welcome TO GLITCH

Glitch Tattoo is a Queer Owned and Operated Private Luxury Tattoo Studio in the Steele Creek area of Charlotte, North Carolina and is home to none other than award winning tattooer Luke Kelly, otherwise known as @thebabaluke. At Glitch, we pride ourselves by being an all-inclusive safe space through various community work, outreach, and collaborations with pride events and other queer friendly spaces. Not only do we aim to give you the best art possible and bring your vision to life during your experience at Glitch, but we also strive to provide you with an exceptional experience during the process by creating a comfortable space for the body and mind. At Glitch, we aim for you to feel at home, and want share in the thought that its more than just a tattoo. It is a safe space. It is a form of expression. It is something that will become a part of you, and we thank you for the opportunity to share in that moment with you and create the best piece for you.

OWNER + ARTIST LUKE KELLY

Since 2020, Luke has been perfecting his craft full time specializing in illustrative blackwork tattoos. Since entering competitive tattooing circuits in 2021, Luke has won 20+ awards for his exceptional work in spaces with as many as 500+ other artists. His distinctive style features thin, crisp, and intricate linework paired with dynamic dot work to create a stippled effect. Luke excels in his portraiture work, where many people feel that his signature style is how he composes and designs the faces in each piece. Luke draws inspiration from manga, gothic imagery, and neo-traditional design work. Beyond tattooing, other artistic outlets that Luke utilizes consist of but are not exclusive to wood burning and apparel design, so be sure to keep an eye out for these types of works for sale under the shop tab above.

In life, Luke has been living as an out queer man since 2012 and married life partner of 7 years, Derek, in 2024. The two have been vegetarian since 2022 and feel it important that all products used at Glitch are cruelty-free if possible. For fun, Luke is an avid video gamer, Dungeons & Dragons player, and anime fan, so any idea you have for a tattoo that incorporates these things will thrill him. If he is not gaming, reading, or watching anime when at home, he is spending time with his dog and cat, Rasputin and Ymir.

Currently, Luke will be running a BOOKING SPECIAL exclusive to his first months at Glitch as a way to thank all of our clientele. During this time, he will be operating on a flat daily rate of $1000 for all day projects. To secure your booking, a $200 deposit is required, which will be deducted from the total cost of your tattoo. Luke’s current schedule is Wednesday through Saturday.

Luke's books are now open for appointments starting in January 2025. To book an appointment, the appointment request form below can be utilized to submit your ideas for consideration. We anticipate that this booking round will limit availability for some time to come and are not sure when books will open again once they close. We humbly ask that you become a part of the glitch guild by becoming part of our mailing list. There, we will send you updates on booking, specials, travel, etc.