R y a n S m i t h

First tattoo of 2026 🌙 plus some highlights of the year… When it was January 1, 2025 I told myself I would actually start taking steps towards tattooing so I created this instagram account. I was only painting flash then, hence the name, Ryan’s Flash Stash. I already had a decent amount I had painted over the last 4 years but I told myself I’d paint something every week to continue to have more to show when I started approaching shops with my portfolio. I started engraving mirrors to learn how to make my designs in a different medium that felt like it had similarities to tattooing itself. You have one shot to get it right. I was commissioned to make paintings/mirrors for friends and strangers from local to abroad and I got the chance to make a T shirt for @dentwoodcoffeeco . Before I started approaching shops I decided I’d get tattooed once a month to help me feel more comfortable putting myself out there in that scenario, so as a bonus I got to collect some sick work by @mikerbake @nemethtattoo @jaketayllor @smccurdytattoo and @andrewvidakovich . One of my best friends moved to Richmond and I got to spend his 30th birthday with him. My family at @triplecrossingdowntown were nice enough to let me hang my work up on a free wall in there where it still hangs today. @katiedavis85 was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to check my work out and give me advice on finding an apprenticeship and other things to consider when it comes to choosing this as a career path. I attended an awesome seminar at @allforonetattoo and got to meet Chuck Eldridge who encouraged me to show everyone there my portfolio, which was terrifying, yet everybody was so incredibly kind. These were all massive, confidence boosting steps which led me to the point where I walked in the doors of @artistic_obsession_ and met @jonnycashao for the first time in April when he decided to take a chance on me and take me on as an apprentice. It’s been a wild ride since that day and it’ll continue to be. I’ve learned so much about tattooing but at the same time have barely scratched the surface. I’ve tattooed hundreds of people at this point. (continued in comments) #tattooapprentice #tattoo

Don’t even know where to start with this one… So, I finished this back tattoo on @hanbecmo this past weekend and it’s left me with a wild feeling. A lot of feelings actually but mainly one of gratitude. This is by far the largest project I’ve tackled so far, and in the beginning, while super excited about doing it, I was incredibly anxious to attempt it. I asked my mentor, @jonnycashao , if he would allow me to do something of this size and his response was “if you’re confident that you can pull it off, then you should go for it.” Jonathan has been there to help me every step of the way so far, so knowing I wouldn’t be alone in figuring out how to pull this off, I was confident. We ended up doing this in 2 sessions, about 5.5 hours of tattooing each, and that’s all you need to know to realize that Hannah is an absolute bad ass. Sat like a frickin rock for one of the most painful places to be tattooed by someone who works slow in comparison to another that is more experienced. So all that is to say thank you, Hannah, for the immense amount of trust you put in me to do this tattoo for you.. you have made me a better tattooer because of it. And thank you Jonathan for your guidance throughout this tattoo, and for lending me your tools to help me succeed. And for allowing me to attempt this in the first place lol. We will be adding a floral frame to complete Hannah’s back in the future, and I cant wait to get to work on it! TL;DR - I’m super stoked to have done this back tattoo, Hannah is the best, and I couldn’t have done it without my mentor, Jonathan. #traditionaltattoo #traditionalflash #tattooapprentice #apprenticetattoo #rvatattoo #mechanicsville #tradtattoo

‼️BIG NEWS - READ BELOW‼️ I’m beyond excited to announce that as of yesterday, I am OFFICIALLY starting my apprenticeship at Artistic Obsession in Mechanicsville! If you haven’t seen or heard from me much in the past few months, it’s because I’ve been at the shop learning the ins and outs of how things run and soaking up as much as I can about tattooing in general while in between tasks. But yesterday was huge. Yesterday, my apprentice license was approved by the state, AND I had the pleasure of building my first coil machine with my mentor. I will eventually use that same machine to tattoo. It was and still is a very surreal feeling. I want to extend a MASSIVE thank you to Jonathan, my mentor and sponsor, for this incredible opportunity and for taking a chance on me. Also, a big thank you to everyone at the shop for making me feel like part of the crew, I’m happy to be able to call you all friends as well as coworkers. And to my partner in life, Sydney, and everyone who’s supported me up until now.. you’ve given me the confidence to pursue this dream of mine and it means the world to me. I will never forget that. All that being said.. I’m very much looking forward to the next chapter of this journey and I would love it if it you followed along! -Ryan ❤️

One shot belly rocker for Ellie, who is an absolute bad ass… obviously. Can’t thank you enough for your trust and massive props for sitting through this in one session! Plenty of time in May/June to get ya tattooed Shoot me a DM or email if you’d like to set somethin up! #traditionaltattoos #stomachtattoo #tattooapprentice #mechanicsville #richmondtattoo

Back in town from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, the trip went by so fast (as always) but super grateful to have had the time to do some traveling and relaxing. However, I’m back in the shop on Tuesday and am very excited to get back to tattooing. So here’s a little dump of some stuff I’ve been up to recently… please reach out if you’d like to get tattooed 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼❤️ #traditionaltattoo #apprenticetattoo #dragontattoo #jellyfishtattoo #roseofnomansland

Gave my lady @sydveee a belly rocker the other day… Very grateful for the trust with my first stomach tattoo, but even more grateful for all of her support since I’ve started this journey. Crazy to think how we’ve gotten here, and always appreciative of my mentor/brother @jonnycashao for giving me a chance to be a part of something so special Swipe to the end to see how the ink settled in the next day 👀 #apprenticetattoo #herontattoo #traditionaltattoo #grateful #804tattoo

Wrapped up this 1/3rd sleeve (is that a thing?) for Adam this past weekend. This is also Adam’s first tattoo lol The main piece is loosely based on a highway sign in Maine, framed by Adams favorite flowers from his garden. The shoulder is my take on a trumpet vine to cap everything off. We started this project back in December and have steadily chipped away at it every few weeks. We collaborated on the design the whole way through and it’s really awesome to see it all finished up. I really can’t thank you enough for your dedication, Adam, and for putting so much trust in me for your first (and maybe only) tattoo. Swipe through to travel back in time to the first day we started this thing 🧭 #naturetattoo #apprenticetattoo #traditionaltattoo #colortattoo #richmond

A hawk made for my good friend Laurence! Sitting right above the 3rd tattoo I ever did. Thanks for your trust and continued support man ❤️ #hawktattoo #traditionaltattoo #mechanicsville #richmondtattoo #apprentice tattoo

Got to tattoo a @rapid.eyes design on my long time homie, Jess (aka @rapid.eyes ) 🫶🏻 I’ve known and worked with Jess for over 6 years now and I’ve always admired her as an artist. The work ethic and creative output has always been super impressive and I hope to get close to that level one of these days haha Very stoked and honored to add to your collection dude, thanks for trusting me with such a prime spot 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼❤️ #illustrativetattoo #richmondartist #rvatattoo #blackworktattoo #tattoo

Some stuff I’ve been up to recently with some in-progress work at the end. Thank you everyone for all of your support, I’m so grateful to be able to tattoo you and it means a lot that you choose me to bring your ideas to life 🙏🏻 Always excited to work on whatever you’re interested in getting tattooed, feel free to reach out via DM or email [email protected] #tattooapprentice #apprenticetattoos #rvatattoo #traditionaltattoo #tattooart

Painted this Canada themed sheet somewhat recently and today felt like a good day to post it ☀️ Available for Canadians and non-Canadians alike.. all designs can be made in color or black and gray! Happy Easter everyone 🐰 #traditionaltattoo #traditionalflash #canadatattoo #804tattoo #mechanicsville

Got to make this mom heart for one of my main homies, Eric. Drew it to fit in a funky spot between some super sick @mikerbake and @nemethtattoo pieces and really happy with how it fits in there! Thank you for your trust with such a special tattoo, man. #traditionaltattoo #rvatattoo #tattooapprentice #momtattoo #solidtattooink