This Artist Animates Tattoos with Neon Lights

Neon tattoos are a hugely popular trend right now. Tattoo artists have found a way to replicate the effect of neon signs, using a gradient of colors and a dense white line to trick the eye. It’s used prominently throughout mixed media style tattooing and can be seen in works by Dave Paulo, Sam Barber, Cavan Infante and Andrei Draw. However, that’s not what’s happening here.

Maxim Sipakov is an 18-year-old animator living in Russia. He specializes in adding neon lights to videos from other creators and began his page by animating soccer videos. He soon found his new niche by animating videos from tattoo artists, adding an entirely new dimension to an existing piece. And now, his videos have been viewed more than one million times on Instagram.

Sipakov has added animation to a number of tattoos by artists from around the world, including Juan Salgado of Puerto Rico, Michael Taguet of France and Pony Lawson of the United States. We’ve gathered up some of our favorite neon tattoo animations that he has crafted in the gallery below. Take a peek at these videos and let us know your favorite tattoo animation in the comments section on social media.