@charliekarnage

📍Warren, Ohio, USA

Charlie Karnage is a tattoo artist and shop owner whose path into tattooing came the hard way. Raised around artists through his father’s involvement in the drug world, Charlie was exposed early to tattoo culture’s raw underside. Originally from California, he was largely self-taught, learning by obsession, repetition, and survival. Before opening his own studio, Charlie lived fully outside the rules, a background that forged his uncompromising work ethic and dark perspective. He later founded Apothic, a tattoo shop and concert venue, channeling chaos into craft. Today, his work reflects lived experience, discipline earned the long way, and a refusal to dilute authenticity.

Charlie Karnage specializes in horror imagery and black and grey realism, blending brutality with precision. His career is marked by relentless output and a reputation earned on skin, not shortcuts. Over the years, his tattoos have received dozens of awards and consistent recognition for technical control, contrast, and atmosphere, without chasing trends or categories. As owner of Apothic, he curates both tattoo culture and live music, hosting events that cross art forms. Outside the studio, Charlie is an avid collector of weapons, motorcycles, and dangerous reptiles—interests that mirror the risk, focus, and respect required in his work, and a commitment to constant evolution.