David Dettloff

David Dettloff got his first tattoo in 1983 at Steve's Tattoo in Madison, WI. Within three years, he had multiple tattoos and was working at Steve’s cleaning and producing flash—more in an attempt to get more tattoos rather than a paycheck. 

David continued to expand his art skills at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In 1989, he graduated with a BFA in Drawing and Painting. He spent time living in Minneapolis and working at the Walker Art Center before moving on to graduate school in 1991. He went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Art Theory and Practice from Northwest University in Chicago. Three weeks after graduation, he was back tattooing at Steve’s Tattoo in Madison. Starting his career in a street shop—creating a lot of flash and walk-in tattoos—allowed David to develop a versatile style.

Armed with experience and education, he knew he needed to do more—to push the bounds of his creativity and technical skill. So in 1995, David founded The Ink Lab in Uptown, Minneapolis—one of the few tattoo shops in the city at the time. Nearly thirty years later, David continues to push the bounds of his skill and imagination at the Ink Lab. 

David is now accepting clients looking for realistic tattoos, illustrative tattoos, nature tattoos, and tattoos that allow him a lot of freedom of style.