Whisky Time Tattoo owner Ben Smith named Toowoomba’s favourite tattoo artist

We asked, you voted, and now your number one tattoo artist has been revealed. Toowoomba’s best tattoo artist inked his father when he was 6, and has now started his own business.

From the time that Ben Smith could read and hold a pen, he was tattooing.

The son of a tattoo artist, Mr Smith was a six-year-old when he did his first tattoo on his father, and he hasn’t looked back.

“It’s fair to say that tattooing is in the blood,” he said.

His passion and dedication to the craft has earnt Mr Smith a loyal support base which helped him take out The Chronicle’s favourite tattooist poll.

Ben Smith from Whisky Time Tattoo is the favourite tattoo artist in the Chronicle poll. Friday, August 27, 2021. Picture: Nev Madsen.

“I just love creating things for people that they get to carry around forever and enjoy it,” he said.

“It’s one of those things where I just like making people happy and what I can create for them makes them happy.”

Mr Smith said in his 22-year experience in the industry there was no such thing as weird, within reason.

“The really extreme or rude stuff I leave it to others because your reputation is on the line but other than that I find everything interesting,” he said.

“You don’t need an elaborate story to get a tattoo. Some people think it needs to have a massive meaning but it could be as simple as ‘I like that’.”

Ben Smith from Whisky Time Tattoo is the favourite tattoo artist in the Chronicle poll. Friday, August 27, 2021. Picture: Nev Madsen.

One happy customer was Kody Roeder, who got his second tattoo by Mr Smith on Friday.

“For my first one my partner went to Ben and she was really happy with how it went, and from there I asked around and nearly everyone said Whisky Time Tattoo,” he said.

Ben Smith from Whisky Time Tattoo is the favourite tattoo artist in the Chronicle poll pictured with client Kody Roeder (left). Friday, August 27, 2021. Picture: Nev Madsen.

This year Mr Smith launched his own tattoo business Whisky Time Tattoo alongside Scott Hornery.

“Scott and I have worked together for about 10 years now – we get along so well and really understand each other.”

“For a long time my dad told me to go out on my own but I just never got around to it,” Mr Smith said.

“But at the start of the year I just thought ‘why not give it a go?’ so I did.”

Scott Hornery (left) and Ben Smith have opened Whisky Time Tattoo in Ruthven St. Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Picture: Nev Madsen.