Most tattoos are designed to be seen. Mine are designed to transform. I’m Jonny Hall, a globally recognized tattoo artist specializing in realism and ultraviolet tattooing. While most artists focus on what’s visible in daylight, I became obsessed with what could be hidden within it. Over the past several years, I’ve developed techniques that allow a tattoo to exist in two distinct states — one that stands strong in natural light, and another that only reveals itself under blacklight.
Below are some of my favorite UV tattoos so you can see exactly how each piece transforms.
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#1 My Octopus Teacher
Not your typical octopus!
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My work has been featured across major international platforms and has generated over half a billion views online. Much of that attention has come from pushing UV tattooing beyond novelty and into high-level realism. I’m widely recognized as the first artist to specialize in integrating ultraviolet pigment into detailed, realistic compositions as a core style—not just an accent.
#2 Feminine Energy
This tattoo was for my client who wanted a tattoo to represent a quote that she lives by each day: “To become learned, each day add something. To become enlightened, each day drop something.” – Lao Tzu
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#3 Cyborg
Art imitating technology, or technology imitating art?
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UV tattooing isn’t about making something glow. It’s about restraint. A tattoo must look complete, balanced, and powerful in daylight. Every shadow, highlight, and texture must hold up on its own. Then, when the light shifts, a second dimension activates—constellations ignite, embers burn beneath the skin, eyes illuminate, and bioluminescent details appear where there was once only shadow.
The result is artwork that holds a secret.
#4 The Tiger
The one you don’t see coming, unless you happen to have a blacklight!
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#5 Cairns Birdwing Butterfly
Cairns Birdwing butterfly done using green and yellow UV, which both look like regular color inks in daylight.
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#6 Memorial Tattoo
More than a car—a legacy carried forward. Built in steel, remembered in skin. This piece keeps my client’s dad riding with her, every single day.
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#7 Freehand Lightning
8 months healed. Done using invisible UV ink.
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#8 Arcane Hex Tattoo
That which inspires us to our greatest good is also the cause of our greatest evil: Arcane. Another fun Arcane tattoo, for another one of my clients who is fanatical about the series.
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#9 Fire Phoenix
Rebirth in real time—a phoenix forged in shadow, ignited with orange UV lava.
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#10 UV Glitter Snake
Another UV glitter tattoo done using emerald style colors, this time in the shape of a snake, using regular white ink as the outline to keep a subtle look in daylight.
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#11 The Sea, The Moon And The Stars
The pull of the moon, the rhythm of the sea, and a sky full of stars—everything is connected. A tattoo for a particularly spiritual client of mine.
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#12 Magic Mycelium
Psychedelic by name, psychedelic by nature. This tattoo was done using color UV, which look like regular tattoos in daylight and really show off that fantastic fungi magic under the black light.
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#13 Zeus, King Of Kings
Zeus in natural light—classical, powerful, timeless.Under UV, the lightning reveals itself—an invisible force brought to life.
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#14 Crescent Moon UV Forehead Tattoo
This tattoo represents cycles, growth and intuition. This particular piece is over two years old and has a beautiful pastel opaque presence in daylight. It still shines just as bright as a moonlight once illuminated!
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#15 Samurai Warrior With Glowing Eyes
Another example of not all tattoos needing a lot of UV. Sometimes less is more.
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#16 Zeus, Lava Lightning
A different spin on Zeus. Lava lightning, created with red UV ink.
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#17 The World Is Yours
A classical Greek statue tattoo, with a modern gangster twist…IYKYK.
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#18 Om – The Essence Of The Universe
The sound of creation, translated into light.
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#19 Green UV Butterfly
12 months healed butterfly done using green UV ink.
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#20 Capricorn Energy
Capricorn, the star sign of patience, power, and precision.
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#21 Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star
These little stars were the first UV glitter tattoo that the world had seen, and most certainly put UV glitter tattoos on the map. They broke the Internet for a minute.
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#22 Arcane Mechanical Butterfly
This one was for an Arcane enthusiast who loved the mechanical butterflies from the show.
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#23 La Glitter Sticker
LA logo by day. Under UV, it shines like a diamond. With glitter tattoos becoming more and more popular, the use of UV ink takes them to another stratosphere.
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#24 Snake Chakras
A serpent winding through the chakras—often misunderstood, the snake has long symbolized transformation, rebirth, and hidden wisdom across cultures.
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#25 Neo (Not So) Traditional Snake
Two sides of the same serpent—one seen, one waiting to glow.
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#26 Sydney City Line
This was a fun one for my client who came to Sydney all the way from the US and likes to collect a tattoo in each place she visits.
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#27 Ice And Fire
Not all UV needs to be the main feature, UVealism… which is the mix of UV and realism, should use UV to complement the piece and not take away from it. This is a perfect example, for my client. I wanted the woman’s face to be the main focal point.
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#28 Glow Hearts
For my client who is proud of his sexuality as well as his tattoo.
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#29 Lilo And Stitch – Ohana
This was a particularly fun Lilo and stitch color tattoo. I did this using orange UV tattoo ink in a few places to give it some of that Hawaiian magic.
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#30 Cross
Christian Cross for my client who wanted a tattoo to represent his faith. This was done using orange UV ink, which heals like a regular orange in daylight and glows like lava under a black light.
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#31 She Dances With Wolves
Not everything wild needs to be tamed. This one was done for my client who wanted to represent her soft nature alongside her wild nature. The UV ink reveals a hidden site to the tattoo just as there is a hidden side to her.
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#32 Invisible UV Angel Wing
“I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way.” – Exodus 23:20. Done using parts in visible UV ink, which heals completely undetectable in daylight and creates that magic touch under a UV torch.
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#33 Menace
This one is for my client who always felt she was a bit of a menace to society—and what better way to show that than with a UV tattoo so bright you need shades to look at it?
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#34 Happy Little Cactus
Fun tattoo for my client Joao…who is super gay….and loves his bicycle. And would be a cactus if he were a plant (his words).
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#35 Invisible UV Mandala
Clean geometry by day, glowing symmetry by night. Precision in every line—then the UV brings it to life.
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#36 A Walking Bit Of Art
Client: “Wouldn’t it be cool if you did a tattoo on me with loads of the UV colours in it, so you can show anyone who asks what they look like?” Me: “Hear me out….” This healed tattoo is around 2 1/2 years old, and it’s still just as colorful.
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#37 UV Glitter Butterfly
This client wanted a pink and purple UV butterfly, which are both of her daughter’s favorite colors. For that personal feel, we added her daughter’s initials on each wing.
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#38 Bentley
A tattoo done totally in red UV of my client’s name, which looks like hot lava under the UV torch.
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#39 Script UV Head Tattoo
They call these jobs stoppers for a reason, and this client’s got his wife’s name on the side of his head… the ultimate way to get in the good books!
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#40 His And Hers UV Hearts
What’s that saying? A couple that get tattoos together.
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