Best Tattoo artist in Amsterdam ??

http://www.dikkedennis.nl/

to be honest I have no idea - not my thing, but this guy is pretty famous.

As is this guy...hanky

Thanks soooo much for the response, im checking out that site now. its so hard to know which one to trust, especially considering the tattoo phenomenom in Ams.

Great advice Siduri, really appreciate you taking the time to tell me this.

Cheers, and im going to check out their gallery now

Don't check out the galleries for too long, they'll just inspire you for more ;-)

What do you mean with "whom to trust"? In case you refer to cleanliness and safety I'd say they are all good and there is nothing to worry about. Unless you find yourself a real dodgy place.

no i dont mean trust in that way,i mean in terms of artistic tattoo abilities

I would highly reccomened Mauritz from house of tattoos. I recently went and got an amazing tattoo done by him, which i honestly couldn't be happier with. I was originally pretty sceptical about getting a tattoo done in Amsterdam, as i have heard that some places can be quite dodgy, but the atmosphere at house of tattoos is great, it is extremely clean and mauritz is a really nice guy and an amazing artist. I live in Australia but i am so happy with his work that im actually considering flying back to Amsterdam for my next tattoo.

Definitely worth checking out if your thinking of getting a tatt done in Amsterdam, heres the link:
www.houseoftattoos.nl

I also got a tattoo from Mauritz in Amsterdam at the House of Tattoos. I went to a couple of different shops in Amsterdam to figure out who I wanted to do my tattoo. The other places didn't have tattoo artists as much as they did tattoo tracers. I wanted an artist to help create an image for me - it was important that my tattoo not only be original and unique to me, but be tailored to the message I wanted to continually remind myself of. Other shops had people who just wanted to trace an image on me, but Mauritz did an amazing job working with the design I wanted and infusing some great creativity in it. He may be a beefy dutch viking dude, but he can create beautiful tattoos with incredible detail. He did a 3D tattoo, black and white, and it was draping over my shoulder. He really did a fantastic job, that's saying a lot considering the tattoo was draped over my shoulder and he still made it look 3D and awesome. He also made sure to contour it to my body curves (bones and such).
So, I would recommend Mauritz at the House of Tattoos. I would recommend letting him know you want him to do your tattoo because he is an artist, not because he is someone who can trace something perfectly on your body. And it would probably help to email him beforehand and tell him the concept so he has time to work with it.
And after getting your tattoo, go to the Ethiopian restaurant in Jordan. Yum!

Oh - and btw, tattoo artists in Amsterdam do NOT have to be licensed. They get jobs through their portfolios (and their portfolios are composed of tattoos they have done). This is different from the US. So, due to the fact that there is no license requirement for people to obtain before becoming a tattoo artist, you should be careful of who you trust to ink you, and ensure you find a place that follows the sterilization and health codes (House of Tattoos in Amsterdam has incredible health and sanitation records). My tattoo healed exceptionally well, with very minimal itchiness and no scarring/scabbing (I didn't even buy that Bepanthan stuff - I accidentally bought something with a similar name that was an unscented lotion - turned out fine just the same).

You don't have to be licensed in most of the American states, and in those in which you do, the process is a simple matter of an easy test. There is no state or country that monitors quality of the artist/studio's work - that you can only tell from the portfolio (and of course word of mouth is usually a great gauge too). Hiring of tattooists works the same in Europe, the Americas, South Pacific and probably most other places - in that you always are hired on the basis of your portfolio... sometimes who you know, but usually it is about portfolio.
It is always good to ask questions, and make sure your tattooist is doing everything the proper way (I am a tattooist, and I don't mind at all when clients ask - no one I know does, so don't be afraid), but without question I would say the common level of hygiene standards in Amsterdam are equal to American city standards. In most big cities the tattooing hygiene standards are about the same - it is mostly a self-governing industry, which is good for you, the client, in that most tattooists are competitive lunatics, and go way above health board regulations, to make sure their studios are clean... one thing you should look for though is if the tattooist touches ANYTHING non-disposable with dirty gloves (before you freak out about this though, be sure the gloves are actually dirty - meaning used during a tattoo). This is usually the only bad habit that still remains in any real studio, and it is quite a bad one.
The most important thing about getting a tattoo us to go with your instincts and go to a tattooist you trust - then - listen to them. This is important, because it is their job to visualize things you cannot. You will come out with a much better tattoo if you listen to a well-chosen tattooist's advice, than if you try to push an idea that you are told won't work well.
For a tattoo in Amsterdam I would go to either House of Tattoos or Tattoo Peter - both great studios with friendly and creative tattooists.
Hanky Panky's studio is a classic, and the slightly higher prices are because they are really selling bragging rights for tattoo fans - not bad if that's what you're after.