We asked the co-owner of ‘Greyhound Tattoo’ in Essen what it was like to create a collage of his works for the first page of the 2027 ‘German Tattoo Artists Yearbook’.
Cedric, let’s start with the fact that a collage of your tattoos ended up on the cover of the 2027 edition of the ‘German Tattoo Artists Yearbook’ produced by Tattoo Life. How did you react to the proposal? I was super stoked to do the cover of the German Yearbook 2027. What an honor! It’s even more special these days where print media is getting rare.
German Tattoo Artists Yearbook 2027
With over 1,500 tattoos in every style, it offers countless ideas for those seeking inspiration for a new tattoo, providing precise references to studios and artists throughout Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland.Have fun browsing through the new yearbook and enjoy planning your next tattoo!
Among the subjects you chose for the cover, a particularly bloodthirsty-looking bat really caught my eye – especially the way you rendered it head-on, giving it even more impact. Is it just a sketch, or have you actually tattooed it on someone? Actually I used to hate bat designs. Cause they’re hard to do in a cool way. So it took me a while to create that version of a bat and now it is one of the designs that I’m known for.
And yes I did a lot of those bats on people. Now I really like that design.
Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you been tattooing professionally, and when did Traditional and Neo-Traditional become the styles clients come to you for most? I started in 2014 in a small street shop. Back then I was already inspired by Traditional and also Neo-Traditionaland from the very beginning I actually started to do the stuff that I do right now.
Sure a bit different but it wasn’t a huge difference in the style in general.
I started out more as a Neo-Traditional artist, and over time my work became more and more Traditional. Today it still has a “neo” twist to it.
You’ve mastered those crisp, clean lines, pairing them with beautifully saturated colors and a very bold use of black. Is it pure talent, or did you spend years honing your technique? I guess it’s always a bit of both but it’s also about learning from your mistakes. Over the years I figured out what makes a design strong and long-lasting. But sure in the end it all comes down to spending many years trying to get better and better.
Tell me about your own studio, ‘Greyhound Tattoo’ (IG: @greyhound.tattoo) in Essen. How much has it grown over the years? Me and Pete Görlitz (IG: @pete.goerlitz) opened our shop in 2016. and we’re still running it together. We started out as an open street shop and during Covid we ended up to a private shop.
Over the years we’ve had a couple of people working with us but we found out it works better as a small crew. Now there are three of us working at ‘Greyhound Tattoo’ (IG: @greyhound.tattoo) plus guest artists from time to time. Beside of that, I’m pretty sure the name has become well known as a place where you can get fine Traditional tattoos.
I noticed that you’ve opened your bookings from November 2026 through February 2027. Will you be working primarily in ‘Greyhound Tattoo’ in Essen during that time, with your participation in tattoo conventions scheduled for March 2027 onwards? I did a couple conventions this year like Paris and Frankfurt (‘Gods of Ink’ IG: @godsofinktattooconvention) for example and I am pretty sure I’ll do the ‘Gods of Ink’ next year too. Over the winter, though, I’ll be staying at my shop and just doing a short guest spot in Munich in December. I’ll try to do more tattoo conventions and guest spots in the upcoming year.
Last question – Why is Traditional such a beloved and revered style among enthusiasts, even in 2026… and beyond? I believe this is how tattoos are supposed to look. That goes for all kinds of Traditional tattoos, from Western Traditional all the way to Japanese Traditional. I personally love the classic look. It never goes out of style cause it’s been around for so many years.
