Brian Woo, famously known as, Dr. Woo is a 38 years old Asian-American tattoo artist, who was born in North Hollywood of Los Angeles. Woo began his journey with tattooing, when he received his first tattoo at the age of 13 and practiced on his friends. He became addicted to tattoos from his tattoo
artist of 8 years, Mark Mahoney. Dr. Woo developed his style of single needle tattoos through his apprenticeship with his mentor Mark at the Shamrock Social Club. Single needle tattoos or “fine line” tattoos were originated in the ‘50s in L.A. prison system, creating smaller intricate black and gray designs.
Growing up as a first generation Asian-American, Woo came from a strict household that was not artistically creative, although he attended public school where he grew a passion for drawing. Part of Dr. Woo’s teenage years were spent surrounding tattoos, as he would tattoo himself and his friends would all get tattoos early as well, becoming a competition for who had the most tattoos. In the beginning, Dr. Woo’s parents wanted him to become a lawyer or a doctor, but has seen the success that has come with his career as a tattoo artist.
Dr. Woo’s craft is seen as the “most-notably sought after,” with a growing 1.6 million followers on Instagram and a celebrity-based clientele. Woo has worked on celebrities from Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, Frank Ocean, and Drake. Rumored to have a years worth waitlist to book with Dr. Woo.
Today, Dr. Woo tattoos at his private studio, Hideaway at Studio X, located in the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel. Dr. Woo is currently working on crafting his branding and style, blending it into fashion, to make his tattoo designs available and accessible to everyone. Dr .Woo has collaborations with brands like Converse and Modernica.
Woo’s designs are simplistic, clean, and small which differs from the more traditional style tattoos with thick and bold lines. Dr. Woo includes inspiration of L.A. throughout his work. He represents Los Angeles with iconic designs such as: palm trees, the ocean, and the beach. Fine line designs have become popular in the tattoo community. Fine line can be seen all around the world in portraits to landscapes.