Steel’s work sits at the intersection of tattooing, illustration, comic book imagery, Black culture and popular culture. A major part of his visual language is Afrocentric, using Black figures, music, fashion, symbolism and cultural references as central subjects rather than background influence.

His style often feels American Traditional-adjacent in structure bold outlines, strong silhouettes, simplified shapes and saturated color but interpreted through a distinctly Black cultural lens. Instead of relying on the familiar imagery associated with classic American Traditional tattooing, Steel reworks that visual strength around Black identity, music, characters and contemporary culture.

Earlier examples of his work also show a strong interest in watercolor tattooing, with flowing color, linework and illustrative elements. A Tattoodo feature from Think Before You Ink credited Steel Johnson with a watercolor sternum tattoo, showing that experimental color and illustrative techniques have been part of his work for years.

More recently, Steel has pushed that approach into character driven concepts that merge Black cultural figures with comic book mythology. His custom work includes Sade Adu as Jean Grey of the X-Men, Phylicia Rashad as Storm, and Method Man as Bishop—taking recognizable Black artists and performers and reimagining them through iconic comic-book characters.

That approach allows Steel to create tattoos that feel familiar without being derivative. His work can move between portraits, comic imagery, Afrocentric illustration, bold traditional inspired design and highly personal pop culture references while maintaining a strong graphic identity.

Today, Steel Irons tattoos at Skintrade Tattoos in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, creating custom color tattoos, Afrocentric tattoo designs, illustrative work, portraits, comic-inspired tattoos and one-of-one concepts built around the client.