LDF Tattoo

Welcome to LDF Tattoo, a tattoo studio owned and operated by tattoo artists who draw on more than 50 years of experience in the Australian tattoo industry.

We have two locations, one on King Street in Sydney’s Newtown, an area known for it’s arts and culture and the other on Illawarra Road in Marrickville.

Please check us out, have a look at our work and let us know how we can help you realise that tattoo you’ve been planning.

Please  feel free to leave us some feedback, and jump on the above link to follow us on facebook.

Thanks,

Les and the team @ LDF Tattoo.

Les Sr. tattooing Cindy Ray, some time in the early 60’s

LDF Tattoo in Newtown, Sydney, NSW is listed under Tattoo Parlours offering services such as Realism Tattooing, Black and Grey Tattooing, Watercolour Tattooing.

Some other services offered by LDF Tattoo include Ethnic Tattooing, Arm Tattooing, Portraits Tattooing, Tribal Tattooing, Script Lettering Tattooing, American Traditional Tattoo, Hand Tattooing.

Phone LDF Tattoo to make an appointment with our friendly staff.

Our History

Born in 1942, Les Bowen began tattooing in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley in 1959.

Les had studios in various locations in Queensland and New South Wales in the next 25 years, before settling in Townsville, North Queensland in the early 1980s.

His sons Leslie and Leon were introduced to the industry at an early age, and began tattooing in the early 90′s each at the age of about 16.

Leslie moved to Sydney in 2003 to study Fine Art at the National Art School, working at The Illustrated Man, Sydney’s premier street tattoo studio of a night to pay his way.

Graduating in 2006 with Honours in Painting, Leslie won the Doug Moran National Portrait

Prize in March of 2007, and spent a few months traveling in Europe with his young family and

working at his brother’s well regarded studio Chameleon Tattoo in Paisley, Scotland.

In the spring of 2007, Les established a studio in Marrickville, Sydney where he could pursue both his tattooing and his painting.

This private studio soon gained a reputation for quality custom tattooing, and demand soon far outstripped Les’ capacity to keep up, so Les took on an apprentice – a talented draftsmen he met at Art School, Angus.

The pair built a solid working relationship and have become the foundation for LDF Tattoo, a street tattoo shop located in Newtown’s King Street that is still capable of handling the most fastidious custom requests, and the simpler requests of a walk-in punter.

As Les and Angus experienced an increase in demand for their work another apprentice was added to the mix.

Charlie started out with Les and Angus at their private studio and progressed with them towards the opening of LDF Newtown.

Now well into her tattooing career, Charlie has become known for her beautiful work. In 2012

the LDF family grew with the opening of a second shop, located in Sydney’s inner west suburb of Marrickville.

*We do not tattoo anybody under the age of 18, even with parental permission. No exceptions.

*Tattooing hands/face/neck is entirely up to each individual artists discretion and can only be

arranged by speaking to us in person. Please drop by the studio for a free consultation.

Professional tattooing Sydney’s Inner West. Two locations. Open 7 days. Walk-ins welcome.

General Information—info@ldftattoo.com

FAQ

Pricing & Quotes:

Single-session tattoos are priced individually according to design, size, and location on the body. Ongoing work is charged at an hourly rate per session until it is complete. We are happy to provide rough quotes for basic pieces via email if you cannot make it into the studio, however we cannot quote tattoos over the phone. Large-scale pieces and more substantial custom designs generally require a free face to face consultation with your chosen artist, which can be arranged by phoning the corresponding studio.

Deposits:

A non-refundable deposit of at least $100 is required for all tattoo bookings. Large-scale ongoing work and full day bookings require a larger deposit. This is payable over the phone with a credit card, or with cash in person at the studio. Rescheduling of appointments needs to be done at least 24hrs in advance in order to retain a valid deposit, or your deposit will be forfeited to the studio.

Tattooing Minors:

We do not tattoo anybody under the age of 18, even with parental consent. No exceptions, sorry!

Hand/Neck/Face Tattoos:

The tattooing of hands, necks, and faces is completely up to the discretion of each individual artist. We cannot book you in for these areas without speaking to you in person first, so please drop by the studio or call us to book in a free consultation.

Reviews

“Popped in to discuss my idea for fresh ink and after a friendly consultation with Brett we both agreed that my initial placement just wouldn’t work. However, a new spot on my foot was just the ticket and he set to work straight away putting my idea into reality. I’m incredibly happy with the result and Brett was very conscienscous of my pain levels throughout the foot tattoo…..yep those ankle bones can be a touch tender. Thank you very much and see you next month for another addition to my ink collection Brett x”

“Won’t be going back to Newtown LDF ever again!! Tattooist should have realised the break between my script was too big n went in for a touch up today but I made sure to look after the skin/tatt so didn’t require any touch up at all but when I told Brett I wasn’t happy with the large space in between the writing n to pls add just 2 or 3 little dots, he wanted to charge me $100 for that?? N as I was not impressed due to such disgusting price gouging for a customer who would have been ongoing, he mouthed off to me as I left on top of it!! Do NOT recommend this place & save yourself some effort n unpleasant over charging n go to Marrickville or another tattooist altogether!! $100 bucks for 2-3 small dots?! WTF?? They’ve lost my business n was just about to arrange my next tatt but am going to industrial strength or Marrickville now instead. Hope your disgusting gouging n rudeness was worth it guys…very upset n irate customer!!”

“I’ve been a return customer of Brett’s for years, I have his script work, black work and traditional work on my body. Brett is an extremely diverse and talented artist that i have recommended to friends on more than one occasion. When tasked with my strange requests he has always worked to the best of his abilities to work my desires while ensuring the integrity of my tattoos. Brett has extremely loyal customers which says more than enough about his talent and what a stand up bloke he is.’

“…thank you, thank you, thank you…love my latest tattoo and already thinking about my next…Spina spent a great deal of time and effort turning my thoughts into an awesome design…peace and kindness to the LDF crew…”

“Nick mathews in LDF is my new BFF for giving best ever tatt yet, im happy out and not alone that, was such great company for spending 5hrs chatting to….in fact every1 there wer so nice �”