About me
Jake Ross is a tattoo artist from Lake County, Ohio, with over 15 years of experience. He is known for his black and grey realism with color infused accents, high-contrast work with smooth shading, strong textures, and lifelike detail. He also creates bold, wall-to-wall color tattoos inspired by anime, comics, and video games. His style blends precision with creativity, giving every tattoo the power to stand out and last a lifetime. Clients can view his work and book directly at jakerosstattoos.com.
Jake Ross grew up in tattooing. His father, Shawn Ross, opened Legendary Tattooz in Mentor, Ohio, in 1993, the city’s first tattoo studio. From the time Jake was a baby, tattooing was part of his daily life. His dad used to say that the steady buzz of a coil machine was the only thing that could put him to sleep. By the time he was a kid, Jake was sketching flash designs of his own, learning by watching his father work in the shop.
At 13, Jake tattooed his dad for the first time, a moment that marked the real beginning of his career. By 15, he already had a strong grip on the craft, tattooing friends and classmates with steady confidence. His work gained so much
attention that even his math and history teachers got tattooed by him while he was still in high school. These early years proved that Jake had not only natural talent but also the focus and discipline to take tattooing seriously from the start.
Over the years, Jake has explored nearly every style of tattooing, but two approaches define his work today. His black and grey realism with color infused accents combines smooth shading, rich contrast, and detailed textures with elements from video games, anime, horror, comics, dark art, and other custom concepts. The result is work that feels bold, original, and built to last. He is also recognized for his full-color anime, comic, and video game tattoos, known for heavy line work, wall-to-wall color, and a vibrant energy that brings characters to life. Few artists move comfortably between realism and bold pop culture pieces at Jake’s level, and that versatility has become his trademark.
His career has taken him across the country and internationally, including guest work in Milan, Italy. He has earned awards such as Best of Show at the Empire State Tattoo Expo and has been featured in Skin & Ink and Inked magazines. In 2019, Jake competed on Ink Master Season 12: Battle of the Sexes, where he advanced to the final four. The experience pushed him to work outside his comfort zone, adapt to intense challenges, and showcase his art to a national audience. One of the most meaningful parts of the experience was that his father was able to see his success on the show before passing away the following year.
For Jake, tattooing has always been about more than just the art. It is about connection. Some of his most meaningful
Jake’s influences include H.R. Giger, Alex Ross, Todd McFarlane, and Dmitriy Samohin, whose mastery of realism made a lasting impact on Jake’s career. Just as important are the films that inspire him, especially classics like the Alien franchise, John Carpenter’s The Thing, and Hellboy, along with a lifelong love for horror and sci-fi. These stories of atmosphere, texture, and imagination echo throughout his work and give his tattoos their cinematic quality.
Now, Jake tattoos alongside Brandi at Everlast Tattoo Co., their studio in Mentor, Ohio. They have built a space known for its artistry, professionalism, and welcoming atmosphere. Movies are almost always playing in the shop, from sci-fi classics to horror favorites, giving clients a laid-back, comfortable setting that makes long sessions fly by. The mix of high-level artistry and relaxed vibe has become a hallmark of the Everlast experience, and it is one of the reasons clients keep coming back.
Outside the studio, Jake spends his time with his wife, daughter, and their English
personal tattoos include a skull outline by his younger brother when he was 10, a matching Chucky and Tiffany piece with his wife Brandi, and a sticker-style tattoo of his father’s shop logo created by coworker Chad Medema. Each one represents family, legacy, and the path that brought him to where he is today.
bulldog. He is also a gamer, a fan of anime, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, and he enjoys collecting oddities like skulls and taxidermy. His love for horror, sci-fi, and pop culture continues to fuel his creativity, ensuring that every tattoo he creates carries both technical strength and a sense of story.
Clients can book with Jake through jakerosstattoos.com, where his assistant helps guide the process from consultation to session day. Every tattoo is approached with the same goal: to create work that is original, high-quality, and built to last.
