Aiden Appleford (she/they) is an illustrative tattooer located in Chicago, IL. Aiden is from the coast of Maine, and graduated from Collage of the Atlantic in 2017 with a B.A. in Human Ecology. Aiden has had many adventures on her journey to tattooing, from sailing tall ships in Penobscot Bay to teaching middle school science. Through all the work they have done, Aiden has remained an artist at heart. Aiden drew her first tattoo designs as a teenager, dreaming of the history of inking sailors. Raised in a family of makers, Aiden is comfortable at a pottery wheel, a painters easel, a sewing machine, in a kitchen, or with a sketchpad in hand. Aiden is most interested in the alchemy of artistic transformation. 

Aiden’s tattoo style falls under the category of illustrative, as storytelling is a key part of each project they take on. Under the illustrative umbrella, Aiden’s work branches off into linework, black and grey, and color designs. Aiden’s many interests and diverse skill set results in a vast range of work, making her the ideal fit for a variety of projects. Some of Aiden’s favorite subjects include anything whimsical, natural, or magical, such as her biome spirals, queer-self-love projects, botanical illustrations, women, and both earthly and fantastic creatures. Aiden is also inspired by many different art movements, such as impressionism, medieval art, art nouveau, neo-traditional tattooers and other illustrative styles.