The rise of tattooing among young and old, conventional and non-conventional, has created an entire industry celebrating a diverse range of artists and artworks.

While a realistic likeness of Elvis or Michael Jackson remains a popular design – and immediately identifiable – tattooing as an art form has evolved well beyond its roots.

At the Australian Tattoo Expo, in Brisbane for the first time Friday to Sunday, the creativity of those artists was on show.

The buzz of tattoo guns rose above thumping music in the Convention Centre. People laid flat out holding up shirts and trouser legs as a new design was pressed into their skin. Others walked proudly around with limbs cling-wrapped, protecting fresh artworks.

Thousands of people wandered through the stands on Sunday, inspecting hundreds of designs ready to be inked, talking to the artists about designing their own artwork, or supporting friends and family who decided to book in.

Families pushing prams, couples in their 50s and 60s, men and women in their early 20s and beyond – the crowd was diverse, some bearing full-sleeve, neck or face tattoos, others without any visible ink.

At the main stage, a bikini-clad woman performed remarkable stunts high above the stage in an aerial silks performance that drew a large crowd – men and women, phones out recording.

It was the first time the expo had been held in Brisbane, having previously run in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne.

Expo director Kevin Mack said he had been planning to bring the event to Brisbane for several years, but he hadn't expected to see such strong crowds already.

Interstate shows have drawn crowds of up to 15,000 over the three days.

"Our biggest shows have 380 tattooists at them, and this show has just been a great success," Mack said.

"We can envision in two years this [Brisbane] show will operate just as high."

National and international tattoo artists were in the room, iconic names within an industry and community that is still not well understood outside the main doors.

But, Mack said, the tide is turning – even his mother now has full-sleeve tattoos.

Mack predicts a time when everyone could be tattooed, with no more stigma between those who get inked and those who don't.

Doctors, lawyers, skateboarders and bike riders: almost anyone can have a tattoo (or 20) these days without the judgment that would have followed even 20 years ago.

"The society has changed, there's been a big shift in society," Mack said.

"People like to express themselves in that way, they have the luxury now to go and find a tattoo artist – quite a talented artist, there's some artists that are world-renowned painters."

But why get a tattoo, a permanent fixture on skin for as long as a person lives, at all?

"Anyone that gets a tattoo, they get a tattoo for whatever their reason is," Mack said.

"It's how they express themselves, and now they can have really great art on themselves forever.

"The culture and society has changed now, we've accepted people not fitting into society."

With the increasing acceptance of tattooing in mainstream culture comes rising recognition of the talent, training and hard work behind it.

Tattooing has expanded into countless different styles, from the realistic to the abstract, tribal to modern, Japanese to blackwork.

Artists can be booked out for months in advance, as people take their time searching and choosing just the right tattooist.

Artists such as Nikko Hurtado, a California-based tattooist and oil painter, can spend their time touring the world, and have developed a strong following.

For those who decide to get a tattoo, Mack said the most important thing is finding the connection between tattooist and tattooee.

"Essentially, we've created an entire new industry in this country," Mack said.

"Tattooists have to try and create a connection with their client.

"The origin of tattooing is like a ritual, so you're kind of connecting a piece of yourself to them for the rest of your life -- and their life.

"It's very important to have a relationship with the person you do it with, and I wouldn't suggest you get a tattoo off someone if you don't like them."

As the owner and manager of the shows, Mack said his priority was culture, both developing and maintaining a family-friendly, welcoming place for anyone who wanted to learn more or get a tattoo.

Those efforts to drive a cultural shift shows just how far tattooing has become: when anyone can walk into a tattoo expo and share a creative experience with someone who has spent years developing their craft, stigma feels a long way away.