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blackwork tattoo artists in los angeles

bold, high-contrast, all-black designs — from heavy ornamental patterns to graphic illustrative pieces. blackwork makes a statement and holds up over time.

41 blackwork artists on goodwork · real prices · book the one you want

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blackwork tattoo by sandra price in los angeles

sandra price

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blackwork tattoo by melanie benoit in los angeles

melanie benoit

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stippled blackwork portrait of a veiled woman encircled by sprigs of small flowers on the upper arm — by level tattoo, los angeles

level tattoo

A veiled woman in fine stipple shading, wrapped in a winding vine of small blackwork flowers on the upper arm.

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blackwork crow drinking from a stemmed glass with thorns and dotwork accents, inner forearm — by Jian Liang, los angeles

jian liang

A crow dips into a stemmed glass among thorny branches, framed by dotwork texture and sweeping brushstroke blackwork on the forearm.

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blackwork tattoo by otaybeatdown in los angeles

otaybeatdown

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japanese hannya mask with horns, fangs and piercing green eyes in black and grey on the calf — by shelby bianco, los angeles

shelby bianco

A snarling Hannya mask in smooth black and grey shading, its green eyes adding a sharp hit of color on the calf.

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sketch-style blackwork cat with extra eyes and long spider legs on the back of the arm — by vince espinoza, los angeles

vince espinoza

A surreal multi-eyed cat with long spider legs, drawn in fine sketch-style blackwork on the back of the upper arm.

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two fighting roosters mid-air with scattered feathers, fine black linework on the calf — by Dylan Aiello, los angeles

dylan aiello

Two roosters clash mid-air with feathers flying, drawn in fine black linework with delicate shading on the calf.

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blackwork tattoo by josue bravo in los angeles

josue bravo

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geometric blackwork sun tattoo with radiating blades wrapping around the elbow — by brian kies, los angeles

brian kies

A geometric blackwork sun with layered radiating blades wrapping evenly around the elbow.

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blackwork tattoo by zealous in los angeles

zealous

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bold black script lettering across the upper back with smooth shaded highlights — by johnny ayala, los angeles

johnny ayala

Large-scale script lettering spanning the upper back, with heavy black fill and smooth shading that gives the letters real dimension.

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black and grey stiletto heel and tattered corset tattoos on the upper arm — by Samantha Wilks, los angeles

samantha wilks

A stiletto heel paired with a tattered lace-up corset, both rendered in soft black and grey shading on the upper arm.

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minimalist blackwork tattoo of three ants marching across the back of the leg — by hannah, los angeles

hannah

Three bold black ants march in a line across the back of the leg just above the knee.

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blackwork tattoo by humilde tattoos in los angeles

humilde tattoos

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blackwork tattoo of a woman's eyes in two comic-style panels on an upper arm — by nj tattooz, los angeles

nj tattooz

A woman's eyes rendered across two comic-panel frames, with crisp lashes, a beauty mark and solid black fills.

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abstract blackwork chest tattoo of layered metallic thorns and spikes around a swirling red-orange core — by tyler_whitlock, los angeles

tyler_whitlock

Layered metallic spikes and thorns wrap around a molten red-orange center in this abstract chest piece.

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blackwork tattoo by emily in los angeles

emily

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blackwork portrait of a woman with butterfly wings veiling her eyes, near the elbow — by lunayflorestattoo, los angeles

lunayflorestattoo

A woman's portrait merged with a butterfly, its softly shaded wings veiling her eyes just above the elbow.

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surreal black and grey skull with cracks, a dark insect and smoky shading on the upper arm — by ashynucklestattoo, los angeles

ashynucklestattoo

A cracked skull dissolves into smoke as a dark insect emerges, with a tiny figure below — moody, painterly black and grey on the shoulder.

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horned black cat with red eyes and red pentagram, occult sigils on each finger, hand tattoo — by anoetic.designs.ultd, los angeles

anoetic.designs.ultd

A snarling horned cat with glowing red eyes and a red pentagram covers the hand, with fine occult sigils running down each finger.

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blackwork tattoo by dretty in los angeles

dretty

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traditional black and grey swallow and rose tattoo with whip-shaded leaves on an upper arm — by megan rose, los angeles

megan rose

A traditional swallow banks over a full-bloom rose, all in black and grey with crisp linework and soft whip shading.

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blackwork tattoo by zitronxus in los angeles

zitronxus

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geometric blackwork mandala with dotwork shading on the inner upper arm — by travis ross, los angeles

travis ross

Geometric blackwork mandala on the inner upper arm, built from repeating petal shapes and soft dotwork shading.

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dotwork paw print with the name buster in bold script lettering on the calf — by mr._folks, los angeles

mr._folks

A stippled paw print paired with the name Buster in bold, shaded script sweeping across the calf.

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blackwork botanical calf piece with a succulent, layered bloom and mushrooms — by edgar armas rodriguez, los angeles

edgar armas rodriguez

Blackwork botanical on the calf pairing spiky succulent leaves and a layered bloom with a cluster of mushrooms below.

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black and white studio shot of blackwork linework in progress with a sphynx cat looking on — by tag devilish, los angeles

tag devilish

Tag Devilish at work on a blackwork linework piece while the studio's sphynx cat keeps a close watch.

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blackwork tattoo by velvet devil in los angeles

velvet devil

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cartoon gangster in a bowler hat firing a revolver with a bang burst and smoke cloud, shin tattoo — by Engram, los angeles

engram

A cartoon gangster character in a bowler hat fires a revolver, complete with a bang burst and billowing smoke cloud on the shin.

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ornamental blackwork owl with carved geometric patterning on the forearm — by imindisoul, los angeles

imindisoul

An owl rendered like carved stone, built from layered ornamental patterns and dense stipple shading down the forearm.

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black dog paw print with a small heart and fine-script name on the calf — by nik lucas, los angeles

nik lucas

A dog's paw print in solid black on the calf, with a tiny heart in the top pad and the pet's name in fine script curving alongside.

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fine line anatomical heart in a dotted circle with gps coordinates on the inner forearm — by inkedby_g, los angeles

inkedby_g

A finely shaded anatomical heart sits inside a dotted circle, marked with GPS coordinates along a single vertical line on the forearm.

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bold ornate blackwork lettering covering the forearm — by Eddie Rodriguez, los angeles

eddie rodriguez

Large-scale ornate lettering runs the length of the forearm in heavy blackwork, with crisp edges and solid black fills.

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two flowing brushstroke birds with trailing tail feathers and a star ornament along the spine — by rae kaku, los angeles

rae kaku

Two wispy brushstroke birds with long trailing tails frame a small star ornament, cascading down the spine.

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black and grey ornamental dagger tattoo with fairy wings and filigree hilt on the upper back — by dead pretty tattoos, los angeles

dead pretty tattoos

An ornate dagger with a filigree hilt flanked by whip-shaded fairy wings, centered on the upper back.

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blackwork dark art tattoo of a xenomorph-style alien creature looming over skulls — by garrick {gman} lee, los angeles

garrick {gman} lee

Dark-art blackwork of a xenomorph-inspired alien reaching over a pile of skulls, built on dense blacks and gritty texture.

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blackwork skeleton reaper in a wide-brimmed hat carrying a scythe on the upper arm — by kadriya truvillion, los angeles

kadriya truvillion

A skeleton reaper in a wide-brimmed hat shoulders its scythe, drawn in bold illustrative blackwork on the upper arm.

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blackwork tattoo by christopher diaz in los angeles

christopher diaz

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blackwork tattoo by gloria.shi.ink in los angeles

gloria.shi.ink

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shaded blackwork cartoon of a stitched-up dog inspired by frankenweenie — by seleina, los angeles

seleina

An illustrative take on Frankenweenie's stitched-up dog, with soft grey shading and clean cartoon linework.

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about blackwork tattooing in los angeles

blackwork is defined by what it leaves out: no color, no grey wash — just solid, saturated black against bare skin. that constraint is the whole appeal. the style spans heavy patterning, bold graphic illustration, etched linework with dense hatching, negative-space designs where the skin itself does the drawing, and at the far end, large blackout work. it reads clearly from across a room in a way softer approaches don't.

the craft question in blackwork is saturation. large areas of flat black are genuinely difficult to lay in evenly, and patchy black is the most common way this style goes wrong — it shows up months later, once everything has healed and settled, not on the day. so look for healed photos of big black areas rather than fresh ones, where the ink is still sitting wet and uniform. it's also worth knowing that heavy black is harder to cover or lighten later than lighter work, which makes the design decision more permanent than usual.

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guides worth reading

best blackwork tattoo artists in los angeleshow much tattoos cost in latattoo styles explainedquestions to ask before booking

booking a blackwork tattoo in LA

how do i book a blackwork artist on goodwork?

browse the blackwork artists above, open a profile to see their full portfolio and pricing, then send a booking request with your idea, placement and size.

how much does a blackwork tattoo cost in los angeles?

every artist on goodwork shows upfront pricing — deposits and minimums included — so you see the real cost before you reach out.

are these artists vetted?

yes — every artist on goodwork is reviewed before going live. real portfolios, real work, real people.

find your blackwork artist.

see their work, see their pricing, book the one you want.

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