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Main Tattoo Styles
(but not limited to)
Traditional | Neo-Traditional | Fine Line | Illustrative
From the moment Cody got his first tattoo at 15 he’s had a passion for the art and culture of tattooing. Originally from southern Ontario, the pursuit of becoming a tattoo artist has taken him from one side of the country to the other. Having worked in shops since his early twenties Cody has a real passion for the industry and after years of hard work began tattooing in the spring of 2023 in Banff, Alberta, before moving to Nanaimo.
Channeling his love of tattoo history and culture into his work, Cody loves to stay true to old school designs, sporting bold line work and shading. Cody is a motivated tattooer who loves what he does and is always eager to challenge himself and tackle new and exciting ideas.
Cody joined the Barnacle team in October 2023.
Main Tattoo Styles
(but not limited to)
Black & Grey Realism | Animal Portraits | Surrealism | Floral | Fine Lines | Mandala
Nicole grew up in a small town Ontario farm where her love for nature and animals blossomed into what is reflected in her art today.
She was taught at a young age how to paint by her grandmother and started collecting tattoos at the age of 17. Her career into tattoos began in 2018 when she took her first apprenticeship in calgary alberta and later moved to nanaimo in 2020.
Nicole enjoys snowboarding in the winter, riding her motorcycle, swimming, fishing in the summer, and hiking with her dog.
Nicole joined the Barnacle team in September 2022.
Main Tattoo Styles
(but not limited to)
Colour | Black & Grey | Line Work | Cover-ups | Illustrative | Watercolour | Fine Lines | Realism | New School | Old School
I like to spend my time sketching, drawing, and painting. Whether at the shop, in the art room, or even out in the wild. Inspiration can come from everywhere and out of anywhere. There should be -in my mind- no limitation to the environment, techniques, and mediums in which art is executed. That applies to every art form I like to explore.
I’ve been into visual art all my life and tattooing for more-or-less 10 years. My life journey brought me many places; from Quebec to Mexico, Germany/Europe to Dawson City Yukon, and now, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island.
I found an affinity with art at a young age. For the most part self-taught, this affinity rapidly led me to be independent and curious about the world. The day of my 19th birthday, I hitchhiked down the east coast of the U.S. to Mexico, making a small living off live portraits, occasionally selling some of my more personal art, drawings, paintings, and sculptures created along the road. I furthered my abilities and knowledge by choosing to travel without cameras, making the time to capture everything I thought worth remembering with the pencil and the brush, allowing it to sink in.
If I had done this with a camera, I would have been left with nothing by the time I completed this trip; before flying back to Quebec, my collection was stolen and never to be seen again.
This first trip lasted 9 months. It reinforced my skills as I was hoping, and provided me with a more accurate, raw, detailed vision of the world, life, and art itself.
Many years later, I had a calling for Europe. Travelling in the old cities enhanced further my perception of our organic interactions, and thus, pushed me to explore new ideas and to abolish more of my personal barriers pertaining to art.
There, history is apparent under every rock, on every wall, in every street and field. Art is potent and has marked every aspect of life.
The cultural shock was not as evident as with my very first travel, but was there nonetheless.
By that point, I already had been approached a few times by potential mentors, and although then, not yet quite ready, I was starting to be curious about the tattoo world. I started visiting shops to acclimatize and get in the groove, chatting with willing artists about the process, and exchanging about art. It was clear that getting going with this art medium meant doing a lot of sacrifices, being extremely aware of the faux pas of the industry and keeping a clear and focused mind. All of which, by the end of it, I decided I would be willing and ready to do.
In Dawson City – Yukon, I owned and operate Frostbite Ink – Tattoo Shop, where I did most of my work as a tattoo artist. I was blessed by the appreciation and trust of the community and quickly came to gain a good reputation in town and across the territory.
The time came to move on from the old gold mining town. And so, I shut down Frostbite Ink and hit the road. A journey that eventually brought me to briefly work part-time at Inkroom Tattoo in Kelowna, before moving to Nanaimo where in February of 2022 Barnacle Ink came to be.
