NOIRINK
Tattoo artist working on a client's forearm in a dark studio
NOIR INK

Contemporary tattoo art / Est. 2014

Ink isa form ofmemory.

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01 / The studio

We don't follow
the skin.
We follow the story.

Every piece begins as a conversation, not a catalogue. We design around the individual — their proportions, their history, the way they carry themselves — and then we commit to the drawing.
Six artists, one room, no walk-in volume. We take fewer clients so each piece gets the hours it needs.
Inside the studio
Interior of the Noir Ink studio: concrete walls, black steel and warm low light
Tattoo machine, needles and ink on a steel tray
Est.
2014
Artists
Six
Sessions a day
Four
Touch-up
Included
02Selected work

A record of hours.

Pieces from the last two years, photographed in the studio the day they were finished.
Blackwork tattoo by Maya Kane
BlackworkMaya KaneView work
Japanese tattoo by Noah Vale
JapaneseNoah ValeView work
Fine Line tattoo by Elena Rose
Fine LineElena RoseView work
Realism tattoo by Jonas Reed
RealismJonas ReedView work
Ornamental tattoo by Maya Kane
OrnamentalMaya KaneView work
Neo Traditional tattoo by Aria Voss
Neo TraditionalAria VossView work
Lettering tattoo by Leon Black
LetteringLeon BlackView work
Abstract tattoo by Leon Black
AbstractLeon BlackView work
03Styles

Find your language.

Eight directions we work in. Most pieces end up somewhere between two of them.
Blackwork tattoo

Blackwork

01

Solid black, negative space, weight and silence.

Japanese tattoo

Japanese

02

Traditional structure, wind and water, built to last a lifetime.

Fine Line tattoo

Fine Line

03

Single needle, quiet detail, drawn close to the skin.

Realism tattoo

Realism

04

Black and grey depth — light studied before it is tattooed.

Ornamental tattoo

Ornamental

05

Pattern mapped to the body rather than placed on it.

Neo Traditional tattoo

Neo Traditional

06

Bold line, muted palette, illustrative confidence.

Lettering tattoo

Lettering

07

Letterforms drawn by hand, spaced for the body.

Abstract tattoo

Abstract

08

Brush, gesture, accident — controlled on purpose.

04Artists

The hands behind the ink.

Six resident artists. Each keeps their own book, their own waiting list, and their own way of working.
Portrait of Maya Kane, tattoo artist

Maya Kane

Blackwork / Ornamental

Berlin

Founded the studio in 2014. Draws large ornamental work directly on the body before a needle ever touches skin.

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Portrait of Noah Vale, tattoo artist

Noah Vale

Japanese / Traditional

Berlin

Twelve years spent on structure: wind bars, water, seasonal composition. Works almost exclusively in full sleeves and backpieces.

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Portrait of Elena Rose, tattoo artist

Elena Rose

Fine Line / Botanical

Berlin / Lisbon

Single-needle work with a botanist's patience. Draws from pressed flowers and old field guides.

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Portrait of Jonas Reed, tattoo artist

Jonas Reed

Realism / Black & Grey

Berlin

Studies photographs for weeks before drawing. Believes a portrait is finished when it stops looking like a tattoo.

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Portrait of Aria Voss, tattoo artist

Aria Voss

Neo Traditional

Berlin / Copenhagen

Bold outline, restrained palette, animals drawn with character rather than decoration.

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Portrait of Leon Black, tattoo artist

Leon Black

Lettering / Abstract

Berlin

Hand-letters every piece. Spends as long on spacing as on the letters themselves.

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Maya Kane drawing a tattoo design under a single warm lamp
Artist spotlight

Maya Kane

Blackwork / Ornamental
Maya opened Noir Ink in 2014 after eight years between Berlin and Osaka. She draws ornamental work freehand on the body, following muscle and bone rather than a flat template — which is why her pieces still read cleanly a decade later.
View Maya's work
05Process

From idea to healed skin.

Five steps, no surprises. The same for a palm-sized piece and a full backpiece.
01

Consultation

We sit down — in the studio or on a call — and talk about placement, scale, and what the piece is actually for.

02

Concept

Your artist builds a direction: references, composition, the amount of black. Nothing is drawn before this is agreed.

03

Design

The drawing is made for your body, not for a catalogue. Adjustments happen on the stencil, on the day.

04

Tattoo

One session or several. Sterile, unhurried, with breaks whenever you need them.

05

Heal

Written aftercare, a check-in at two weeks, and a free touch-up within the first year.

06Journal

Notes from the room.

Writing about process, healing and the decisions behind a piece.
The Art of Blackwork
March 20266 min

The Art of Blackwork

Why the strongest tattoos are often the ones with the least information — and how negative space carries a design for thirty years.

How to Choose Your Tattoo Style
February 20268 min

How to Choose Your Tattoo Style

A practical guide to narrowing an idea down: reference, placement, and the difference between an image you like and an image you can wear.

Read the journal