SOCIAL MEDIA

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Tattoos. Artists I love & tips.

Hello internet world.

Its been a while since I made a post and I've just come to accept that I basically blog once a year. Oh well!

Today's topic I want to talk about is tattoos, specifically tattoo artists that I love, that I want to get tattooed by, and tips on how to book appointments with really popular artists. I am no expert by any means but these are just my personal experiences and things that I do that have helped me in the past.

Let's start with the artists! These are literally just artists I follow on Instagram that I love. A little background about that styles that I like- I really love cute, fun tattoos that have "cute" subject matter with aspects of traditional tattooing. This concept will become clear once you've gone through my list but basically what I mean is cute, fun tattoos that have traditional elements such as thick lines, bold color, etc. However I also love another style some people call "neo-traditional" which is also traditional tattoo elements with fun subject matter, but the way I describe this style would be a victorian style twist on traditional tattoos. I know that these styles of tattooing (especially the first one I mentioned) aren't exactly super popular or well known yet, but I know a lot of people love this style just as much as I do, so I hope this list is helpful to you! Sorry if the locations aren't correct, I know a lot of artists move around but hopefully you can get an idea of where everyone is located. I don't have  people from every part of the world but for some reason the artists I love are located in these areas of the world, the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, so I have categorized them as so.

Anyways... let's get to it! (sorry but not sorry if this post is long)


UNITED STATES:

Alexstranger Los Angeles, CA

Alex is probably my favorite cute style and overall tattoo artist ever- and I am proud to say I had the pleasure of being tattooed by her this year. From my experience, she was very friendly, professional and efficient. I got this Hello Kitty ice cream tattoo from her and it took her less than an hour to finish. Cross my fingers, hopefully I will be able to get tattooed by her again!

Linneatattoos Asheville, NC

Kellymcgrathart Greensboro, NC

Alicerules Portland, OR

This is definitely not the same stye as the other artists on this list, but I cannot go without mentioning alicerules because her art is just AMAZING. Her flowers are to die for, and I told myself that I would never get a tattoo on my legs but honestly, if I got tattooed by her I'd want it to stand out from the rest of my body, I'd totally get a thigh tattoo of her roses. So amazing!

Melvin_arizmendi San Diego, CA

Goldlagrimas San Diego, CA

Meredithlittlesky Fort Collins, CO 

I live in Colorado so I HAVE to include some locals! Meredith is my favorite for cute style tattoos. She has done a few on me and she is so sweet and energetic, and her work is so amazing and cute!

Missyrhysing Denver, CO

Missy does the neo-traditional style that I was talking about earlier. I was so lucky to get tattooed by her and she is just an amazing artist and person. 



UNITED KINGDOM
Keelyruthford North London

Samwhiteheadtattoos Leeds

Rachelbaldwintattoo Liverpool

Ashleyluka Birmingham

Hannahmaitattoo Birmingham

Out of everyone on my list I can say that Hannah has the most unique style out of everyone. I would describe her art as delicate, coloring-book-esque and so cute and charming. She is currently an apprentice but her work is already amazing to me. I hope one day I can travel to the UK and get tattooed by her! 


AUSTRALIA: (I don't understand the geography of Australia at all so sorry I can't provide specific locations!)
Hannahflowers_tattoos

Mimswah

Laurenwinzer

Sashimi_rolls_tattooing


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TIPS for booking appointments with tattoo artists:

Like I said before, I am in no way an expert on this subject but here are just a few steps I take when I want to get an appointment by a certain tattoo artist.

  1. Follow them on Instagram and turn on post notifications.
    • A lot of artists will announce on their Instagram when they are opening their books for new clients and if you turn on post notifications, you will be one of the first to know! Some artists also travel to other places to tattoo and will announce those locations as well on Instagram. What better way to keep updated on their whereabouts?
  2. Pre-write an email to your artist
    • OKAY. This is seriously the trick you guys. Once the artist has announced that they are opening their books or have a cancellation or whatever, have an email ready for them that you can send out right away. This way, you have carefully thought about what you want and what you're going to say. These are the following things I always include in my initial email (these things are also usually what the artists asks before booking your appointment; trust me I've been tattooed by many different artists and these questions are always the same. Make it easier for you and the artist to communicate by putting this in your email)
      • Concept of tattoo - what you want your tattoo to be.
      • Specific placement of tattoo - upper right arm, left forearm, right thigh, etc.
      • Size of tattoo - usually just estimated based on the area you want it in.
      • Budget (if any) - tattoo artists are usually cool with working with your budget but always remember to be respectful of their skill and time! I know most artists charge by the hour and/or have a minimum, so when expressing your budget be aware of these things!
      • Availability to get tattooed - again, this is one of the things to be mindful and respectful about. If you are looking to get tattooed by a well known artist, chances are you have more available time then they do. What I do normally is ask what months they are booking out to or give them a range of months and include specific days of the week you are typically available and let the artist respond to you with specific dates they are available. Trust me this works way better than just putting "I'm available June 6th and 7th" or whatever. You will have a greater chance of getting tattooed by that artist if you keep an open mind about scheduling!
  3. If you are traveling to get tattooed, do research about how to get around the city.
    • Recently, I went to California to get a tattoo by alexstrangler. I go to California maybe once a year, maybe even less than that so I am not too familiar with that state. I also did an one day trip to get this tattoo so time management was important. Researching bus routes and other methods of transportation beforehand really helped me out! If you are staying overnight book a hotel in the same city you are getting tattooed!

Phew! That was the longest post ever! I hope someone found this helpful and feel free to ask questions. I'm not an expert but I'd love to lend some advice if I can! And it goes without saying, two pictures does not do these artists justice so if you liked any of these pieces, please go check out their Instagram!

Until next time <3

Saki


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