Art Show in LA
Coming up April 5th at Devout Gallery, I am so excited to announce this duo art exhibition along side my talented friend HB Nielsen.
The show will run for all of April so make sure you take the chance to look. More info can be found at the Devout Gallery Website.
2025 Travel Plans
Enjoy Tattoos - Los Angeles
April 1-4
Bait Shop - Montreal
April 9-11
Good Luck - Brooklyn NY
April 21-24
True Blue Tattoo Convention - Eindhoven
May 23-25
Pagoda Tattoo Fest - Pennsylvania
August 1-3
About Alex Snelgrove
I have always been artistically inclined and encouraged by my artist mother. My first attempt to break into the tattoo world was walking into tattoo shops in my hometown of London, Ontario. I was 16 with some naively drawn flash and offered to volunteer as shop help. Let’s just say that I was unceremoniously thrown out after every attempt.
Letting go of my girlhood dreams of being a tattoo artist, I moved to Toronto at 18 to attend the fashion design program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2001.
While living in Toronto, I started illustrating, primarily working for bands. I designed tee shirts, posters and album covers. My passion for travel, art and music exposed me more seriously to tattoos, and I began collecting in earnest. After some years, my fascination with tattooing as a career was reignited and I finally sought out an apprenticeship. I began my professional tattoo career at the Okey Doke tattoo shop in early 2012.
Learning under Kyle Hollingdrake and Eric Newstead, the Okey Doke quickly became a busy street shop with line-ups down College street for our walk-in days. The shop was a perfect environment for me to gain the necessary skills to work in a variety of styles and build a loyal clientele right from the beginning.
During the next 7 years, I enjoyed travelling and guest spotting. I left the Okey Doke to embark on a year-long motorcycle circuit around Europe with my tattoo gear in tow. After that year, I decided to leave Toronto and move to Montreal where I worked at Bait & Schlang tattoo. It was an incredible experience to work with such great talent, which in turn, heavily influenced me to reach a new level of expertise in my craft.
After 2 years, I felt myself being called back to Ontario. I moved back to Toronto in the summer of 2021, just in time to join Kyle Hollingdrake in opening his new shop Hotline Tattoo, where I am still a resident artist.
After over 12 years of tattooing, I am now focusing on larger work such as sleeves and back pieces. The themes that interest me vary widely, but popular ones include; wolves, snakes, eagles, flowers, knives, medieval weapons, witchcraft, occult symbolism, classical/biblical figures, ornamentation, fantasy and science fiction.
Currently, I am only taking on projects that I am most drawn to and know I can specialize in. Thank you so much for your interest and patience.
Merchandise
Take a look through my flash book for ideas that I would love to tattoo on you.
Check back often, I’ll be updating this section all the time with cool new drawings.
Ready for a back piece but don’t know what to get?
Click the link below to see back piece ideas that I would like to tattoo on you! If you are interested in one of the ideas, please include its name in the description when you fill out the appointment request form.
Please respect the hard work I put into these original ideas and do not steal them. Check back often, I’ll be updating this section often with new and exciting ideas.
REQUESTS FOR THESE IDEAS (UNCHANGED) WILL RECEIVE PRIORITY BOOKING!
Request an appointment
This is the primary way to book an appointment with me.
Please fill out all the fields in the form and add a detailed description of your tattoo idea. Let me know if you prefer colour or black and grey as well as the style.
Theres 3 opportunities to attach reference images, if one could be a photo of the body part you wish to get tattooed, that would be a great help.
Please note, not all requests will be answered.
Please wear your bandage over night.
When you take your bandage off, wash your tattoo thoroughly with unscented soap and warm water, then dry off with a clean towel.
Follow up with another wash in the afternoon and evening.
Skip working out (especially at the gym) for a few days.
Your tattoo is vulnerable for the next two weeks, you should protect it by keeping it clean and dry and out of direct sunlight.
It is normal for a fresh tattoo to be itchy, try not to scratch it or touch it unnecessarily. If the tattoo feels very tight or itchy, a small amount of unscented and water based moisturizer is okay to use for relief.
If you have any questions feel free to contact your tattooist.
If you develop a fever, chills, rash, increasing pain, or excessive swelling, contact a doctor. Infections are rare, but they can happen.