AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blackdot®, the company introducing A New Way to Tattoo™, today announced its official launch out of stealth, unveiling its patented automated tattooing platform and opening up bookings for the first Blackdot tattoos at its flagship studio in Austin, Texas. By combining hardware, software and cloud technology, Blackdot allows artists the world over to have their designs executed as tattoos with a new level of precision and predictability. Blackdot is the first automatic tattooing device and online marketplace of its kind, making art that was previously out of reach as a tattoo now accessible. The platform delivers an unmatched opportunity for intricate self-expression with minimal discomfort.
Blackdot’s scalable new approach has arrived amid the tattoo industry’s expected expansion to a massive $3.9 billion by 2030 and amid the growing popularity of tattoos among Americans of all genders, races and political ideologies according to a recent Pew Research study. Top generative artist Tyler Hobbs, renowned tattoo artist Omer Tunca and living legend John Craig are supporting Blackdot’s launch with exclusive designs.
Hear from Tyler, Omer and John in Blackdot’s Artist Spotlight videos.
“Blackdot’s unique high-precision platform and scalable, culturally relevant approach mark a watershed moment in tattoo,” said Matthew Stephens, founder of DeviantArt, the world's largest online art gallery and community. “The company is opening up new categories of art in tattoo, from fine art and generative art to photographs and memorabilia, and it’s expanding the reach of who can own a premium tattoo. Traditional tattooing will always be mainstream, but there’s a heavy appetite for this innovative approach to complement the classic system and to benefit tattoo artists and other artists everywhere. Blackdot offers imaginative new options for self-expression and an experience that minimizes pain and maximizes safety, hygiene, accuracy and choice.”
Foundational new technology offers extreme precision and minimal discomfort
Blackdot’s device uses a small number of concealed test dots to “learn” the client’s skin characteristics. The test dots are compared against Blackdot's skin database to determine which settings (number of punctures and puncture depth) will yield the perfect black dot for that client’s preferred tattoo location. Paired with a dedication to top-tier customer service, the result is a fast, accurate tattooing experience with minimal discomfort.
“Our team of highly qualified researchers and engineers has been able to create groundbreaking technology for both tattoo-seekers and artists alike,” said Dr. Yan Azdoud, CTO of Blackdot. “Artists are always amazed at the fidelity and accuracy with which the Blackdot device can reproduce their works on skin. Our grayscale dots are ~250µm in diameter (.25mm) and we’re able to tattoo them with surgical precision, a combination enabling us to execute extremely detailed designs that cannot be tattooed by hand.”
Artists control supply, access new revenue and marketplace
Artists who collaborate with Blackdot can control the supply of their work, allowing for limited edition collections—as well as one-of-one designs—to be offered. Tattoo designs are stored in a secure cloud that can be accessed at any Blackdot Studio, and the company utilizes blockchain technology to track tattoo execution. Each time an artist’s design is used they earn a royalty from it. Blackdot is fundamentally redefining what is possible for the tattooing industry, establishing new practices and revenue streams to shift a paradigm that too often trades time for money to the detriment of many artists.
“The emergence of Blackdot is a breakthrough innovation in the tattoo field,” explained Turkish tattoo artist Omer Tunca. “This is a very positive development that will carry artists to different vantage points. Tattoo artists and many other artists in the world whose creative output is aligned with tattoos—painters, illustrators or people who work in different and new fields of art—will have a chance to experience this medium. Blackdot allows me to easily transfer all these designs to people who like them, without crossing to a different continent. In this sense, it brings us together.”
Top artists Tyler Hobbs, Omer Tunca and John Craig kick off Blackdot
At launch, Blackdot is offering custom tattoos from its first Blackdot Certified Artist (BCA), Tyler Hobbs, a breakout generative art star and NFT pioneer. Blackdot will also offer limited edition collections from renowned Turkish tattoo artist Omer Tunca and limited release art from John Craig, the visual artist behind the iconic cover art for The Smashing Pumpkins’ diamond double-album—Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Tattoo-seekers can apply for these designs on Blackdot’s website.
“As a longtime supporter of the Smashing Pumpkins, working closely with John Craig to make his Mellon Collie collection available to millions of fans is a huge personal win for me. I now have the Star Nymph from the album’s cover tattooed on my forearm. When I look into her perfectly executed eyes, I feel a profound connection to the music that has helped shape who I am today,” said Joel Pennington, Founder and CEO of Blackdot. “It’s incredibly exciting how Blackdot is redefining what’s possible in tattoo as well as making the act of tattooing itself more approachable.”
Through its Blackdot Certified Artist (BCA) program, tattoo-seekers will also be able to commission original designs from artists around the world and conveniently get them tattooed at any Blackdot Studio. Headquartered in Austin, Blackdot plans to expand its Studios into major U.S. cities and abroad. Additionally, the company will offer Tradable Tattoos™, which are limited edition tattoos from top artists that can be applied, traded or gifted between parties as one-of-a-kind, minted digital collectibles.
Accredited investors at the forefront of tattoo industry evolution
Nearly half of the population under 40 years of age in the U.S. has one or more tattoos—including 56% of women between the ages of 18 and 29, according to Pew Research. For artists across genres and for innovative brands, Blackdot provides access to a surging market that’s traditionally been off limits and a robust way to license art in tattoo, while ensuring it meets the quality standards of the original artist.
“By reimagining the tattoo process, inventing new technology and deeply respecting artists, Blackdot has created new opportunities in tattoo that will positively impact traditional tattoo artists, as well open up the industry to visual artists, generative artists, photographers, curators, public figures, and compatible brands,” said Ken Hood, Managing Partner at FusionX Ventures. “We’re thrilled to be at the forefront of this journey with Blackdot that will create new revenue possibilities for artists while enabling new forms of self-expression for tattoo-seekers.”
Blackdot is currently accepting applications to invest from friendly angel and institutional investors. Prospective investors are encouraged to complete an application to invest on Blackdot’s website.
For more information about Blackdot visit: blackdot.tattoo
To access the media kit, please click here.
About Blackdot
Blackdot uses new technologies to drive a positive path forward for the art, artists, and people for whom the body is a canvas to tell their stories. By creating the world’s first automatic tattooing device and providing an online tattoo art marketplace, Blackdot offers tattoo seekers unmatched self-expression through its replicable studio-based tattoo platform. The mission at Blackdot is to offer a new way for people to get tattoos, provide better mechanisms for artists to share and get compensated for their work, and to reimagine the tattooing process as a whole. Blackdot is based in Austin, Texas, with plans to expand its Studios into major U.S. cities and abroad.
