Warped Tour Veteran Turns Tattoo Visionary: Inside the Mind of Owen Paulls

When you think of tattoo artistry in the Pacific Northwest, you probably imagine rain-drenched city streets, cozy studios, and a crowd of creatives chasing inspiration through the fog. But among Seattle’s growing scene of high-caliber tattooers, one name has started to dominate the conversation: Owen Paulls.

Originally from the South Coast of England, Paulls has quietly and now not so quietly become one of the most sought-after realism artists in the United States. His signature black and grey work feels almost alive, blending the technical precision of European fine art with a distinctly modern, cinematic edge. It’s the kind of tattooing that makes you double-take, not because it’s flashy, but because it feels real.

After over a decade in the craft, Paulls’ momentum is undeniable. His waitlist stretches for months, his DMs are flooded with international clients willing to fly out for a session, and his name has become synonymous with clean, emotion-driven realism. What separates him from most, though, is the influence of classical European painting. His shading and blending techniques echo Renaissance sensibilities, chiaroscuro, texture, and light, but reimagined through the lens of 21st-century skin.

“Tattooing is storytelling through texture,” Paulls says. “It’s the one art form where realism literally becomes part of someone’s body, their identity.”

Before tattooing full-time, Paulls lived another kind of creative life. For nearly 19 years, he was a professional musician, touring across Europe and North America and performing for massive crowds, including four summers on the Vans Warped Tour. The discipline, travel, and performance instincts from that chapter all bleed into his tattoo work now, an artist’s obsession with craft paired with a musician’s hunger to connect.

Paulls has taken his art worldwide, tattooing across Italy, Canada, and the U.S., and winning awards at elite conventions like the Evergreen Invitational and the Winnipeg Tattoo Convention, where he snagged Best of Day two years in a row. His artistry has been spotlighted by tattoo brands like Empire Inks, FYT Cartridges, and Ghostline App, as well as media like Inked Magazine and Global Tattoo Mag.

When he isn’t booked solid in his Bellevue studio, you’ll find him traveling for guest spots, conventions, and seminars where he breaks down the science of black and grey tattooing for other artists. Outside the tattoo chair, he continues to paint oil portraits inspired by the same European masters who shaped his visual language, bridging centuries of artistry with one steady hand.

As 2025 approaches, Paulls is setting his sights even higher, expanding his reach across North America and beyond. For him, tattooing isn’t just a job; it’s a lifelong evolution.

“I’m always chasing realism,” he says, “but it’s not just about what’s real on skin. It’s about what feels real to the person wearing it.”