Frank ColeToronto’s cultural diversity inspires a wide range of design and technique
This is the first post in a series that will feature tattoo studios located within a defined region – and today’s feature location is Toronto, Canada. In a recent study by BBC Radio, Toronto was recently crowned the most culturally diverse city in the world, with 51% of its population foreign born, and the number of nationalities represented coming in at roughly 230.
This cultural diversity extends its influence to all aspects of city life, broadening tastebuds in the vibrant dining scene, influencing the arts and music, and nurturing the fabulous ethnic neighborhoods like Chinatown, Koreatown, and Little Italy, just to name a few. It’s no surprise that Toronto’s amazing melting pot also influences tattoo design and preferences – and therefore the many choices – offered by the city’s tattoo studios.
A multitude of tattoo styles, broadly categorized into genres such as Asian Color, Asian black and grey, traditional, realism, art nouveau, geometric and dot-style are available from passionate and talented ink artists, many who have been in the business for over 20 years.
Given the sheer size of Toronto, with a population of over six million including the surrounding regions, there are a large number of tattoo studios from which to choose. The following is a sampling of shops from different parts of the city, and images of their work obtained from their respective online galleries.
Forever Young Ink (FYI), located in the art and design district on Queen Street West, features the amazing work of ten diverse artists, specializing in a variety of styles ranging from black and grey and color realism to traditional and art nouveau. Below is a sample of their work:
Chronic Inc, may be known for being the most authentic Asian tattoo shop, however their designs are much more broad than that, encompassing custom lettering, realism and other styles. Their website gallery is divided into seven style categories, which makes the picture browsing a lot more relevant if you know what you’re looking for. Here’s a peek at some of their work:
Chronic also has a gallery for small tattoos, for those that want to simply add another piece, or start small:
New Tribe Tattoos, also located on trendy Queen West, has been in the tattoo business for over 20 years, and their artists have worked on celebrity clients such as singer Avril Lavigne, rapper Kardinal Offishall, and the late Robin Williams. Each artist has posted their bio and specialty on the site, along with their portfolio. Here’s a sample of their work:
Black Line Studios, opened in 2006, operates their studio in the heart of King St West, with services including custom tattoos, air-brush tattoos, and tattoo removal. Their website features bios and portfolios of each of their four artists, one with over 25 years of experience. Here’s a sample of their work:
Another shop boasting over two decades of business is Black Engine Tattoo Company, with their new studio located in the eastern part of Toronto. Here’s a sample from their gallery:
The Okey Doke Tattoo Shop, located on Dundas Street West, currently features six artists, many of whom utilize a vibrant color palette in their designs, as seen here:
Tucked in the Church-Yonge corridor is Passage Tattoo, opened since 1994 and currently featuring the work of five artists. Here’s a sample of their work from their online gallery:
Golden Iron Tattoo Studio opened in the heart of Chinatown in 2011, with one passionate artist, and has since grown to operate a second location and has won 92 awards since 2013. Their team of artists offers an array of styles, including Oriental, Western and intricate dot styles, a sample from their gallery below:
Archive Tattoo Studio, located on Dundas Street West, just celebrated eight years in business. Designs from the four featured artists are displayed on their individual Instagram pages linked to the Archive Tattoo website. Here’s a sample of their work:
The online gallery showcasing the work of the artists at downtown’s TCB Tattoo Parlour (http://tcbtattoos.ca/home.html), features a variety of bold designs utilizing vibrant colors:
Well, we could go on and on…these are just a few of the many tattoo studios in the vibrant city of Toronto. If you’re looking for more tattoo inspiration, check out our recent posts, The Beauty of Lace Tattoos and 3D Tattoos are a Thing Now.
Stay tuned for our next feature city for tattoos coming soon!