Black 13 Tattoo

12/21/09

Amazing work!

by amyrouyer at Citysearch

I had wanted a tattoo for years, and finally came to Black 13 to get it done- I am so glad I did! Ian White did mine, and I couldn't recommend him enough. These guys are true artists!

• Pros: Beautiful work, great environment, clean, and professional
• Cons: none!

12/14/09

Tattoo ARTISTS

by braids4dragonflies at Citysearch

I was happy to finally find a tattoo shop with exceptionally good artists. They confirm appointments!!!!!!!

I have no complaints with Black 13 and I have been the victim of several bad tattoo artists. As long as Black 13 is open I will use their artists. Please visit for yourself.

• Pros: Extrimely professional
• Cons: They are to far from Monteagle

12/08/09

Josh & Doy have created something AMAZING!!!

by Clay001 at Citysearch

Josh & I met in Atlanta about 3 or 4 years ago when he started on a full sleeve of mine. He had just moved here from Buffalo a few weeks prior & while he was tattooing me we started talking about where he lived & things to do in ATL. We discovered that he lived around the corner from me & we hit it off & became great friends.

Aside from being an awesome guy, he is clearly an amazing artist & great vision. He is never scared to push the boundaries of his art & always willing to step outside of his element & try something new. The guy is not "heavy handed" at all & can fly through a piece in no time flat. But don't let that scare you & think he'll rush through something & mess it up... OH NO, he's just that good.

I met Doy through Josh & friend/tattoo artist Sean Herman & immediately like the guy from day one. Doy is a super talented musician & a great business man with the same drive & vision as Josh. It's no wonder they are in business together.

At Black 13, the first thing you'll notice is that this is unlike ANY other tattoo shop you've ever been in. It breaks any preconceived notions your mom has about places like this. There is art on the walls from Josh & all the other artists there plus, some of Josh & the other artists friends & inspirations. It honestly looks & feels like a cross between an art gallery & a hair salon.

The other artists at the shop are just as talented & driven as the men that run the place. Steve Martin is a life long Tennessee native but his skills are bigger & strecth far beyond the boundaries of any state found in the south east, maybe even the East Coast.

Lenny Renken who is also a long time friend of mine, is mind boggling sometimes. He is amazing at realism, portraits & Japanese art.

Ian White is new to the shop but is a MVP in my opinion. He does AMAZING black & white/gray scale work. But the dude can also sling some color.

Marty "Mart Mart" Riet! is a local graffiti legend in Nashville. If you ever seen some graff on the walls around town & just stopped & stared in awe & said "That incredible..." it was probably Marty's work. Marty is Josh's personal apprentice. He did his 4th tattoo on my leg as part of his apprenticeship & I was blown away. He is super talented & is dying to start tattooing full time. He's also responsible for keeping the shop clean & helping Doy run the front desk & keeping guests feeling welcome & happy. So next time you're in there, pat ole' Mart Mart on the back & tell him he's doing an awesome job.

I'm telling you, once you go to Black 13 for a tattoo, you will never go anywhere else. I still live in Atlanta & I travel to Nashville a couple times a year to hang out with my friends & get tattooed because like I said, I won't go anywhere else in the world. Give them a call & talk to Doy or Marty (as they are usually the one's that answer) & they'll be more than happy to book you an appointment. They do accept walk-ins but the artists are usually booked up months in advance so, call ahead unless you just wanna drop by, check the place out & see if MAYBE you can squeeze in somewhere.

• Pros: friendly, fun, CLEAN, talented artists & guest artists
• Cons: not enough shops like this