Specialty
Blackwork tattoos in Boston
Large scale, high contrast abstract and ornamental work in black ink — designed around your body and built to hold up as it ages. I work with clients across Greater Boston.
REF_001Ornamental forearm panel
Blackwork · Forearm to hand
Flowing solid black shapes and negative space, composed along the length of the forearm and over the hand.
REF_002Neck and upper back ornament
Blackwork · Back of neck · Upper back
A symmetrical ornamental piece that flares from the nape out across the shoulders.
REF_003Sternum banch ornament
Blackwork · Chest and sternum
A mirrored, branch-shaped composition centered on the sternum and fanned down the torso.
REF_004Blackout arm
Blackwork · Full arm
The arm taken fully to solid black — blackwork at its most absolute.
REF_005Centipede neck piece
Blackwork · Side of neck · Shoulder
A fine-lined centipede descending from behind the ear toward the shoulder.
REF_006Geometric blackwork panel
Blackwork · Forearm · Elbow
Solid black framing and intricate radial geometry composed around the elbow and forearm.
REF_007Ornamental shin piece
Blackwork · Shin · Ankle
Flowing black ornament carried from below the knee to the ankle.
REF_008Abstract sigil calf piece
Blackwork · Calf
Fine abstract symbols and sharp forms spaced across the calf.
REF_009Abstract brushwork
Blackwork · Thigh
Sweeping lines, textured black marks and fine arcs arranged across the thigh.
REF_010Abstract shoulder composition
Blackwork · Shoulder blade
Curved brushwork and fine graphic marks shaped to the shoulder blade.
REF_011Blackout sleeve
Blackwork · Full arm
A full sleeve carried in uninterrupted solid black from shoulder to wrist.
REF_012Ornamental forearm and hand
Blackwork · Forearm · Hand
A high-contrast ornamental panel tapering from the forearm onto the hand.
REF_013Abstract brushwork forearm piece
Blackwork · Forearm · Elbow
Sweeping curves, textured marks and fine arcs composed around the elbow and forearm.
REF_014Compass star with geometric arm panel
Blackwork · Shoulder and upper arm
A sketched compass star sitting above sweeping geometric bands and textured pattern work across the upper arm.
REF_015Flowering leg piece
Blackwork · Full leg
Peonies and climbing branches running the full length of the leg, from thigh to ankle, shaded in soft black-and-grey.
Method
How I approach it
Blackwork lives or dies on composition. Before anything gets drawn I look at the area itself — how it moves, where the light falls, what's already tattooed there — and then plan shapes that answer those things.
Solid black carries weight, so placement matters more than detail. I'd rather commit to fewer, stronger shapes with real negative space than crowd an area and lose the read from across a room.
Much of my strongest blackwork is designed directly on the body. Stencils get used where precision demands it, and freehand where the flow matters more.
Suited to
Projects and placements
Sleeves and half sleeves, back pieces, chest and sternum, thigh and shin panels, ribs and hips — anywhere with enough room for a composition to breathe.
Blackwork also works well as connective tissue: filling and binding a collection of existing tattoos into something that reads as one piece.
Larger projects are usually planned across more than one session. How many depends entirely on the design and placement, so we agree that together before we start.
Questions
Common questions
- What counts as blackwork?
- I use blackwork as an umbrella term for tattooing done in black ink — large scale abstract and ornamental designs, deconstructed high contrast pieces, and solid graphic shapes. It can be entirely abstract or built around a subject.
- Do you design it on the body?
- Often, yes. For larger blackwork I like to draw or map directly on the skin so the composition follows your anatomy instead of being dropped on as a flat sticker.
- Can blackwork be built around tattoos I already have?
- Yes. Existing work changes the layout, so send photos of the area with your inquiry and I'll plan the composition around what's already there.
- How much does a blackwork piece cost?
- Rates are $200 / hour and $1,200 / full day. After we've talked through the idea I'll recommend the appointment format and give you an estimate based on the design, size, placement and complexity.
Also see fineline tattoos and my approach.
Start a blackwork project
Tell me the idea, the placement and roughly how much room you have. I'll come back with a direction, a format and an estimate.