I collect two things: plants and tattoos. I have ten tattoos of my own and have seen the work of countless Tarrant County artists on the body of my dearest friend, Cori O. They explained to me, “Eddy is the first name out of my mouth when someone asks for a tattoo artist in Fort Worth.”
But this substantiation begins on a quiet weeknight, in a local bar. Eddy Herrera sat next to me. We knew each other, but not well. While we played bingo, I watched unrecognizable registration marks on the back of his card be transformed into eloquent, detailed portraits of women in a matter of minutes. His medium? A multi-color click pen. This sparked an urge to get to know Eddy better, to not only get to know him, but to discuss the types of things two creatives do.
I knew about Herrera’s work. In fact, my friend I mentioned has Chappel Roan’s eyes adorning their leg, tattooed by Eddy. That evening, I started exploring his work. As I scrolled through his Instagram (@eddygtattoo), I was impressed by the quality and diversity. This was the work of a man who was constantly evolving as an artist. Who’s committed to their craft.
Courtesy Facebook
Eddy and I sat down at Renaissance Tattoo Collective, his resident studio, and talked about his career. Eddy’s been tattooing for over 10 years. We talked about memorable tattoos, and despite his humble nature, he explained that the standout feature of his color Darth Maul piece was that it was the first time he had attempted that style. A testament to his talent.
But I was curious what made his work memorable to clients. I asked Travis Lewis, who’s received two tattoos from Eddy, including a sentimental portrait of his spouse who passed. He also talked about his other piece, an Elvira Mistress of the Dark tattoo. He explained, “When I posted it in an online Elvira fan club group, many people were blown away at the realism and level of expertise. Another client, Shannon Osbakken, explains Eddy makes getting tattooed way too easy. He’s professional, ridiculously fast, and the attention to detail in his portraits is unreal.”
Back at the front of the tattoo shop, a grin spread across my face when Eddy explained he wanted his clients to “feel like they had a good experience,” just like I did that night in the bar. From a focus on efficiency and technicality, he wants his clients to feel proud of their tattoos. He wants to be known as someone who does their best work. And it surely shows. It’s no surprise, then, that he won a Best Of 2026 award last week. And, he is in good company.
Formerly known as Dark Age Tattoo Studio, Renaissance Tattoo Studio (2836 Bledsoe St, Ste 200, Fort Worth, 682-499-5734) and some of its individual artists all won awards this year. The studio won the Critic’s Choice for Best Tattoo Studio and Readers’ Choice for Best Customer Service and Best Place to Work. While Herrera won the Critic’s Choice for Best Tattoo Artist, his fellow RTC tattooist Rember Orellana tied for the Readers’ Choice with Lady Karina from Chosen One in Arlington, and Katie Burm won a Readers’ Choice as well for Best Piercing Artist.
Look for more promotional information about our Readers’ Choice winners in the coming weeks in Winners’ Circle. For more information, contact Marketing@fwweekly.com.
