Tattoo Guru Takes Artistry to Glittering Heights
Maryland based tattoo artist Amanda Graves is globally recognized for her glitter tattoos. Using a pointillism technique, she creates shimmering effects, demonstrating the durability of her work and sharing her expertise with aspiring artists.
By Beth Snider · January 14, 2024
American tattoo artist Amanda Graves has garnered global fame for her extraordinary glitter tattoos, creating a shimmering effect on the skin that has captivated audiences worldwide. Hailing from Maryland, while she does not claim to be the inventor of the tattoo technique, she is widely acknowledged as the preeminent glitter tattoo artist globally.
Her sparkling tattoos are renowned for their exceptional quality, prompting inquiries about whether she uses glitter ink or if her creations interfere with X-rays. In truth, Amanda employs a painstaking pointillism technique, overlapping colors with small gauge needles to craft an optical illusion that mimics the sparkle. The effect results from her continuous refinement of the layering process, incorporating colors such as blue, yellow, purple, pink, and white.
Despite the skepticism surrounding the longevity of shimmering tattoos compared to traditional styles, Amanda addressed these concerns on TikTok by showing a year-old tattoo that reportedly won first place at a convention. While the durability of glitter tattoos in the long term remains uncertain due to their novelty, her work stands out due to the originality and innovation within the tattoo world, akin to holographic sticker tattoos.
Amanda Graves, often referred to as the “Mother of Glitter Tattoos,” boasts a substantial online following (1.5 million TikTok & 330k Instagram followers). As the proud owner of Dark Arts Tattoo Studio in Bel Air, Maryland, her studio caters to those enchanted by the magical world of Harry Potter.
Specializing in subjects with feminine-fresh elements like hearts and cute eyes with catchlights, Amanda’s dazzling tattoos have become a trademark of her artistic style. While acknowledging that glitter tattoos need not replicate her own, she generously shares her professional tips and preferred supplies to assist aspiring tattoo artists in their goals.
Her glitter tattoo toolkit is a well-curated selection of supplies and techniques. The FK Irons Flux Max, a bubblegum pink rotary machine is her go-to for creating tattoos, covering everything from bold lines to delicate shading. For lining black, she relies on the World Famous Tattoo Ink, using a battery-powered ink mixer to achieve contrast in her vibrant tattoos. Her skills include precision in shading, linework, and delicate stippling using Peak Triton Needle Cartridges, and she uses Recovery CBD Foam + CBD Glide to keep the skin moisturized and inflammation-free.