Guest Artists

“I love creating animal and fantasy themes in a neotraditional style. My inspiration comes from nature, Art Nouveau style, fantasy books, movies, and games. I enjoy tattooing pet portraits, as I admire the relationship created between humans and animals.”

Monika is a master of neotraditional tattoos. Monika tattoos in Vilnius, Lithuania. Monika visits Leima several times a year.

“I enjoy working on large projects, as technically they give me more opportunities to create elements and details in the design. I try to find the golden mean between the durability of the image and its details.

My style is neotraditional, though not always typical – sometimes it approaches realism (most commonly neorealism). I frequently visit different studios and gladly participate in conventions.

I am always open to seeking inspiration and learning from other tattoo artists.”

Please communicate with Monika in English, Lithuanian, or Russian.

Cesar Pimenta is a dark neotraditional artist touring Europe, and he regularly visits Leima.

Cesar Pimenta specializes in neotraditional tattoos, whose dark imagery features wolves, dragons, skulls, goats, and natural elements, combined with dominant black and striking bright accent colors.

Cesar is based in Rome, but he actively tours around Europe. In Helsinki, Cesar visits Leima several times a year.

Please communicate with Cesar in English, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish.

Uls Metzger, also known as Dogma Noir, is a Polish blackwork tattoo artist and illustrator. She regularly visits Leima.

Uls, who works in Krakow, is a familiar face in Helsinki.

Uls’s tattoo style is fine line blackwork. According to Uls, she draws inspiration from dark aesthetics, Art Nouveau, folk art, and macabre elements. Her inspiration comes from turn-of-the-century art and the clarity of woodcuts. In Uls’s work, attention is often drawn to the empty space created by geometric and ornamental forms.

Please communicate with Uls in English or Polish.

Catherine Gynt is an Italian tattoo artist and has been visiting Helsinki since 2018.

Catherina Gynt tattoos in an ethereal blackwork fine line style. Her art emphasizes beautiful, delicate, and emotive female figures, flowers, and symmetrical elements.

Catherina “Cat” tattoos in Tuscany, Italy. Cat visits Leima a couple of times a year.

Please communicate with Cat in English or Italian.

Lithuanian Vasilij’s tattoos fall between graphic and neotraditional styles. Known for his colorful and almost cartoonish style, the artist has become a familiar face in Helsinki.

Vasilij is based in Lithuania, but he actively visits various studios across Europe. Especially recently, Vasilij has also been a familiar face in Helsinki.

Vasilij’s tattoo style emphasizes glowing bright, smooth, and clear color surfaces. The themes of his tattoos combine traditional neotraditional and graphic styles, as well as pop art, comics, anime, and retro games. Vasilij’s style also doesn’t lack playfulness or humor.

Please communicate with Vasilij in English, Lithuanian, or Russian.

A professional in color realism, Cata, who works at Der Grimm, regularly visits Helsinki.

Cata (Tattoos By Cata) is one of the resident artists at Berlin-based Der Grimm Tattoo studio. In addition to Germany, Cata is already a familiar face in Helsinki, and also visits various studios across Europe.

Cata masters nuanced color and photorealism, where strong shadows combine with bright, almost glowing color surfaces. Her image themes include nature, the animal kingdom, fantasy, as well as various human and animal portraits.

Please communicate with Cata in English or Spanish.

Blackwork master Junky specializes in dark themes and a style mimicking woodcuts and etchings. He often visits Leima.

Italian Junky tattoos in Bologna, Italy.

“Born in 1989. Having been in the tattoo industry for nine years, I grew up at Respect Tattoo studio, which was opened by the old master Rosso in 1997. I have participated in several tattoo conventions in Italy and Malta.

I opened my tattoo studio in 2018 in Bologna. I have collaborated with numerous artists. From them, I have gained a vast amount of professional and life experience, which I cherish with joy. I am a frequent guest in Sardinia, Helsinki, and Ireland, and always ready for new journeys. Closest to my heart are blackwork, woodcut and etching styles, and dark aesthetics.

I love manga. I grew up with the works of Berserk, Junji Ito, Dorohedoro, and Go Nagai. I try to combine my eternal love for Gustave Doré, William Turner, esotericism, old fantasy books, and gothic imagery into tattoos that conjure darkness onto the skin. I enjoy drawing monsters, scales, stones, and demons, using dot work and deep black.”

Please communicate with Junky in English or Italian.

Adrian Suez, a master of neotraditional and Japanese stylization, works in the UK but regularly visits Leima.

Adrian Suez’s style blends neotraditional, Japanese tattoo style, and comic art. Adrian feels that his tattoos are best described by the words “wild, bold, and colorful”. Adrian particularly enjoys creating human and animal portraits with neotraditional and Japanese imagery, but he is also happy to work on other subjects.

Adrian works in Toronto, London, and Madrid, but he travels around Europe. He has already visited Helsinki several times.

Please communicate with Adrian in English or Spanish.