Steve Butcher is a New Zealand-based tattoo artist that has been getting tons of attention for his incredible, hyperrealistic portraits. Many of his artworks have included iconic moments in basketball and the artist travels the world inking clients wanting photo-realistic tattoos.

In an interview with Inked Magazine, Butcher says he only started tattooing in 2011 after a friend of saw one of his paintings and suggested he give it a shot.

Butcher lists Dean Sacred, Erin Chance, Nikko Hurtado, Carlos Torres, Matt Jordan, and Mick Squires as just some of the few artists that originally inspired him and goes on to mention Benjamin Laukis, Dmitriy Samohin, Carlos Rojas and Seunghyun Jo as peers that he respects and is inspired by.

To keep up with Butcher’s latest artworks, follow him on Instagram where he has over 326,000 followers.