Featured image: Lacy Dawn at Day One Tattoo.
Do you spend hours researching fine line tattoo artists on Instagram and Pinterest, and drool over the dainty designs by New York’s renowned tattooist Dr. Woo? Well you don’t have to travel all the way to the Big Apple to get the fine line look.
Here are our top ten tattoo artists in Adelaide who specialise in all things black and white, and fine line.
James Cooper | Day One Tattoo
James Cooper is the owner of Day One Tattoo, and has over a decade of experience in fine line, script, floral tattoos and tiny tats. Day One is a calming studio, decked out with greenery, timber accents, and private tattooing pods.
Instagram: @james.dayonetattoo
Location: 175 Hutt Street, Adelaide 5000.
James Smith | Ink Haus Creative Studios
James has a stunning black and white portfolio, from basic script tats to more intricate replicas of historical paintings. Ink Haus Creative Studios’ team can do everything from realism, black & grey, portrait, watercolour, and more. They also offer in-house tattoo removal services.
Instagram: @jamessmithtattoo
Location: 5/19 North Terrace, Hackney, Adelaide 5069.
Josh Darkly | Sure Thing Tattoo
Formerly from Paper Moon Tattoo Collective, Josh Darkly specialises in fine line dot work, and absolutely adores doing pet portraits. Sure Thing Tattoo is a brand new studio that opened in August 2021.
Instagram: @joshdarkly
Location: 4 Frederick Street, Richmond SA 5033.
Carla Evelyn | Paper Moon Tattoo Collective
Carla specialises in linework, colour and custom work, as well as cover ups and reworking. Carla is the co-owner of Paper Moon Tattoo Collective, alongside watercolour specialist, Jess Hannigan. Carla is also a graphic designer for Punky Pins (enamel pin collections).
Instagram: @allireallydoistattoo
Location: 96 Goodwood Road, Goodwood SA 5034.
Kayla Jayne | The Grim Raptor
Kayla’s Instagram page is filled with florals, portraits, and tarot card tats. She predominantly does black and white, but also mixes some pops of colour. The Grim Raptor is located just off Rundle Street, the address is kept secret to maintain a comfortable, private and secure tattooing environment.
Instagram: @tattoosbykayla
Location: Address released on booking (Adelaide CBD).
Harry Plane | Paper Moon Tattoo Collective
Also from the Paper Moon Tattoo Collective is the tremendously popular and talented Harry Plane. From flowers and portraits to gladiators and Michelangelo’s Statue of David, Harry is your guy.
Instagram: @harry.plane
Location: 96 Goodwood Road, Goodwood SA 5034.
Lucid Lines | Banksia Studio
With a whopping 124k followers on Instagram, Lucid Lines is easily one of the most followed tattoo artists in South Australia. The gal behind Lucid Lines, Caitlin Thomas, is also an illustrator and graphic designer. Caitlin has opened her own sensory friendly studio, Banksia Studio in Dulwich.
Instagram: @lucidlines
Location: Dulwich, Adelaide 5065.
Poko Ono | Halfpace Studio
Poko Ono specialises in hand poke tattoos. Also known as Stick & Poke, this method of tattooing opts for a needle hand powdered than a electric tattoo machine gun. Hand poke tattooing uses a sharp point to deposit ink pigment into the skin, resulting in a unique finish. Halfpace Studio is a safe, inclusive space and QPOC-owned (queer people of colour).
Instagram: @poko_ono
Location: Address released on booking (Adelaide CBD).
Young Inker | XJ Tattoo Studio
Allan (the guy behind Young__inker) has a keen eye for what looks good, doubling as a photographer. Young_inker appears to thrive with fine line realistic pieces, as well as minis like mini boots (pictured) or a mini VB bottle. XJ Tattoos specialises in Japanese styles, old school, fine line, watercolour, black & grey, and realism.
Instagram: @young__inker
Location: 270 Wright Street, Adelaide 5000.
Dead Set Leo | Ink Haus Creative Studios
Lilah, the artist behind deadsetleo, has appeared to tattoo everything under the sun: Garfield, Betty Boop, Bratz Dolls, Marvin the Martian, and more. Also located at Ink Haus Creative Studios, Lilah is your gal for all your quirky black & white designs.
Instagram: @deadsetleo
Location: 5/19 North Terrace, Hackney, Adelaide 5069.
Honourable Mention
Matej Bacic | Black Diamond Tattoo
Matej has been included as an “Honourable Mention” because his works tend to be more intricate than what we were focusing on for this guide. However, his designs are simply too stunning not to include.
Instagram: @matejbacic
Location: 232 St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide 5015.
Think we’ve missed someone? Let us know! Email us at [email protected]
