Since Instagram’s inception over six years ago, the photo sharing app has operated as a unique digital space for artists to connect with followers and share their work with a new audience. Tattooers in general, and New England tattooers in particular, can cultivate an entire career via a sizable Instagram following. A casual Instagram search of the hashtag “blackworker” yields nearly one million photo results, and that’s just one style. For a long time, Instagram was one of the few digital spaces where you could hear the familiar buzz of the tattoo gun in a 15-second video, then immediately see the shiny, sometimes bloody, always high-def result.

New England is home to many tattoo artists inking in all styles across the region. With so many artists and shop accounts featuring a wide range of styles and varying levels of quality, it can be very hard to navigate this world of Insta-tattooers. So we decided to do the work for you. We’re sure you already follow Noel’le Longhaul on Instagram. Here are a few other accounts of people doing similar work, spookier pieces and other tats that are just way out there.

Massachusetts Tattoo Artists

Hannah Medeiros
Brilliance Tattoo
Boston, Massachusetts

Met a fellow Buffy and My Favorite Murder fan today, thanks again Rachel! #bostontattoo #brilliancetattoo #darkartists #ladytattooers #blackwork #blackworker #blackworktattoo #blackworkers_tattoo #btattooing #blacktattooart #blackclawneedle

A post shared by Hannah Medeiros (@hannah_brilliance) on Mar 31, 2017 at 10:02am PDT

For someone who claims to be a “first year tattoo maker,” Medeiros has an exceedingly detailed and diverse set of tattoos in her feed, featuring all sorts of styles and subjects. In addition, she’s posted nearly 1,300 times (mostly tattoos) and has earned over 3,700 followers. Like a lot of artists on this list, her tats are mostly comprised of black linework and shading, though some pieces on her feed feature a skillful dash of color.

Ryan & Matthew Murray
Black Veil Tattoo
Salem, Massachusetts

come and visit the three of us @mattwmurray @ryanmrray @thaholygoat while we are here during the @bostontattoocon ??

A post shared by Ryan & Matthew Murray (@blackveiltattoo) on Mar 24, 2017 at 1:49pm PDT

Certainly the spookiest accounts on the list, identical twins Ryan and Matthew Murray’s tattoo aesthetic truly reflects the haunting history of the town they call home. The brothers’ similar styles range from photorealistic to neo-traditional, with tattoos that include everything from a horrifyingly detailed portrait of Stephen King’s “It” clown, to three-eyed, dot-worked cat heads adorning broomsticks.

Emi Lynn Holler
Charon Art Visionary Tattoo
Turners Falls, Massachusetts

Overgrown New England Swamp for Sarah. Thanks! While working, I listened to Going By, by @toldslant_lili_lifestyle and thought of summer. . . . . . . . #landscapetattoo #swamptattoo #qttr #blacktattoomag #blxkink #emilynnholler #qttr #btattooing #mountaintattoo

A post shared by Emi Lynn Holler (@emi.lynn.holler) on Nov 27, 2016 at 5:43pm PST

Working with their pal Noel’le Longhaul, Holler offers clients blackwork flash tats and one-of-a-kind pieces that are usually the product of a collaborative process. Holler works closely with clients to dream up a design based on extensive conversation, naturalistic images and other motifs from their portfolio. Head to Holler for one of her unique disembodied hands or your own version of an overgrown New England swamp.

Maine Tattoo Artists

Watsun Atkinsun
Portland, Maine

A post shared by (aka) SKRY (@watsunatkinsun) on Mar 24, 2017 at 11:20am PDT

Abandoning a stationary position at a tattoo shop for “an organic new era of guest spots, traveling, conventions, and private events,” Watsun Atkinsun creates blackwork pieces featuring mystical geometric patterns, cuneiform, and the occasional animal/insect illustration. Follow Atkinsun’s feed for world travel updates and only contact him for a tattoo appointment if you’re truly “in need of an illuminated transformation.”

Vermont Tattoo Artists

Hilary Glass
Aartistic Inc.
Montpelier, Vermont

Dreamy tattoo project with Shaun tan artwork from his book the red tree. thanks so much @bruin_trouble <3!! #vermonttattooers #lineworktattoos #qttr

A post shared by Hilary Glass (@hilaryannlovetattoos) on Feb 7, 2017 at 7:18pm PST

Instagram provides followers the unique opportunity to track an artist as they move from up-and-coming, to fully established. Glass is a great example of that phenomena in motion. Though she has the smallest number of posts on the list, she touts a strong feed full of detailed animal portraits, linework renderings of natural forms, and amazing doggo portraits. You’ll want to follow her now and book while you can!

Rhode Island Tattoo Artists

Ron Wells
The Torchbearer
Providence, Rhode Island

Weirdy spider head haunter from last week. I won't be tattooing for about the next month while I'm recovering from the surgery, so I'm taking appointments into October. If you'd like to get a tattoo please send an email to RHWellstattoo@gmail.com thanks for looking. #spinalfusion #physicaltherapyisbrutal #blackclaw #waverlycolorco #thetorchbearer #vicodin #ronwells #ronwellstattoo

A post shared by Ron Henry Wells (@the_hyena) on Sep 8, 2016 at 4:40pm PDT

This self-proclaimed “regret applicator” (personally, I only regret three of my tattoos) is the most Insta Famous of the group and rightfully so: his style is wily and varied while still remaining precise and clean. Sad skulls, neo-traditional wolf heads, ominous medieval weaponry, and familiar pop culture icons like Darth Vader litter his feed and truly showcase the artist’s range and depth.

Amanda Kryla
Black Heart Mysticism Tattoo
Coventry, Rhode Island

How brutal tattoos look in the halfway phase ? #traditional #bobsburgers #lindabelcher #roses #tattoos #tattooartist #rhodeisland #cartoon #girlswithink #inked #oldschool #rotary

A post shared by Amanda Kryla (@amanda_black_heart) on Apr 24, 2016 at 5:49am PDT

Krya is another artist on the list whose feed showcases a broad range of styles and subjects; Megaman done in 16-bit style, a realistic portrait of Severus Snape, and a simple depiction of a palm tree are just a few examples of her breadth.

New Hampshire Tattoo Artists

TJ Schunemann
Underworld Tattoo Co.
Salem, New Hampshire

Beetlejuice! Thanks @billy_the__kidd you're the man! @underworldtattoocompany #underworldtattoocompany

A post shared by TJ Schunemann (@thomasj_ink) on Mar 11, 2017 at 4:43pm PST

Schunemann has the most consistently realistic style of the bunch and comes in with the second-most followers on the list (25,600 followers ain’t so bad, right?). If photo-perfect flowers and deep woods scenescapes aren’t inspiration enough, Schunemann also posts pictures of his gorgeous hairless & Persian kitties.

Lauren Sleeper
Five Sirens Tattoo and Gallery
Dover, New Hampshire

Such a rad tattoo today on my last Sunday! Thanks jim! ! #pelican #pelicantattoo #chesttattoo #chestpiece #tattooartist #femaletattooartist #tattoo #finelinetattoo #stippletattoo #etchingtattoo #vintagetattoo #illustration #illustrator #art #artist #instaart #laurensleeper #sleeperhollow #fivesirens #blackworktattoo #blackworkerssubmission #btattooing #ladytattooers #kingpintattoosupply

A post shared by www.five-sirens.com (@lauren_sleeper) on Feb 26, 2017 at 5:24pm PST

This Rhode Island School of Design grad-turned-New Hampshire tattooer and gallerist crafts some of the tiniest and most colorful pieces of all the artists on this list. She will tattoo everything from a Jason Mask to a tea cup.

Connecticut Tattoo Artists

Brandon Stolicny
Flying Tiger Tattoos
New Britain, Connecticut

Drank that Jesus juice today #religioustattoo #jesus #jesustattoo ##traditionalworkers #traditionaltattoo #boldwillhold #tattoo #tattoolife #tattooartist #tradworkers_tattoo #blacktattoo #spitshade #jesuschrist #jesusjuice

A post shared by Brandon Stolicny (@itallwentblack) on Mar 11, 2016 at 4:00pm PST

Stolicny rounds out our list as the straight-up trad tattooer. Need a rose with a dagger through it? How about a scowling panther or a perched Bald Eagle? Stolicny feed will satisfy your craving for those traditional deep reds and other dark tones.

Top photo –  tattoos by Ryan Murray (left), TJ Schunemann (right) | Photos courtesy the artists’ Instagram

The post 10 New England Tattooers You Need to Follow on Instagram appeared first on Take Magazine.

I arrived at Charon Visionary Art and Tattoo, overlooking Avenue A in Turners Falls Massachusetts, with some cash and no idea what I wanted tattooed on my body (perhaps something on my chest?). Most folks would be nervous…and I certainly was. However, the moment I saw Noel’le Longhaul emerge from their curtained portion of the studio, I knew it’d be a brilliant experience.

Noel’le is a rare combination of nuanced visual artist, revelatory musician, outspoken LGBTQA* advocate, and brilliant tattooer, with a genuinely compassionate personhood and physical presence which can only be described as transcendent. At 25, Noel’le has accomplished and experienced so much, which is undoubtedly present in their tattoos and process, “…a lot of the times [the tattoos] reflect a complicated experience of fraught or difficult femininity that I engage with. They reflect my political standpoint in terms of being pieces that talk about the non-hierarchical organization of organic chaos…they also reflect the landscapes that I grew up in, and have chosen to remain in.”

Photo courtesy Noel’le’s Instagram page

Anyone tattooed in the past five decades knows how a usual session works. There’s some sort of initial consultation, the artists designs the piece, or okays a piece brought in by a client, stencils the work on the customer, then blasts the design onto their body. It’s a cordial, enjoyable and efficient process that I’ve been a part of many times. Since Noel’le did not start tattooing under the supervision of a mentor, essentially developing their skills in a vacuum, her process is much different, “Ultimately, tattooing was, for me, a ritualized process of support for people that I cared about…my body, and what I could do with my body in terms of being in service to their experience…”

Noel’le typically begins with an extended conversation about what you’re looking for, generally, during your tattooing experience. This conversation ranges from psycho-spiritual to purely aesthetic, while Noel’le intently listens and sketches throughout.  Want to build an image based on a personal narrative? Have a vague childhood memory that’s manifested itself as a set of complex motifs throughout your life? Perhaps you have a picture of some cool floral wallpaper from your grandparent’s house – tell or show Noel’le and they’ll accommodate, internalizing your viewpoints while lending their specific blend of surrealism, realism, and expert touch to the design.

Photo courtesy Noel’le’s Instagram page. Pictured, Cozette Lehman

“The conversation aspect of my process is ultimately about finding places where we actually mesh with each other…the tattoos themselves are archives of the process of finding the overlaps and the dissolves of the experiences of the people I’m working with.” After this conversation and several drafts, they draw up a final image, then sculpt a sketch of that final image onto your body. The rest of the session is freehand, based solely on the skin sketches and the final drawing made earlier in the conversation.

What makes their process unique for me, is that it’s inherently more collaborative and empathetic relative to my past experiences. Philosophically speaking, all tattooing is collaborative, unless you’re taking the stick-n-poke needle to yourself or turning the gun on your own leg. Essentially, a tattooing experience with Noel’le is notably collaborative since it’s a design created through thoughtful interaction over hours of intense engagement.

Photo courtesy Noel’le’s Instagram page.

After surveying Noel’le’s portfolio, it’s easy to identify certain themes and visual motifs such as the deep woods, smallness, negative space, and weathered body parts. Since Noel’le’s own humanity and perspective is such a central part of the design process, they can’t help but interject these themes. In addition, to some extent, these themes are partially a product of re-occurring aesthetic requests made by people who choose to tattoo with them, “I think I have one series of visual images, a visual cannon that people identify with to varying degrees. Some people say ‘I just want a landscape like how you make landscapes.’ And other people who need something way more nuanced and strange than that.” The artful accomplishment of the visual language that Noel’le has developed over time, coupled with her uniquely democratic and empathetic process leads to a full calendar of bookings. In fact, I waited nearly eight months to see them.

What’s important about Noel’le’s work, apart from the skillful renderings of ideas and physical objects into eternal bodily signposts, is her existence within the work. In addition, their process is inherently inclusive. People come to Noel’le Longhaul because they want their body to fuse with her rare artistic presence while having their perspectives included and respected. After two hours of conversation, and three hours of nearly continuous tattooing, I was lucky enough to be forever marked by an experience with them.

Got a nicer picture of this piece for @iambeyon. ♡♡♡ #loone #brighthollowtattooing #laughingloone #noellelonghaul #queerwitch #darkart #darkartists #blxckink #btattooing #qttr #transartist #blackworkerssubmission #inkstinctsubmission

A post shared by Noel'le Longhaul (@laughingloone) on Mar 14, 2016 at 4:01pm PDT

Noel’le Longhaul tattoos by appointment at Charon Art Visionary Tattoo in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. They also perform with western Massachusetts-based bands Loone, Mallory, and paper bee. Be on the look-out for a soon-to-be-published book of Noel’le’s writings, art and tattoos from Silver Sprocket Bicycle Club.  

Top photo by Nick Berger

The post Comfort & Discomfort appeared first on Take Magazine.