Tattoo Life November/December 2025

Cover girl: Julia, rebellion, self-expression, and the power of transformation.

Meet Julia, this issue’s cover girl, who tells us about her relationship with tattooing that began as a need for rebellion and over time became a tool for protection, expression, and personal transformation.

Chat at the top with Robert Borbas

Robert Borbas – better known as Grindesign – returns to Tattoo Life to introduce his new book, Incubus, published by Tattoo Life. The book is a collection of five years’ work: illustrations, sketches, previously unseen pieces, and tattoo designs. It offers a visual and personal journey that highlights not only the evolution of his dark, powerful, and complex style, but also the deep connection he has with his art.

Chinese vibes with Dong Dong, where tradition meets contemporary urban rhythm.

Originally from Guangxi, a mountainous region in southern China that looks as if it were taken straight from a traditional ink painting, Dong Dong is now regarded as one of the most intriguing artists on the contemporary Chinese tattoo scene. He lives and works in Beijing, a sprawling metropolis where ancient traditions coexist with a fast-paced urban culture. It is from the balance between these two opposing worlds that Dong Dong’s artistic influences emerge.

Tattoo revolution in the Himalayas with Hobbit and his dark Nepali traditional style.

Tucked between Himalayan peaks and ancient temples, a quiet tattoo revolution is brewing, and leading the charge is a soft-spoken, fiercely driven artist known as Hobbit. He represents a new generation of Nepalese tattooers who are refusing to wait for the world’s approval. He is deeply inspired by the rich cultural heritage of Nepal, and he is developing his own interpretation of a dark Nepali traditional style.

Realistic visions by Marek Pawlik, blending contrast, colour, and creative emotion.

Polish-born tattoo artist Marek Pawlik found his voice through stunning Realistic tattoos where his use of colours and contrast took on an increasingly surprising role. His work is a fusion of both Realism and artistry. It’s definitely not Hyper-Realistic because there’s always a creative interpretation involved in every tattoo he creates.

3D lettering and bold fusions by Mystik at Harpoon and High Water, Brisbane.

He works by appointment in Brisbane, Australia, in a private studio with the imaginative and original name Harpoon and High Water. His preferred style? Lettering of a certain volume, often done in 3D technique and open to other skin art influences like Black and Grey, Tribal and Realism.

Large-scale storytelling tattoos by Sofiya Belousova at Abrakadavra Studio, UK.

Sofiya Belousova lives and works in Ipswich, United Kingdom, where she tattoos at Abrakadavra — a studio housed in a beautiful building in the heart of the city, rich with dark, mystical charm. The space fosters constant inspiration, idea exchange, and collective creativity. Today, she does exactly that through her large-scale tattoos, which allow her to deeply connect with her clients and build genuine human relationships.

Welcome to Family Art Tattoo in Barcelona

We find ourselves in the heart of Barcelona to visit Family Art Tattoo, a historic tattoo shop founded in 2011, with two active locations in the city and an international team of artists, each with a distinct visual language but all united by strong professional ethics and a genuine feeling of solidarity. With their fifteenth anniversary approaching, the group is ready to celebrate their story with us. We interviewed them to discover what it truly means to tattoo as a family.

Who’s who: The Enchanted Dolls of Polina

From Belarus to Poland, from painting to the creation of yōkai in the form of dolls: artist Polina shares her vision, shaped by dreamlike cinema, rare materials like beads and snakeskin, and ancestral spirits.

Tattoos – Stories in Ink from the Mediterranean

The images of Portoflio pages are part of the exhibition which opened last June to last for one year until June 14 2026 at Stockholm’s Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, Tattoos – Stories in Ink from the Mediterranean, tracing the cultural and historical journey of ink from ancient ritual to contemporary style.

…and much more