tattoo with spiritual resemblance grew in Thailand.

Khanpai is located in Bangkok, Thailand and the second tattoo he made on Angelina Jolie was of a tiger. He uses the ancient method to make beautiful tattoos on his clients. 

He has been given the title of 'one of the best tattoo artists in the world'.

3. Horiyoshi III

Horiyoshi III is a famous tattoo artist from Japan who uses ancient Japanese tattooing, He focuses on Japanese full-body tattoos, better known as Irezumi.

There is a meaning behind his name. He got himself tatted by Horiyoshi II and even became one of the apprentices of Horiyoshi I when he was just 25.

After years of practice, he got the title Horiyoshi III. His legendary body tattoo takes years to be completed and he charges thousands of dollars for it. His designs have been featured in many tattoo books in Japan. 

Instagram: @horiyoshi_3

2. Whang-od Oggay

Also known as Maria Oggay, she is one of the oldest tattoo artists from an indigenous community in the Phillippines.

She is considered the last and oldest tattoo artist in her community. She has been tattooing the headhunters and women of the Indigenous community called Kalinga ever since she was 15. 

Besides that, she has even inked two tamed ButBut Warriors for their protection towards the villagers.

She has spiritual significance behind every tattoo she makes. Her tattoos come with different forms of spell chanting and fortune telling.

 To date, tourists visit her community in Buscalan, Kalinga, to be tatted by her specifically. She is 102 years old and is considered one of the oldest tattoo artists in the world.

1. George Burchett

Better known as the 'King of Tattooists', George Burchett is an Englishman and one of the most famous tattoo artists in the world.

He learned tattooing on his own and has invented different tattoo designs he was the one who developed cosmetic tattooing, especially for darkening eyebrows.

After being a full-time tattoo artist, in 1900, he became the first artist who inked many royals and rich people around Europe.

His designs consisted of African and Asian designs. He passed away at 80 and is still listed as one of the best tattoo artists in the world. 

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