Drawn for
one body.

I've tattooed since 2013. For a stretch I slowed down to a piece a month and painted the rest of the time — same hand, same way of building something line by line until it means something.

Most people arrive not quite sure what they want. That's normal, and it's the part I'm good at. We work it out on your skin before anything is permanent, and you go home and think before you pay me anything.

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Lion & Muse — Black & grey realism tattoo by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Area Toronto · Mississauga · GTA
Styles Black & grey realism · micro-realism · fine-line
Pricing Quoted per piece
Deposit Only after you've slept on it

Selected work

Where a price is shown, it's what that exact piece cost in the year it was done — so you walk in with a real sense of pricing, not a question mark. Older pieces were priced at older rates; current rates are in the questions below.

Lion & Muse — Black & grey realism tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Lion & Muse $1,500

Black & grey realism · Forearm

A lion's face dissolving into a woman's, built as a single double-exposure.

Wukong — Black & grey realism tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Wukong $1,200

Black & grey realism · Forearm

The Monkey King mid-roar, breaking out of the skin.

Tiger & Muse — Black & grey realism tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Tiger & Muse $1,500

Black & grey realism · Forearm

A tiger's head worn over a woman's portrait, gaze straight ahead.

Owl & Pocket Watch — Black & grey realism tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Owl & Pocket Watch $1,500

Black & grey realism · Forearm

An owl over a rose and a stopped pocket watch, set on deep black.

Galaxy Sleeve — Black & grey, fine-line detail tattoo, Full sleeve, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Galaxy Sleeve $8,000

Black & grey, fine-line detail · Full sleeve

A full Star Wars sleeve — ships, schematics, and a band of solid black.

Squadron — Fine-line, sketch style tattoo, Chest & shoulder, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Squadron $3,500

Fine-line, sketch style · Chest & shoulder

TIE fighters and a Death Star sketched across the chest and shoulder.

Atlas — Black & grey realism tattoo, Full sleeve, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Atlas $4,000

Black & grey realism · Full sleeve

A Greek statue mid-crumble, pieces breaking off into falling leaves.

Roses — Black & grey tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Roses Quoted

Black & grey · Forearm

A cluster of roses wrapping the forearm, soft grey wash throughout.

Medusa — Black & grey, mixed composition tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Medusa Quoted

Black & grey, mixed composition · Forearm

Medusa over an old map and handwriting running down to the wrist.

Cartographer — Black & grey, fine-line tattoo, Full sleeve, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Cartographer $2,400

Black & grey, fine-line · Full sleeve

A compass rose and antique map fading into botanicals down the arm.

Wild Botanical — Fine-line, black & grey tattoo, Calf, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Wild Botanical Quoted

Fine-line, black & grey · Calf

Leaves and a single rose trailing down the back of the leg.

Basquiat — Black & grey, lettering tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Basquiat Quoted

Black & grey, lettering · Forearm

A split Basquiat portrait wrapped in handwritten text.

Ocean & Mountains — Fine-line, black & grey tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Ocean & Mountains $200

Fine-line, black & grey · Forearm

Waves, sharks, and a mountain block running down the forearm.

Mountain Sunset — Blackwork band, fine-line tattoo, Forearm, by Yiwu Duan, Toronto
Mountain Sunset $250

Blackwork band, fine-line · Forearm

A framed landscape — sun, peaks, treeline — set as a solid band.

Prices shown are what those specific pieces cost at the time. Yours is quoted on its own, once I know the idea, size, and placement — and the number I give you is the number you pay. Pieces marked Quoted vary too much by size to put a single number on.

How a booking works

  1. You tell me the idea.

    Rough is fine — half an idea is fine. The placement, a rough size, anything you've saved. One message is enough to start.

  2. I draw it on you.

    Not on paper first — on your body, in person, moved around until it sits right. Most people don't really know what they want until they see it there. This part is free and it takes as long as it takes.

  3. You go home and think.

    No deposit on the day we meet. Sleep on it. If you come back still wanting it, we book a date and the deposit comes off the price.

  4. We tattoo.

    You see the finished drawing before anything permanent happens, and you can still say no at that point. You leave with aftercare and a way to reach me.

What I'll talk you out of

Some things I'll tell you not to do. Placements that blur inside a few years. Detail too fine to survive at the size you're asking for. Ideas you're getting for someone else rather than for yourself.

If it isn't something I can do well, I'll say so and point you towards someone who can. I'd rather lose the booking than put my name on work that ages badly — you're the one who has to live with it, and I'm the one whose work it stays.

Booking

Tell me the idea, the placement, and a rough size. Reference links welcome. Nothing here commits you to anything — it starts a conversation. I reply within two days, even if the answer is that someone else is better for this one.

Rather just write to me? hi@yiwuduan.com

Already a client? View your designs

Questions

How much does a tattoo cost?
Every piece is quoted individually, because every piece is drawn from scratch. To give you a real sense: a detailed black-and-grey forearm piece usually lands around $1,500, a half sleeve around $3,000, and a full sleeve from $6,000 up depending on scale and detail. You will get a firm quote before anything is booked — no surprises on the day, and no change to the number partway through a session.
Do you take a deposit?
Not on the day we first meet. We sit down, I draw the idea on your body, and then you go home and think about it — with nothing paid. If you come back still wanting it, a deposit holds your date and comes off the price. If life happens and you need to move, it moves with you. I would rather you postpone than sit for something you are not sure about.
What if I do not like the drawing?
Then we change it, or we do not do it. You see the design before anything permanent happens, and you can still say no at that point — the deposit is not a trap to make you go through with something. Most of that gets sorted long before the day anyway, because we draw it on your body first and move it around until it sits right.
Where are you located? Do you take clients from Mississauga?
A private studio in the Greater Toronto Area, by appointment, one person at a time — no walk-ins, no waiting room, nobody else in the room while you are being tattooed. That privacy matters more than people expect, especially for scars and cover-ups. Most of my clients come from Toronto, Mississauga and the cities around them. You get the address once we have met and you have decided to book.
Is it clean?
Nothing in the room gets used twice. Needles and cartridges come out of sealed packaging in front of you and go straight into a sharps container afterwards. Ink is poured fresh for you and thrown out at the end. The machine is fully sleeved in barrier layers, and every surface gets wiped down with disinfectant between sessions. Ask me to talk you through any of it — I would rather you asked than wondered.
What styles do you tattoo?
Realism is the main thing I do — black & grey portraits, animals, statues, landscapes. Micro-realism when a piece needs to stay small and still hold detail, fine-line work, and custom lettering. Single meaningful pieces through to full sleeves. I do not do colour, and I do not repeat flash. If your idea fits that lane, it is the right fit.
Will you tell me if my idea is a bad one?
Yes. Placements that blur inside a few years, detail too fine to survive at the size you want, ideas you are getting for someone else — I will say so. If it is not something I can do well, I will tell you and point you towards someone who can. I would rather lose the booking than put my name on work that ages badly.
How do I take care of it while it heals?
You will leave with simple written aftercare and a way to reach me. Keep it clean, keep it moisturised, keep it out of the sun and the pool for the first couple of weeks. If anything looks off while it heals, message me — I would always rather hear from you.
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