Meet Harlan

Meet Harlan Kantner - a multi company sponsored and countless award winning artist, and one of the most diverse, talented tattooers this industry has to offer. Currently based out of Bel Air, MD, Harlan grew up a few hours away in Reading, PA. He remembers being pulled toward visual arts as early as second grade; a passion that followed him through high school, leading to multiple scholarship offers from the nations top universities. As fate would have it, life had other plans, and Harlan’s journey into the world of tattooing was forged in a deeply personal and less intentional way.  

At 20 years old Harlan was recruited for an apprenticeship position, one he completed and graduated from after a year. The next five years included consistent employment at multiple street shops - each providing an environment as unique as the different styles in which they each specialized. This allowed Harlan to study in depth the different methods used for different styles of tattooing, giving him an exceptionally diverse skill set. After these five years, Harlan made the difficult decision to walk away from the industry altogether. He took a brief hiatus to refocus the energy and direction of his life, and returned to tattooing after two years , wielding a fresh perspective and fierce ambition to leave his mark.

Harlan was able to combine the different tattoo styles he had previously studied into a seamless blend of both. He is most well known for his unique mashups of black & grey realism/portraits and his boldly colorful neotraditional subject matter (most often seen in Harlan’s signature head splits).

He prides himself in being masterfully well versed in multiple styles, making him undoubtedly one of the most well rounded and skillful artists in the industry. There is very little he cannot do. In large part because, despite being one of the greats, he always remains teachable. As he so gracefully puts it himself, “I have become the man I am today through tattooing. For nearly 20 years it has taught me patience, discipline, the power of humility, and the desire to continue to grow in this and every other area of my life. As long as I’m here I will always be trying to be better.