Polynesian tribal · Māori · Samoan
KoruTatau
Tattoo artist specialising in Māori and tribal
The artist
I'm Leonel Martínez. I tattoo Polynesian tribal, Māori and Samoan, and I usually fuse them with respect: faithful to tradition, adapted to today's times and techniques.
I founded A Sailor's Grave Tattoo Barcelona, my private studio in Granollers. I share the room with artists whose craft feeds mine; good treatment and made-to-measure design are our flag, and being private lets us look after each client's privacy.
I've been tattooing in Spain since 2003 and I still work with renowned studios, as I have for many years.
§ 01 · The work
Custom projects.
Every piece here was made to the client's taste; other times the design was left entirely to my judgement. Either way, they are always exclusive designs.
Filter by
body area
Showing 20 of 168 pieces
Every piece is born on the client's skin. The full archive lets you go through all of them at size.
See the full archive→§ 02 · The method
Freehand, no stencil.
I study the shapes of the body and draw freehand. I fit the lines to the muscles, following them organically, so that time and physical change don't wear the piece down.
No repeated stencils: every piece is born on your skin, for your anatomy and your story.
Chest · green marker
Chest and shoulder drawn in marker
Chest · green and yellow marker
Chest with a honu, traced on the body
Hand · red marker
Hand and fingers, line by line
Shoulder · red and orange marker
Shoulder and arm, shaped to the muscle
Process · over the drawing marker
The needle goes in over the drawing itself
Armband · blue and purple marker
Forearm band, closed to measure
Shoulder · red marker
Shoulder with a tiki over older work
Leg · green marker
Leg, following the line of the shin
Your piece starts the same way: marker on your skin.
Book a consultation →Swipe → · 8 real sessions, no stencil
I listen to the body before the client.
And I don't care about trends.
01 ——
Read the body
Before drawing anything, I watch how the area moves: where the muscle is, where the bone is, and which way the shapes fall when the body changes position.
02 ——
Draw on the skin
I trace the piece straight onto you, in marker and in colour, to separate the planes. You can see it, move with it and tell me what to change before any of it is permanent.
03 ——
Tattoo over the drawing
The needle goes in over my own line. That's why the piece follows the body organically and holds up well over the years.
§ 03 · Ready to book
Designs already waiting for a body.
I draw these when an idea is going round my head and doesn't yet have an owner. If one speaks to you, we adapt it to your anatomy in the consultation and book it. It isn't repeated: once someone takes it, it comes off the list.
There are 30designs available right now. They're refreshed every month.
See them all→§ 04 · The craft
This is a craft.
There are no shortcuts to doing this well. These are the milestones I remember; plenty of clients and plenty of hours in the chair are missing.
«I'm not in a rush. This is a craft.»
Tattoo Love interview · April 2026
- Tattooing since
- 2003Tattooing since
- Years of craft
- 23Years of craft
- Artists in the room
- 8Artists in the room
- Polynesian styles
- 3Polynesian styles
2003
Buenos Aires → Granollers
Crossing the Atlantic
I was born in Buenos Aires and came to the needles almost by accident —or by inheritance, depending on how you look at it. That same year I started tattooing professionally in Catalonia. Old school first; Polynesian as soon as I understood what it was about.
2008
Granollers
My first own studio
After working in other studios, I set up my own. Small, no street traffic. By appointment only, from day one.
2013
Agustí Vinyamata, 1-3
Founding A Sailor's Grave Tattoo Barcelona
We started as four artists; today there are eight of us in residence. I share the room with people whose craft feeds mine. InkTrust Quality Seal from the start.
2013 — today
Catalonia · Spain
Still going out to work
Even with my own studio, I've kept working with renowned studios for many years. Crossing paths with other artists and other styles stops me getting comfortable.
2015 — today
Berlin · Bucharest · Madrid
International conventions
One or two a year. I've tattooed at the Berlin Tattoo Convention, the Bucharest Tattoo Convention and others. Always as a guest artist, never as a commercial exhibitor.
2020
Granollers
Moving into bodysuits
I began several Polynesian bodysuit projects. It's the most demanding challenge in the craft, technically and narratively: the piece stops being a drawing and becomes an architecture across the whole body.
2026
Tattoo Love
Interview with David Llatje
We talked about the craft, about trends, and about why old school has no expiry date. The conversation drifted, as it almost always does, towards Polynesian.
My old school and traditional work lives somewhere else: @leo13tattooer. Here, at Koru Tatau, there is only Polynesian.
Keep reading →
§ 05 · The process
Every piece, a project.
I don't work with fixed rates: every tattoo differs in size, area and hours. I quote it individually in the consultation, once I properly understand the piece.
Written quote before we start. No surprises.
Step 01
Consultation
Studio or video call · free
Write to me and we arrange a visit to the studio, or a video call if that's easier. You tell me your idea, we talk symbolism and dimensions, and from there I can put together a made-to-measure quote.
Step 02
Design
Freehand · no stencil
I usually work by drawing the piece straight onto the skin, adapting the general lines of the design to your anatomy. I never copy anyone else's work: the designs are always exclusive.
See how I work freehand ↑Step 03
Session
8 h or 4 h sessions · 21–28 days apart
I usually work full-day sessions (around 8h), stopping for a while to eat something or rehydrate. On large projects it's the efficient way to make progress, but since that doesn't always match a client's tolerance, I also do 4h sessions. As a rule we leave 21 to 28 days between sessions, so your metabolism recovers and healing gets a fair amount of time.
Tell me your idea and I'll put together a personalised quote, with no commitment.
Ask for a quote→§ 06 · Where I work
A Sailor's Grave Barcelona.
The private studio I founded in 2013. I work here every day alongside seven other artists, each with their own style. No walk-in traffic and by appointment only: the room is yours for the session.
- Address
- Agustí Vinyamata 1-3, 5º 2ª08402 Granollers · Barcelona
- Opening hours
- Monday to Saturday · 11:00 — 20:00By appointment only
- Resident artists
- Albert · Capinksa · Koa · KokoLean · Leo · Adri · Judith
- Certification
- InkTrust · estudio acreditado
§ 07 · Trust
Studio accredited by InkTrust Quality Seal, which verifies every review by hand
I'd rather you read the opinions where I'm not the one in control of them.
The studio is accredited by InkTrust, the Spanish platform that manually verifies every tattoo studio review. A Sailor's Grave's reviews live there and on Google — unfiltered and untouched.
§ 08 · Let's talk
Shall we talk about your piece?
I reply personally. Usually within 24-48 working hours.
See what to include in your message →