My Favorite Tattoo Artists in the Seattle Area
Like I mentioned in my last blog post about tattoos, each piece I’ve gotten is very special to me. I’ve had the pleasure of getting tattooed in some of the coziest studios, with some of the warmest-hearted women I have ever met. I get asked a lot about where I got certain pieces, and honestly I love each of my artwork so much, I wish I could hand out a business card with all of the artist and shop names. I seriously can’t rave about each of them enough, so I figured with my fledgling blog, this will serve as my little shoutout to all the fabulous artists who contributed to my tattoo journey.
I also get asked a lot how I find my artists, and the simple answer really is Instagram, which is why I’ll link out to their accounts here, as often that’s the best way to connect with artists and see their stuff. I follow the hashtags #seattletattoo #seattletattoos and #seattletattooartist and have found almost everyone that way. I really enjoy finding artists I aspire to be tattooed by on Instagram, particularly because it’s an easy way to see their flash all in one place (for those unfamiliar ‘flash’ is just art that artists have created and would like to tattoo on somone) and sometimes, you can get in quickly by catching a story with tattoo openings or a books opening announcement.
So, without further ado, here are the amazing women that I’ve had the pleasure of being tattoed by, all within at least 2-hours of Seattle:
Shelby at @wellworkink, has done two beautiful stick-and-poke pieces on me. If you’ve never gotten a stick-and-poke (or hand-poked tattoo), it’s a different experience that machine-tattoing. Some people say it’s less painful than traditional machine tattooing, but I think it’s just a different sensation. I also love the contrast in lineweight it has in comparison to my other tattoos. The first piece I got from her was a beautiful custom piece on the outside of my left forearm— a pair of crane scissors that I use for crafting. Shelby was so kind throughout the process— as this was my first custom tattoo I had no idea what to expect. But she was so communicative, very open to my ideas, and was overall so easy to work with. Her studio is an adorable little space, located in a beauty and hair salon in West Seattle that’s in an old house. Her studio is one room in the house and it’s filled with twinkly lights, cozy candles, lots of her flash art on the walls and a few plants. She had calming low-fi music on when I got there, and her energy was very comforting. I felt instantly at ease, which was huge for me since this was the first tattoo I’d gotten in a studio and not from my husband. The next tattoo I got from her was a linework diamond shape on my left forearm, and this time I brought my husband with me. He got a beautiful dot-work flash piece of a girl facing away from the camera looking at the sunset. It was one of the best afternoons, and such a memorable date day for us. I can’t recommend Shelby enough!
Britt at @valleyrootsstudio in Snohomish, WA, about 40 minutes outside of Seattle, is an absolute gem. She did my first machine tattoo, which is a linework tattoo of a take on the ‘lovers’ tarot card. It was one of her flash pieces and instantly knew it was for me— I loved the intricate details and of course the foliage & vines throughout. I was nervous for my first machine tattoo, but let me tell you, this was probably the least painful tattoo of my life! Britt also does permanent makeup, and so the needle she used was really fine, and I could barely feel any pain with the tattoo. (It honestly spoiled me for future machine tattoos which were much much more uncomfortable!) Britt’s studio is located in the Star Antique Mall in downtown Snohomish, and her studio is a stunner! Filled with bright colors, beautiful furniture, tons of plants and cuuuuute wallpaper, it felt more like a spa than a tattoo parlor. l instantly loved the vibe, and got along great with Britt. She made me feel super comfortable and I had a fantastic experience overall.
@Audri_adorned at Black Dolphin Tattoo in the University District is one of my favorite artist finds to-date. She is a mostly black-and-grey American Traditional tattooer (though she definitely does some color). She has done 2 tattoos for me, what I like to call my ‘butterfly lady’ on my upper left arm, and a stunning vase on the top of my right forearm. As someone who had, up until this point, only gotten stick-and-poke and fine linework tattoos, I was in for a bit of a shock with American Traditional tattooing, as it’s the first time I had ever gotten true black and grey shading done. But the pain was incredibly worth it, and I think Audri’s art is some of the most badass out there. Both pieces she’s done for me I get tons of compliments on because they’re so bold and different, and I personally have never seen art like this in any other American Traditional shops. Black Dolphin Tattoo is also a great vibe, it feels almost like an english pub, with dark moody emerald green walls and tons of plants adorning the studio. It’s more of what you’d think of as a traditional tattoo parlor, but Audri and her partner Phil always have something fun on TV. When I was there, it was re-runs of Star Trek, which was a comforting vibe. I can’t recommend Audri and her shop enough, it’s honestly all I can do not to go back every month.
Seraphim at @petite_ink did one of my most highly-complimented pieces of all time, my ‘monstera girl’ which is a fine-line drawing of a woman’s face with monstera leaves weaved in. The drawing is so simple and that’s why I loved it, it contrasted nicely with some of the my other pieces, and I absolutely love the placement we picked— located on my right upper arm, where it is a beautiful complement to the other smaller pieces around it. The studio, (which may have moved?) but at the time was located in the Rainier Beer building that you can see from I-5 was very vibey. Cute neon signs and stunning furniture highlighted the space, and I felt very comfortable the whole time. Seraphim’s advice on placement was super helpful, and we had a great chat about how she got into tattooing. She was someone I walked out wanting to be friends with, which to be honestly is how I feel about all of my artists, but this one was no different. I hope to get tattooed by her again in the future, she does stunning pet portraits which are definitely on my list.
Kelsi at @kelsi_hooper_tattoo is located at Altar Tattoo in the Roosevelt neighborhood in North Seattle. I got one of my favorite pieces from her, a stunning flash design that called out to me because it features a cat in a cozy window scene that happened to look a lot like my own living room. Kelsi was someone I always wanted to get tattooed by, so when I finally got into her flash books I was overjoyed. Her fine-line tattoing is stunning and I have loved her pieces afar from years, so getting this one on the top of my left forearm was such an honor. Kelsi was so warm and welcoming, and so was the studio. Altar tattoo is also a small boutique selling stunning little trinkets and jewlery, and the studio itself was absolutely stunning. Filled with warm tones, cozy blankets and candles, I remarked to my husband upon arriving ‘I want to live here.’ The tattoo itself was pretty painless and the overall experience was yet another great conversation and warm atmosphere. Can’t recommend Kelsi enough.
Anna at @bananawheelstattoo is located in Bellingham, WA, about 2 hours North of Seattle, just south of the Canadian border. I had been eyeing her flash books for months and months, and was so stoked when they finally opened! I got a customized piece of flash from her ‘choose your own picnic’ series, which I am absolutely obsessed with. Anna is a super talented tattooer, and when I saw her stunningly detailed designs, I knew I had to get something. The studio is in an old building in downtown bellingham and is super cute and cozy, filled with lots of her flash and favorite pieces on the walls. When I got there, she informed me that her cat was at the studio that day and let me tell you I was overjoyed. So she and I and her sweet little cat got into it, and she designed a beautiful custom picnic scene for me. She even made some last-minute changes when I asked her to add a wheel of cheese to the scene (classic, I’m always chasing cheese in some way or another). This was my first leg tattoo, on my left thigh right above my knee, and little did I know this was a bit of a spicy tattoo placement. I felt so bad for involuntarily spazzing and almost kicking her several times, but we powered through and the piece came out absolutely amazing. I’m so stoked and can’t wait to get tattooed by Anna again.
Last but not least, Shannon at @shan_tattoos is also in Bellingham, WA, and man I had the best time getting tatooed by her. I got 2 flash pieces at once, which was bold, but Shan made me feel very comfortable to request multiple at once. I got this stunning little pitcher with some delicate floral linework on my right upper arm, nestled in near my monstera girl and the stick-and-poke olive branch, my first tattoo. The placement fit so perfectly, and this one was a breeze, Shan whipped through it in under an hour and we had the best chats the entire time. Her studio is located in the old Bellingham Herald building and it was absolutely stunning, filled with lots of natural light and tons of thriving plants. She and I chatted the whole time, and I felt completely at ease with her. The second piece I got was a beautiful olive branch on my right shin, also kind of a spicy placement, but one of my favorite placement choices so far. She did such a spectacular job, I find myself oggling this piece on the regular and getting tons of compliments on it.
I have gotten so lucky to be tattooed by some of the most amazing female tattoo artists out there, it’s only a matter of time until I go back to each one for round 2 or 3. Give them a follow, you won’t be sorry!
