Modern Designs With Longevity In Mind.  

I’m TJ Russo, and I started my tattoo career in Providence back in 2012 after a two-year apprenticeship at Red’s Tattoo, where I got my start as a body piercer in 2006. I predominantly collected Japanese and Traditional tattoos for myself, so it felt like the most natural progression to work with the styles I loved starting out.
I was brought up understanding that a good tattooer is well-rounded and diverse, so I cut my teeth in street shops for the first decade of my career, learning to apply other styles like black and grey, fine-line, and lettering. Exposing myself to more than just what I was comfortable with didn’t only expand the tattoos I could offer — it brought more knowledge to apply to the designs and styles I love to make now.

MY STYLE

My personal art is heavily focused on a modern approach to Japanese and Traditional tattoo designs. While I’ll always love the old flash that’s adorned shop walls for decades, I approach that subject matter now with a more illustrative lean: slightly thinner linework, high contrast and contoured shading, and more emphasis on the details.
Every sleeve, backpiece, and motif is built on the principles of body flow, placement, and consideration of how it will age. I’m fully capable of tattooing the classic version of both styles, but I prefer to design and tattoo through my own lens.
I also offer custom pre-drawn designs to choose from — you can view them here or on my social media.

WHERE TO FIND ME

I’ve spent the last 5 years of my career at Torchbearer Tattoo. This shop is my home, and while I do travel out to the occasional convention or guest spot, this is where you can find me. The shop’s atmosphere and the people I tattoo alongside create a warm, inspiring, and inclusive environment.
Torchbearer Tattoo is located at 755 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903, inside the old Lily Building.

BOOKINGS & WALK-INS

It’s most common to reach out and make an appointment, but I do take walk-ins when time allows, and I usually post day-of availability on my social media. I keep my wait times to a minimum, so it’s possible to get tattooed fairly quickly depending on drawing time.