Puedmag Custom Ink is a tattoo shop that might be one of the best places in Toronto to get realistic-style tattoos.

Co-owner Luis Fernando Puedmag Vinueza recently racked up awards at the 2015 Northern Ink Exposure convention.

Hailing from a small town in Ecuador, Vinueza started his tattoo career there but has now been in Canada for three years. The shop has been open since 2014 operating as a private studio. Earlier this summer they decided to expand when a space opened up next-door.

Vinueza owns the shop with partner Tina Puedmag Legris and they've rounded out the studio with three other artists.

An immaculate, bright studio space, Puedmag Custom Ink lays to rest the image of the seedy tattoo parlour. It's on the vanguard of tattooing's new reality: warm, inviting, and focused on customer service.

"You come in and discuss what you would like and we'll tell you what is best as a tattoo," says Legris. "We'll guide you in a way that will make that tattoo come to life."

The studio takes walk-ins but traffic is spotty given its upstairs location.

Photos by Hector Vasquez