Stunning Geometric Line Tattoos By Dr. Woo

Published 10 years ago

Some tattoos don’t need slogans or colors, and Dr. Woo proves that with his fantastic geometric inks. Brian Woo – Dr. Woo is the name used by his friends and fans – works at Shamrock Social Club in Hollywood. There he plies his trade of incredibly intricate, geometric black and gray tattoos. These tattoos have garnered a lot of attention from celebrities such as Drake, Ellie Goulding and the actress Sarah Hyland. Appointments have to be made far in advance as many want to sport his intricate inks. Woo’s most memorable tattoos are made up of strict circles and lines that are masterfully woven together to produce anything from abstract shapes to animal forms. Since Mr. Woo has a large Instagram following, many people for personalized versions of tattoos from his site. One of his most popular designs is a compass-like arrangement of circles, arrows and dots. “People started calling them Woo arrows, which is not the most creative name, I guess,” Mr. Woo told The New York Times. “I don’t know what those are. We just call them the ‘circles-and-lines things’.”

Mr. Woo began experimenting with tattoos when he quit violin lessons at 13 and startled fiddling with inks and needles with some friends. It became a competition when one of them had a professional tattoo done: “I just wanted a lot of tattoos,” he said. “I wanted to be covered in tattoos.” Now that he’s covered in ink, he’s living the dream in more ways than one: Dr. Woo works with Mark Mahoney, a legend among tattoo artists and the father of the black and grey tattoo. Woo considers him one of his greatest teachers, and even had his first legal tattoo done by him, although he can’t remember exactly which one. As for the clients, he feels that inking them verges on therapy. “Sometimes I will just sit and listen, that’s kind of the job,” he said. “It’s a very personal thing. You’re spilling someone’s blood, together, right there. It’s very spiritual, in a sense.”

Considering that half of his tattoos look like they belong in an arcane tome, one can’t help but agree.

More info: shamrocksocialclub | Facebook | Instagram (h/t boredpanda, nyt)