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Illustrative Folk Art { ;;Follow us [ @irezumi.inc ] to never miss an article! Based in Eastbourne, England, Valeria [ @valeriamarinaci ] operates out of @higginsandcotattoo , a bright victorian-era studio she shares with her husband, Chris Higgins [ @chrishigginstattoo ]. Born in Germany and raised in Sicily, Valeria’s journey took her through Fine Arts studies in Catania and France before she landed in the UK in 2011. Initially dreaming of becoming a cartoonist or children’s book illustrator, she spent her university years exploring linocut, woodcut, and papermaking. These traditional crafts, alongside a newfound passion for pottery, have seamlessly merged into her tattooing. She describes her style as “bold illustrative folk art” a natural flow where naive art and floral patterns meet storytelling, illustration and the structural foundations of American traditional tattooing. Her visual language blends past and present, drawing from East Sussex gardens and Sicilian folklore, specifically: ceramics, embroidery, and hand-painted carrettos. Working alongside her husband for a decade also refined her skills in freehanding, layout, and complex pattern flow. For Valeria, the work is primarily about aesthetics and the emotional response it triggers. She pours her heart and soul into every line, hoping that the energy translates to the wearer. Her philosophy is one of presence and passion, where the act of tattooing becomes a transformative experience for both the artist and the client. As her son starts school, Valeria looks forward to expanding into textile design, book illustration, and pottery. She sees her artistic path as an evolving journey with no fixed destination, eager to see how her visual language continues to change over time. A Message to world: “My message is for the artist mothers. When I had my son, my creative side suffered because I didn’t have the time to make, and my mental health relied on that. What I’ve come to understand is that the creative side of us never goes away. It’s all about juggling time and not putting too much pressure on yourself. Time will come - you will never not be relevant.” }

Made by PF [ @pfuuuu______web ] { ;;Follow us [@irezumi.inc ] to never miss a tattoo feature! Based in Rennes and traveling through guest spots, PF utilizes a process that blends freehand black lines with free-machine colors. For this piece, the placement was chosen by the client, who granted him full freedom to create a composition embodying the fluidity of a butterfly in flight. PF describes his execution as a spontaneous, trance-like state, letting his hand work without mental interference. The final form was a mutual surprise, fueled by a friendly connection and a lack of pre-planned imagery. During the process, a hidden synchronicity emerged: the face of an elf revealed itself on the skin, an image PF believes was tucked away in his subconscious until the moment of execution. This work reflects PF’s broader philosophy of blending surrealism, psychedelia, and esotericism into contemporary abstractions. To him, the tattoo is a symbol of transformation and a reminder that the obscure reveals itself when the doors of perception are opened. }

Tattoo was made by [ @soft.wraith ] { ;; Follow us [ @irezumi.inc ] to never miss a tattoo repost Violet created this design with her friend Pauline [ @soie.lait ] using archived images of ballet dance notation, a type of symbol system used to record dance steps starting around the 1700’s. For Violet, the interest of working with this reference material lies in the return to the body. She takes a language built to flatten 4 dimensions and physically attaches it to its original point of reference: a three-dimensional body in movement. As a system of symbols dance notation carries rich and complex meaning, but its meaning is easily abstracted and lost without the anchor of sheet music and a title. Attaching it to the body brings it back into context, while also creating space for a more esoteric interpretation of the system of symbols. }

Painting with Needles { ;;Follow us [ @irezumi.inc ] to never miss an article! Based in Santiago, Chile, Macarena [ @blekanddots ] migrated from her hometown of Rancagua to the capital a decade ago to pursue a life in the arts. A Fine Arts graduate originally trained as a painter, she transitioned into tattooing 11 years ago after a university class sparked a curiosity about “painting with needles on the skin.” After a brief hiatus, she returned to the craft in 2017 and hasn’t stopped since. Maca’s style was a slow burn within a conservative art scene. While trained in tradition and realism, her interest in geometry and abstraction always remained an undercurrent. Her vision truly crystallized during the pandemic. By sharing her experiments in oil painting and knitting, she helped her audience finally understand her unique perspective on color theory and abstraction. Though naturally talented in grayscale realism, Maca shifted her focus to sensations, feelings, and memories. Revisiting her past photography and university thesis revealed a lifelong pattern of abstraction. Today, she translates complex human emotions into visual language using the simplest elements: light, color, shape, and texture. Her inspiration no longer comes from other artists, but from cinema, her own photography, and the organic power of memory. Maca’s choice of the handpoke technique is a deliberate statement. It embodies a philosophy of “going slow, contemplating, and breathing,” mirroring the way she observes tiny details in the city. Even though she infuses her work with personal meaning, she avoids making it an obvious statement, preferring to let the viewer’s perception remain free. Looking ahead, she plans to travel, teach, and continue exploring the theory behind her creative process. For her, art is a language, a form of meditation, and an essential part of the human experience that allows us to stand out in a “messy world”. Her message to the world: “Little moments and minimum details are treasures and less is always more.” }

Made by Daito [ @dit_5.9 ] { ;;Follow us [@irezumi.inc ] to never miss a tattoo feature! Based in Tokyo, Daito centers this design on a jester with playful motifs bursting out. The composition balances the contrast between dense, chaotic pop elements and the purity of simple pen strokes. By layering the design over the client’s existing tattoos, a process Daito describes as “placing accessories across a flower field”, the work gains an enhanced chaotic pop feel. The piece represents a mix of intention and chance, resembling a circus exploding from the center. Daito likens his style to playing dreamy, colorful sounds on a broken instrument, blending pop motifs with analog pen noise. Developed from a full A4 sketch, this tattoo marks the coexistence of his analog art and tattoo work. }

Tattoo was made by [ @morse_tattoo69 ] { ;;Follow us [ @irezumi.inc ] to never miss a tattoo repost! Nathan created this piece in collaboration with his client to honor Ptite Soeur, an emerging artist from the French underground scene. The project felt natural and intuitive, as both Nathan and the subject belong to the same generation, shaped by the same internet culture and video game references. The composition centers entirely on the character, with the surrounding elements designed to provide structure, rhythm, and balance. For Nathan, the piece reflects a shared artistic philosophy: it speaks to a generation raised through screens, where digital culture has become an extension of the self and an integral part of their creative DNA. }

Pure Imagination { ;;Follow us [ @irezumi.inc ] to never miss an article! Currently based in the creative hub of Hongdae, Seoul, Oowee [ @oo0wee ] has spent the last six years developing a practice that bridges the gap between personal imagination and the skin. While he travels internationally for guest work, his core remains rooted in the disciplined, art-centric culture of his home city. Though his initial attempts at traditional art university didn’t pan out, Oowee’s interest in creation never wavered. His definitive choice to pursue tattooing crystallized during his two-year mandatory military service - period of serious reflection on his future. The realization that someone could love his drawings enough to wear them for life was the ultimate draw. He describes his creative process as cooking naturally with all the things he love. He allows inspiration to emerge from his interests: fantasy games on Steam, music videos that build visual worlds, and, most importantly, text. He finds that reading essays and books allows him to construct unique imagery in his head that isn’t fixed or limited. This imaginative freedom is guided by the work ethic he learned from his mentors - artists who were defined by their constant drawing and pride in their craft. Oowee prioritizes visual beauty. He views his work as fragments of his own life, believing that meaning is inherently present in the act of drawing itself. The aesthetic result is his primary goal, leaving the philosophical weight to exist naturally within the creator and the wearer. In the future Oowee sees his work expanding beyond the medium of tattooing. His goal is to continue externalizing the images inside his head, with a long-term dream of creating a children’s book. Regardless of the medium, his mission remains focused on the output of his internal world. His message to the World “Let’s all become cuter.” }

Made by Devon [ @rememburgerme ] { ;;Follow us [@irezumi.inc ] to never miss a tattoo feature! For Devon, the tattooing process is often a spontaneous collaboration. He typically creates drawings without a specific body part in mind, allowing the client to visualize where the art fits best. This piece was a result of that shared intuition - design that found its perfect home through the client’s perspective and a mutual decision in the studio. The work is a pure exploration of his «ink bottle» technique, focusing on line quality, texture, and the blending of colors rather than a specific hidden message. It’s an exercise in the enjoyment of drawing, resulting in a visually unique piece that flows naturally with the body’s form. Devon’s say that sometimes tattoos are just tattoos. He prioritizes the process and the aesthetic outcome, preferring to leave the final meaning to the person wearing the art. }

Tattoo was made by [ @pinselgarden ] { ;;Follow us [ @irezumi.inc ] to never miss a tattoo repost! Pinsel, based in Seoul, views tattooing as one of many mediums to express her art, much like oils, acrylics, or colored pencils. Her style explores the beauty found in the middle ground between pretty and uncanny, utilizing a contrast of soft pastel tones and vivid colors. Her work is themed around an “inner garden”, where she visualizes the unique flowers that grow within that personal space. }

Inked Soundscapes { ;;Follow us [ @irezumi.inc ] to never miss an article! Proxii [ @proxii_dream ] was born in South Korea and raised in Toronto, Canada, where she is currently based. After four years in the industry, she views her journey as an ongoing evolution - one that began as a liberating creative outlet during a difficult personal time and has transformed into a profound exploration of identity and sound. Without a formal art background, Proxii spent her childhood designing fictional environments, architecture, and characters in sketchbooks. While always interested in body modification, her spark for tattooing was ignited by the “new gen” scene on social media. Starting working with skin was a way to channel creative energy into a tangible, liberating form of expression. Her style is deeply rooted in audio. Influenced by ambient music and textural sound design, specifically the works of artists like Antenna and AL-90, her designs are shadowy, fragmented, and atmospheric. She uses intuition to bring the body’s internal energy to the surface, playing with light and negative space to create a “visual song” that feels both naturally chaotic and vivid. Proxii balances the aesthetic with the philosophical, viewing each piece as a distillation of the energy that lives inside every person. She sees her work as a visual language that returns to the self, helping clients wear a truer representation of their internal state on their skin. Her inspiration is constantly renewed by the diverse voices and environments she encounters through her travels. Looking ahead, Proxii’s work is shifting toward a deeper connection with the earth and natural elements. She is currently experimenting with the physicality of paper and mark-making, integrating these raw techniques into her sessions through freehand stencil ink. As she continues to evolve, her focus remains on the unbound energy that connects us all. Her message to the world: “Step behind the curtain for a bit, you’ll see how much beauty and love you’re surrounded by.” }

Made by Agus Hijo [ @agus.hijo.tattoo ] { ;;Follow us [@irezumi.inc ] to never miss a tattoo feature! Agus Hijo creates from an intuitive and free space, treating his pseudonym as a territory where formality is left behind. This upper-back piece originated from a broad request for organic, tribal shapes and stars, which Agus guided into a complex exploration of 3D volumes and contrasting flat textures. The composition was built through multiple layers and references from everyday life, transformed through his direct drawing process. For Agus, this work is a reflection of his core philosophy: a desire to alter the reality around him, reshaping and transforming his environment into something more playful and visually engaging. }