Lisbon
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Sinopia, a fine line tattoo atelier in Lisbon.
About
Sinopia is a small atelier for fine line and botanical tattoos, opened in 2019 by two friends who trained as printmakers. In fresco painting the sinopia is the red drawing made on the wall before any colour goes on. We make that first line, on skin.
Our vision
A tattoo should look drawn, not printed. Thin lines, slow work and room to breathe. We keep the atelier small so each piece gets the hours it needs, and we check it with you again after it has healed.
Meettheartists
Artists
Every artist shown here is fictional.
Trained as a printmaker. Marta draws every piece by hand at the long table and tattoos it the same week.
Co-Founder
Marta Vilhena
Fine line, Botanical, Micro
Tomas builds his designs from a grid of measured lines and is happiest on forearms, calves and backs.
Co-Founder
Tomas Rebelo
Geometric, Blackwork, Linework
Nia draws flowers from the market stalls near the atelier, then thins them to a single line.
Resident
Nia Adeyemi
Floral, Dotwork, Illustrative
Thirty years at the machine. Joaquim reworks old tattoos so they look like they were meant to be there.
Resident
Joaquim Serra
Cover-ups, Repair, Fine line
Lena works in repeating patterns that follow the body, from a wrist band to a full back.
Resident
Lena Hartmann
Ornamental, Lace, Fine line
Rafael tattoos very small portraits and object studies, each one no bigger than a coin.
Guest
Rafael Duarte
Micro realism, Portrait
Ingrid visits twice a year from the north with a sketchbook of ferns, moss and winter branches.
Guest
Ingrid Solheim
Botanical, Illustrative
Kenji paints with negative space, so the skin does half of the drawing.
Guest
Kenji Arruda
Blackwork, Abstract
Studio
A quiet atelier above a stone workshop in Lisbon. Four artists, two chairs and one long table where every design is drawn by hand before it goes on skin. We work by appointment, from a single small sketch to a whole sleeve, and we never rush the line.
Meet the artists- Opened
- 2019
- Artists
- 4
- Pieces drawn
- 1,800+
Notes from the chair. Short reads on placement, healing and how a line is drawn.
Where on the body will a thin line age best?
What a consultation is for, and what to bring
Feed
Fictional posts for a concept brand.
Collectors say
Fictional quotes for a concept brand.
I had wanted a tattoo for ten years and was afraid of getting it wrong. Marta drew three versions at the table and we changed one line together.
A., first tattoo
The line is so thin it looks like it was there before me.
R., forearm fern
A calm room, no music you did not choose, and a check-in two weeks later.
J., ribs
They talked me out of a bigger piece and they were right.
S., wrist
Six hours in the chair and I never once felt rushed.
L., shoulder
My mother came along to watch and left with an appointment of her own.
T., ankle
Latest news
Sinopia adds a second chair for guest artists this autumn
September 2026
The atelier that starts every tattoo on paper first
August 2026
What 500 healed fine line tattoos taught us about placement
June 2026
A stone table, a north window: inside the Lisbon atelier
April 2026
Fictional headlines for a concept brand.