From the old schoolers to the future, these tattooers don't need color to show their skills.
Outside of American traditional tattoos, black and gray is one of the most common styles of tattooing you'll see today. Its level of detail and soft shading can bring out a level of art that used to be reserved for only the finest museums, bringing the style out of California penitentiaries and into the eyes of millions.
Like any other style, some artists are lightyears ahead of others, so we went ahead and rounded up our top 8 black and gray tattoo artists for you.
Carlos Torres
If you're going to talk about the top guys in the world right now, you have to include Carlos Torres. Aside from creating amazing artistic work, Torres has also helped redefine and repopularize black and gray tattooing as a genre by adding a level of depth and fine art that was rarely seen before. As an accomplished painter in addition to tattooing, many young tattooers already look up to the skilled artist, and there's no reason to think he won't be viewed as an icon for decades to come.
Jack Rudy
While there are still some conflicting stories about the exact moment that black and gray tattooing broke into the mainstream, Jack Rudy is one of the handful of living tattoo artists who was there for it. He's kept the legacy alive at Good Time Charlie's Tattooland in Anaheim, and his work is still among the most sought-after and distinguishable in all of California. Rudy is as much of a legend as anyone in the tattoo world these days, and he's not afraid to speak his mind and drop some knowledge on just about any and every topic. Go to him for a tattoo, but stay for the hours of stories that you can't hear anywhere else.
Paul Booth
When it comes to dark and scary tattooing, no one compares to Paul Booth. The NYC-based artist has been creating incredible nightmare-inducing tattoos for decades and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Even if you're not lucky enough to get a tattoo from the man himself, stopping into his Last Rites Tattoo Theatre next time you're in New York is a must for the artwork and ambiance alone.
Freddy Negrete
In most people's eyes, Freddy Negrete is the person most responsible for popularizing black and gray tattooing in the first place. But while many old school artists struggle to keep up with everything that today's best tattooers are doing, Negrete continues to learn new techniques and skills to stay as relevant as ever. Four decades into the game, Negrete remains one of the best in the business and is a major part of one of LA's most famous tattoo shops, Shamrock Social Club.
Steve Soto
As one of the biggest names in tattooing, Steve Soto can pretty much go anywhere in the world and fill his schedule in any tattoo shop for as long as he wants. Soto brings unmistakeable qualities to his work and truly channels the spirit of the Chicano streets of which the tattoo style came from. Whether you need a portrait, some classic Chicano imagery, or something just a little surreal, Soto is a go-to for tattoo collectors around the world.
Bob Tyrrell
Who's the rock 'n' roll icon of black and gray tattooing? That honor goes to Detroit's Bob Tyrrell. The longtime master of the art form knocks out some of the best realism and surrealism out there, and he'll regale you of tales of all of your favorite rock stars while he does it. Tyrrell doesn't just do amazing portraits, skulls, monsters and everything else, but he's also widely known as being one of the nicest guys in the industry as well.
Josh Duffy
The Phoenix-based tattooer has one of the smoothest hands in all of tattooing. Duffy owns and operates Arizona's Black Castle Art Co. and nails the multi-layered shading and design as well as anyone tattooing today. From the most innocent women and clocks to the most demonic skulls and creatures, Duffy's a world-class tattoo artist and perfect for large-scale work. It's worth the trip into the desert just to get tattooed at his shop.
Franco Vescovi
While most tattoo shops look and feel fairly similar, Franco Vescovi's Vatican Studios location is unlike anything you've ever seen before. The veteran tattoo artist and painter's studio feels more like a fine art gallery (or a church, even) than a tattoo shop, and his work certainly looks more like it belongs on a canvas or wall somewhere rather than skin. It's not much of a surprise, considering Vescovi's frequent collaboration and commissions for his clients and friends like Travis Barker and Yelawolf, but Vescovi's artwork continues to blow away the competition particularly on classical and religious designs.
