The American tattoo industry is fast-growing and is among the most famous in the world. America has some of the best tattoo artists on planet Earth. These fantastic American tattoo artists are armed with a variety of skills and incorporate so many styles and artistry into their work, from the revered Japanese tattoo to European photorealism.
People visit America for different reasons: the beautiful climate, exquisite food and tourist centers, fine beaches, and an opportunity to do business or study. If you are in America and want to find the best tattoo artists whose beautiful work will be proudly inked into your skin permanently, then this article is for you.
Best Tattoo Artists in America
Here are some of the best tattoo artists in America (in no particular order):
Scott Campbell
Scott Campbell is a celebrity tattoo artist who has done extensive work for celebrities like Orlando Bloom and Robert Downey Jr. He opened his first tattoo studio in 2005 during his stay in New York City. Famed actor, Heath Ledger, became his first celebrity client. He also doubles as a visual artist who has sold out shows around Europe and North America.
Ami James
Although James was born in Israel, where he spent his early childhood years, he emigrated to America at the age of 12. He is currently one of America’s best tattoo artists. He got inspired to become a tattoo artist by his father, who had a lot of tattoos. He began as a tattoo apprentice in 1992 in Florida and has since grown to become a well-respected tattoo designer.
Chris Garver
Chris Garver is another fantastic tattoo artist based in America. He is popular for his appearance in the American television series Maimi Ink. His mother, who was also an artist, encouraged him to pursue his passion for creative design during his formative years in Pennsylvania. He started tattooing at the age of 17 and has since become one of New York’s most popular tattoo artists.
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Bob Tyrrell
Bob Tyrell is a popular American tattoo artist. He resides in Michigan and found his love for tattooing at the age of 34. He is famous for tattooing Kid Rock’s back. He has served as a jury member and judge of several tattoo awards and competitions.
Don Ed Hardy
Don Ed Hardy is a highly respected tattoo artist around the world. His influence on the growth of tattoo design spans near and wide. Born in California, he learned the classical Japanese art of tattooing in 1973 and has managed to fuse this style into his subsequent works. He has written extensively about the art of tattoo design and has organized many tattoo exhibitions and conferences.
Bang Bang
Keith Scott, popularly known by his alias ‘Bang Bang’, is a popular tattoo artist in America. He has extensive celebrity clients that include LeBron James, Justin Bieber, Katty Perry, Kylie Jenner, and Rihanna. Dropping out of school at a very young age, he had his first tattoo at 15 years of age. He met Rihanna and got a tattoo on her hip in 2007. That life-changing encounter made him extremely popular. He has a studio in New York, which opened in 2013, and another in the same city in 2018.
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Paul Booth
Paul Booth is a popular American tattoo artist, famous for his signature black and grey tattoo design that is centered around a dark, surrealistic style. He has worked with rock stars likSlipknot and Soulfly. As a child, he was drawn to themes of darkness and monstrosity. He has been titled the ‘King of New Rock Tattoos’ as his tattoo designs represent demons, beasts, and deadly figures. His tattoo studio, Last Rites Tattoo Theatre, is well known and frequented by tattoo fans.
Mark Mahoney
Mark Mahoney is among America’s best tattoo artists and is recognized as the godfather of black and gray tattoo design. He began tattoo designing in 1977 and has remained a household name in the world of tattoo art and design. He has also worked with some of America’s most respected celebrities. Since discovering his love for tattoos at a very young age, he has worked with celebrities like Lana Del Rey, who has shown passion and admiration for his work by featuring him in her videos.
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Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore is a veteran wrestler who has wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He is an incredible tattoo artist and owns one of North Carolina’s most popular tattoo parlour, Gas Chamber Ink.
Nikko Hurtado
The list of best tattoo artists in America will be incomplete without Nikko Hurtado. Nikko Hurtado is a Californian and began tattooing at the age of 21, after 9 years, he founded his own tattoo parlor in California, opening another branch in that same city. He made an appearance in two popular reality shows that celebrate the art of tattooing, Ink Master and LA Ink. He was also a member of the panel for the Chaudasaigues Award. He is popular for his colored portraiture style of tattooing in many countries.
Chris Núñez
Nunez is a creative soul from Miami, Florida. He has always had a thing for artistic design, even as a teenager. He became a graffiti artist for a while before switching to tattooing. He established the Handcrafted Tattoo and Art Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Love-Hate Tattoos. He is well known for being on the reality show Miami Ink and Ink Master. He served as a judge in the latter.
Hannah Aitchison
Hannah Aitchison is one of America’s finest tattoo artists. Her studio is located in Pennsylvania. She has worked with a lot of tattoo artists around the world and has made an appearance at many tattoo conventions. She is also a popular face on reality show LA Ink.
Paul Timman
Paul Timman is a tattoo artist based in America. He has worked in movies and has clients from Hollywood and the music industry. The Wall Street Journal called him the ‘Rembrandt of Sunset Strip’. He is known to be highly creative and intellectual, as his work has been featured in tattoo magazines across the world.
Curt Montgomery
Curt Montgomery was born on December 27, 1980, in Elora, Ontario, Canada. He rose to prominence as a result of his dedication to his career. His tattoos are minimal but attractive and enticing.
He is well-known throughout the world for his sophisticated and exquisite tattoo designs. His tattoos mainly depict death, sex, and humanity.
He displays his work on Instagram, where he has roughly half a million followers.
Ryan Ashley DiCristina
Ryan Ashley is a tattoo artist from Kingston, Pennsylvania, who was born in 1986.
She previously worked at The Strange and Unusual, her own tattoo shop and oddities boutique in Kingston, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this shop had to close. Ryan Ashley and her husband, Arlo, did, however, create Elysium Studios, a new tattoo business with ten different artists.
She is well known as the previous “Ink Master” winner for the Paramount Network.