Sweet Ink

Matthew Dudley, a tattoo artist at Carbon Ink Tattoo, loves to put food on people’s skin—and he’s not alone.  

“Food is universal; everyone can connect to food in some way,” he says. “It’s also kind of silly to get a deviled egg or slice of pie tattoo.” 

Dudley began tattooing food imagery a few years ago after connecting over a love of baking with a client. “We started chatting about our love for oatmeal raisin cookies,” he recalls. “It kind of just took off from there.”

A commercial baker for 10 years, Dudley would wake up at 3 a.m. to make donuts, pies, bread, and more. 

“I was pretty good at it, but all I wanted to do was make art,” he admits. “I still bake at home, and there’s something magical about eating a fresh-baked baguette or pumpkin pie and being able to say, ‘I made this.’ I think that attitude carries over into making art and tattoos as well.”

Dudley’s style inspiration comes from many places: comic books, horror movies, and fairy tales, just to name a few.

“My girlfriend and I oil painted almost every day during the pandemic,” Dudley says. “My former landscape painting instructor, Noah [Verrier], is incredible and is well-known for painting fast food now.” 

Photo courtesy of Matthew Dudley

Some of Dudley’s delectable-looking designs include fresh  oranges surrounded by blossoms, a cheesy baked potato, and a slice of pumpkin pie.

As an artist of multiple mediums, Dudley adds: “Buy from local artists and makers. It  means so much more to them than if you buy from big corporations. Go to local art fairs. Support makers any way that you can.” 

Amber Warner has a somewhat different background; she’s been designing food tattoos since before she knew how to hold a tattoo gun. 

“When I first started drawing tattoos, it  was popular for tattoo collectors to want bright, bold, colorful imagery, and I think food was a natural attraction for me,” she says. “I’m  sure  every tattooer in the early 2000s tattooed candy or cupcake pieces, and I was captivated by the vivid and whimsical nature of them.”

Warner, a Tallahassee native, began getting tattoos in the early 2000s at local shops, which inspired her to start tattooing in 2013. She now owns Hot Love Tattoo. 

Warner’s gravitation to food imagery informed the first tattoos she put on her own skin, and she now recognizes that draw in her clients. She feels that most people have strong memories tied to food, whether it’s a favorite snack or a meal a loved one makes, and a tattoo is a way to carry those memories with them. 

“To be able to look at the art and fall into that place is powerful,” Warner adds. “Each time I make a food tattoo for someone, I also feel that connection because we’re similar in how we express our identity.”

Photo courtesy of Matthew Dudley

Warner reflects on her childhood growing up in a large Southern family and a world that revolved around food: “Most of my early memories are centered around a dining room table. From shelling peas with my Granny to assembling mounds of Christmas candy, I was always drawn to the process of making.” 

She acknowledges that this passion for creating has influenced her tattooing career and inspired her to become an avid cook.

Warner collects vintage cookbooks, many of which serve as inspiration for her work. 

“The art in cookbooks from the 40s or 50s, before actual photographs were used, was designed to be brilliant and graphic, to draw attention and be legible,” she says. “Coincidentally, these are the same qualities I attribute to great tattoos.”

From a heart-shaped donut to a cat with a slice of cheese on its head, Warner’s designs are undoubtedly both eye-catching and endearing. 

“I will never stop creating bright, bold food tattoos,” she says, “and hopefully clients will never stop asking for them.”