How to Find the Best Tattoo Artist Near You

Most online guides will just tell you to ask around or check Instagram…that’s not enough.

For this reason, we’ve created the most complete guide to help you find and contact a tattooist. In this article, you’ll learn:

• Websites you can use to find artists in your country
• Examples of hashtags to conduct an Instagram search
• How to adjust your search according to your budget and needs
• Several golden tips

So, here are the 3 elements that will help you filter and find your ideal tattooist.

1. Location

Don’t think only about where you are, but also where you’re willing to go to get your ink.

Location matters because if you want the best version of your tattoo, you shouldn’t settle for the parlor next door. They might be great, they might have thousands of followers on Instagram. But if they’re not experts on the type of tattoo you’re looking for, you should keep searching. Imagine asking a DJ to perform at a Jazz club, or asking a Jazz musician to mix tapes at a nightclub. Both can be great but in their own context.

So the first thing you should do is check tattoo artists and studios near you.

Tips to find tattoo artists by location:

If you have no idea what you want and need inspiration

Go to Instagram and search by hashtags. An example of a hashtag is #tattoo+location, such as #tattooitalia. This also works if you want to find artists specialized in a certain theme. For instance, if you want a Pokemon tattoo and want to catch the very best, you should search inside hashtags such as #pokemontattoo.

 

If you know what you want and need to explore artists near you

Go to TattoosWizard.com and apply a location filter to your city. If you already know what style you want, make sure to include it as well. You can now filter by followers or search randomly. You can now see different samples of their work and eventually click on your preferred profile to check out more about them. If you find an artist you like, click the link to their Instagram and contact them via their preferred method (DM or email).

If your desired work doesn’t require much specialization

Open Google Maps, select your area and use the search finder. You can use keywords such as “tattoo shops”, “tattoo parlor”  or even “tattooist”. Different searches will provide different results, but using these three keywords will give you almost all of the shops physically near you.

Golden tips

• If you fancy a tattooist in particular, you should follow him/her on Instagram and keep an eye on their tours. Big artists travel around quite often and accept anticipated bookings. Even if they don’t visit your country, it might be possible to meet somewhere in the middle, especially if either you or the artist knows a parlor in the city where you can get the job done, and your tattoo justifies the travel.
• Competitions, fairs, gatherings, and events might also be a great place to get to know artists and check their portfolios. You can check out the next events in your country here.
• If the inspiration for your next project came from someone you know (or from a work you saw online), ask them who the artist was and if they are satisfied with the work. It might do wonders.

2. Content

Maybe you already know what you want to tattoo. Maybe you don’t. If you don’t know yet, you will need inspiration. Databases such as Instagram are generally what come to mind first but it isn’t always the best option due to the poor quality of results.

Check these sites instead to find inspiration:

• Pinterest: Here you can find examples of almost anything. Just click on the search bar and type “tattoo” + “whatever you want”. Some examples are: “tattoo ship” “tattoo snake blackwork”, “medusa arm tattoo” or even “cute alpaca tattoos”. Pinterest is all about visual searches. Meaning that once you find what you’re looking for it will show more examples like the one you’re viewing. It also has a feature (with the symbol of a magnifying glass) that allows you to instantly find “Visually similar results”. You can use it to find more samples of what you’re looking for and, if you’re lucky, the link to the artist’s website or Instagram.
• Reddit: The best way to know what types of tattoos are currently trending is by following the right subreddits. Some examples are /r/ Tattoos, TattooDesigns, best_tattoos, or even the NSFW “Hotchickswithtattoos”, if you’re in the mood for it. If you want to know which tattoos get the most love try sorting by Top and All Time or Last Year inside popular subs.
• Tumblr: It’s the place to find the full puzzle and not just pieces. Here you can navigate through blogs and check personal stories, tattoos, and opinions.
• Google Images: It has a feature that allows you to upload a picture (or URLs) to find the same, as well as similar, content on the web. If you have a drawing or an image of what you want you might find a website of artists who do similar work by uploading it on Google Images.

By the way, if you’re interested in getting familiar with the different styles and knowing where they originate from, check out this guide about styles.

Maybe you’re looking for a particular style. Like a realistic portrait, or a sleeve in geometric blackwork. Or even a full full-back in Irezumi style. If that’s the case, the artist you choose might be more important than the design itself. Because the best tattoo artists specialize in a unique style.