Meet the Artists of Nostalgia Tattoo

Dana

Illustrative & Neo Traditional

Dwelling in Richmond since 2010, Dana purchased her home in the Northside neighborhood in 2019 and has witnessed Brookland Park’s renaissance into a vibrant, diverse collection of small-businesses. After 10 years in the tattoo industry, a quiet longing to work closer to home led to her founding Nostalgia Tattoo in 2025.

Dana specializes in whimsical, bold tattoos that draw inspiration from the natural world. Fantasy, flora and fauna are motifs in both her color and blackwork pieces. When she is not tattooing you can find her with her family of six dogs, six chickens, partner and son. They love to ride bikes, play in the garden and nerd out over nostalgic movies together when not thrifting for vintage, dabbling in various crafts, or taking on DIY projects.

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Colorful illustrative tattoo of a hand holding a fantasy axe. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Colorful tattoo of a bird perched on holly leaves and berries, with an orange glow behind. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Colorful tattoo of a sunset surrounded by pink flowers and lavender, on a person's upper arm. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Black and gray neo-traditional tattoo of a mythological female figure with horns and elaborate jewelry on a person's arm. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Neo-traditional color tattoo of a woman's face surrounded by colorful flowers and a bird with an eggs nest above. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Colorful tattoo of a whale surrounded by purple flowers and green leaves based on A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on a person's arm. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

A woman with black and gray floral tattoo on her chest and neck, with the word 'art' in small letters on her chest, wearing a black top, against a black background.

Black and gray fantasy tattoo of a female warrior with long hair and a sword on her arm, surrounded by decorative patterns on upper arm. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Neo-traditional black and gray floral tattoo sleeves on both legs, featuring flowers, moths, and fantasy decorative elements. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Tattoo of a raccoon surrounded by pink and purple flowers and green leaves on a person's arm. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

A colorful illustrative tattoo of a bird with outstretched wings, perched on a branch with orange and yellow ginkgo leaves. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Blackwork sternum tattoo with peony flowers and leaves. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia Beach.

Custom neo-trad blackwork tattoo on person's upper arm featuring a moth and lotus flower. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia.

Custom color tattoo featuring the phrase 'Take me to the market' in script font surrounded by various fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, a radish, and strawberries. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Custom neo-traditional, illustrative black and gray tattoo sleeve featuring a lizard, flowers, bird, and foliage. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Neo-traditional color fantasy tattoo of a mermaid with blue hair over octopus tentacle. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Black and gray tattoo of a tiger's head on a decorative vase with large flowers and leaves, on a person's arm. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Illustrative chrysanthemum floral knee tattoo. Done by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Custom tattoo of a polar bear surrounded by blue and green. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Colorful neo-trad tattoo of a bluebird holding a pearl necklace, surrounded by pink flowers and green foliage, with a yellow background. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia Beach.

Colorful neo-trad tattoo of stacked books wrapped with string, surrounded by purple irises, green leaves, blackberries, and a small butterfly on the upper right. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Colorful tattoo of a female cardinal perched on a branch with pink dogwood flowers, green leaves, and a yellow crescent moon in the background. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Colorful neo-trad chest tattoo of a falcon surrounded by red flowers and green leaves. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in Virginia Beach.

Colorful tattoo of a Monarch butterfly surrounded by green leaves and yellow and red flowers on a person's forearm. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Neo-traditional forearm tattoo of red poppies and an orange butterfly. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Neo-trad tattoo of a skull wearing a dark hood, surrounded by pink and red flowers with green leaves, and an orange thorny circular border. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Neo-traditional color tattoo of a snake intertwined with colorful flowers on person's leg. Custom Design by female tattoo artist Dana Carlson in RVA.

Fronkie

Fantasy & Large-Scale Color

Originally from Miami, FL, Fronkie moved to the Northside area of Richmond in 2018 with her husband, dogs, and two children. She brings 20 years of industry experience to the studio and loves to support her clients through large-scale tattoo transformations heavily rooted in fantasy and influenced by the art nouveau movement. She is skilled in both bright, bold color work as well as black and grey compositions made to flatter the body.

Outside of work she is involved in local music and community activism but also loves to relax with a good book, a float in a pool, or tending to her native garden.

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Colorful tattoo sleeve of a Freya, Norse goddess, woman with long braided hair, an ornate shield, a lion and a phoenix. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

A colorful fantasy tattoo of a green Tara Mantra with closed eyes and elaborate jewelry, holding a flower stem with leaves, on a person's upper arm. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Colorful tattoo of Hel and her hellhound surrounded by swords and stormy clouds. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Blackwork arm tattoo of a Medusa's face with green eyes. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Colorful tattoo of a red heart-shaped gemstone surrounded by purple irises, with the word 'Mom' written above in red letters. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Fantasy color tattoo of a woman with curly hair, a mushroom cap hat, and flowers beneath. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Color fantasy tattoo of a woman's face with butterfly wings covering her head, surrounded by orange flowers and decorative leafy elements. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

A colorful thigh tattoo of a space shuttle launching with flames and smoke, surrounded by planets and planets with rings in space background. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

A detailed black and gray tattoo of a human skull with butterflies and flowers surrounding it on a person's leg. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Tattoo of a stylized woman's face with closed eyes, leaves, wings, chains, and decorative elements on the back. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Colorful tattoo of a raccoon sitting among pink and green foliage, with a full moon, purple clouds, a burning fire torch, and trees in the background. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Colorful pet portrait tattoo of a cat's face surrounded by flowers on a person's upper arm. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Color arm tattoo of a fantasy goddess with long flowing hair holding flowers, surrounded by colorful floral and decorative patterns. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Color pet portrait tattoos of dogs surrounded by flowers on thigh. Custom Design by RVA tattoo artist Fronkie.

Jess

American Traditional & Gothic Illustrative

Jess Versus (she/they) has been tattooing for 17 years, beginning in Brooklyn in 2009. She moved to Richmond in 2013 after visiting as a guest artist for several years and falling in love with the city. She spent the next 13 years working in some of Richmond's finest tattoo shops, focusing on both the artistic and technical sides of the craft. Their personal focus has always been on ensuring a welcoming, supportive, and open-minded environment for their clients, especially those who have all too often felt excluded or intimidated by traditional tattooing culture. The act of being tattooed is an inherently vulnerable one, and Jess believes everyone deserves to have an experience that leaves them feeling celebrated and accepted.

Her tattoo imagery often focuses on organic illustrations and figural representations, most commonly floral, animal, and human forms. They work in several different visual styles at any given time, exploring both black/gray and color tattoos, in any size and complexity. For the past several years, she has been focusing on large-scale reworks and cover-up tattoos, and has worked with local laser removal technicians to collaborate on even more technical cover-ups. Jess’s style has been described as both neo-traditional-ish and American Gothic – a mixture somewhere between what is considered American traditional tattooing and Gothic illustrative tattoos.

She believes that there is transformative magic in tattooing, and that getting tattooed is an empowering act of ownership over one's body. In the coming years, Jess would love to focus more on this, such as working with scar coverups and other styles of restorative tattooing. They are always seeking ways to better serve the Richmond area, both through artwork and the power of community building.

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Color tattoo of a Miss Piggy in an American Traditional style. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

American Trad pinup girl with nun habit tattoo on arm. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Rework of American Traditional pinup girl with umbrella tattoo. Done by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Black and gray tattoo of Nesta's dagger and mask from ACOTAR. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Colorful tattoo of a large green moth with pink and purple accents, surrounded by orange and blue flowers on a person's lower abdomen. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Coverup tattoo of a giraffe's head surrounded by roses on shoulder. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Collection of six American Traditional tattoo designs featuring various blue and red cardinals, with floral and branch elements. Custom designs by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

American Trad tattoo of a shark with symbols and patterns. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Coverup tattoo of an owl with wings spread wide across a person's abdomen. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

A collage of stages of a tattoo coverup. The final tattoo is a black and gray skull and eagle on a person's back. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Black and gray tattoo of three women with styled hair on a person's arm. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Back tattoo featuring multiple mythical and fierce animals, including dragons, snakes, a crane, and a serpent, with detailed black and gray shading. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Arm sleeve tattoo with goddesses surrounded by flowers and stars. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Tattoo of four realistic pet portraits including a cats and ferrets. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Tattoo coverup of a bouquet of flowers. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Collection of six colorful tattoos in an American traditional style featuring female characters, animals, and fantasy themes. Custom designs by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Tattoo of a monarch butterfly on a person's elbow in an American traditional style. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Collection of four colorful pet portrait tattoos including dog and cat faces with floral elements. Custom designs by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Collage of six different tattoos featuring various dog pet portraits. Custom designs by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Colorful American trad style floral tattoos on thighs with a prominent red flower and green leaves, showing details and vibrant colors. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Black and gray full back tattoo of a goat's head with large curved horns, surrounded by insects, snakes, and a dagger in a gothic illustrative style. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Collage of four tattoos including a Victorian mourning hand and tarot cards. Custom designs by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Collage of four gothic illustrative tattoos featuring women with fantasy and space themes. Custom designs by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Black and gray tattoo of a cowboy riding a opossum, with mountains and clouds in the background. Custom design by Jess, tattoo artist in Richmond, Virginia.

Summer

Expressive Black and Grey Line-work

Transitioning from a career in public education to tattooing, Summer (she/her) brings a strong foundation in crafts, ceramics, and textiles to her tattoo art. Her experience in teaching equips her with a personable and patient demeanor to help her clients feel safe and supported through all steps of the design and application process. Quickly developing an expressive and identifiable blackwork style that utilizes texture, line-weight, and and movement to articulate subjects; Summer creates vignettes reminiscent of storybook scenes. She frequently draws inspiration from fine art, literature, folklore and medieval imagery to beautifully render plants, animals, and figures that flatter the body.

As she evolves in her career, Summer looks forward to taking on larger-scale projects and participating in art markets and tattoo-focused events to further advance her skillset. Summer values making long-lasting connections within the community and creating an inviting and comfortable space to create art.

Ceramics

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Kaitlin

Vibrant Watercolor and Stippled Blackwork

Kaitlin (she/her) made the move from New Jersey to Richmond to pursue growth and community in their tattoo career. Kaitlin brings a versatile skillset to her tattooing and expertly executes pieces in a range of styles from bold blackwork to vibrant watercolor as well as dabbling in anime and neo-traditional styles. With a background in fine art and 12 years of tattooing experience, Kaitlin tackles an assortment of projects with prowess and excels at coverups and large-format pieces. Whether rendering a pop-culture character or a bouquet of flowers, Kaitlin creates solid designs that spark joy.

In the future, Kaitlin has expressed interest in pop-ups, flash days, and collaborations with local businesses and non-profits that invite the community come out and get playful tattoos! When not tattooing, Kaitlin enjoys spending time exploring the city with her dog, playing video games and collecting Pokemon cards.

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Clean and organized tattoo workstation inside a Richmond VA tattoo studio.

Dana, owner of Nostalgia Tattoo, prepping for custom tattoo in Brookland Park studio.

FAQs

Our artists are independent contractors who manage their own schedules and bookings. Reaching out to your preferred artist by email is the most direct way to reach them. If you are unsure of who may be the best fit for your needs you can send a general inquiry to the studio email nostalgiatattoorva@gmail.com
Tattoos are often priced hourly or by the piece. Rates vary per artist. Shoot an inquiry for more specific estimates!
Each artist has their own preferred payment methods. Please review their policies at the time of booking to budget accordingly.
Make plans to arrive on-time, well-rested, showered, and hydrated. Please eat before your arrival but feel free to bring convenient snacks and beverages to enjoy during your visit. Comfort items like reading material, AirPods, blankets, fidget toys, etc. can help make your visit more personalized.
Plan your route and payment in advance and bring a Photo ID in order to complete a consent form. All artists tattoo 18+ so proof of eligibility is required.
Seating is limited in the studio and intended for customers. One friend for emotional support is appropriate but seating cannot be guaranteed.