Tattoo shop?

[hallie-mathia.livejournal.com]

 Hey guys, I know this is kind of random, but I'm looking for a recommendation for a tattoo shop -- clean, talented staff, good reputation, etc.  I'm especially looking for someone good to help design a tattoo.

Any recommendations for tattoo shops in the area?

Thanks!

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Not so random. I've tagged your post so you can see the previous posts on the subject, such as this one from just a few weeks ago (http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1680327.html).

[hallie-mathia.livejournal.com]

I want a small (an inch in length or less) owl. I have a few pictures of ones I kind of want it to look like, but am fuzzy on the details - hence, I need an artist :)

I live right off the Green line Boylston stop - I'd rather not travel more than 30-40 minutes away (for reference, it takes me 20-25 mins to make it to Davis Square).

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

it depends immensely on what you're interested in getting since you need someone to draw it, not just trace something off the wall. so, style is important.

i'd recommend going to a few shops (the same places are going to come up every time, you can also check the memories in b0st0n) and looking at the portfolios yourself, talking to the artists if you find one you like to see if they make you comfortable and are jazzed about your idea. it's worth a little legwork when it's something that's going to be on your body forever.

i swear by fat ram's in jamaica plain, i went to college with alex who did an amazing job on my backpiece (drew it also). i can't vouch artists other than the two of them however. look them (&others) up on yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/fat-rams-pumpkin-tattoo-jamaica-plain) too.

[hallie-mathia.livejournal.com]

Oh, and only done in black ink.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

That's beautiful!

[ron_newman]

And this one, which may inspire you to do another local journalistic piece.

[hallie-mathia.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Ron!

FYI, I have a piece that I'll be posting in the next few days about Outside the Lines - the artist studio for artists with physical and development disabilities. That one's taken me a few weeks, but is almost done!

[ifotismeni]

wat

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

a.) it isn't finished in this photo
b.) i love it, that's what matters. (and that it was done in the proper, clean environment with clean instruments.) if i wanted something different, i would have gotten something different.
c.) art is subjective, so i'm not pissed.

four years with artists, i'm unfazed

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

lol whatevs, i saw this coming from about eleventy billion miles away when i posted it. tattoo elitists, dnc.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

thank you!

[prttyasacarcrsh.livejournal.com]

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

whoah, that's gorgeous!

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I've only heard mediocre things about Redemption as well, but perhaps your peep is an exception :)

A couple friends of mine have gone to Good Faith Tattoo and the results are unbelievably spectacular. They are rather expensive and often have a long waiting list, but I would generally consider that a good sign.

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

I got my tattoo at Chameleon, don't have a pic to post, sorry! I was very impressed with both their artistry and their clean and friendly environment. The guy I worked with (Sky) was very helpful in interpreting my art in a way that would work as a tattoo.

[eclecticavatar.livejournal.com]

I second the recommendation for Redemption. They've done some incredible work for me, some of it designed and altered by them on the fly.

[kevshindig.livejournal.com]

It's a bit of a hike from Boston, but I'm gonna throw it out anyway. Jen Clinch Guertin at Anchor Steam Tattoo in Newport, RI is hell of talented, and the shop is super clean and professional.

[exsplusohs.livejournal.com]

I'm going there this coming Saturday to get a shoulder cap! Jen has been super accommodating about doing consults via e-mail and I'm super excited to meet her in person!

[exsplusohs.livejournal.com]

SUPER SUPER SUPER CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS!??!

[maffematician.livejournal.com]

Hallie, based on your desire for an all-black piece and your location you might consider looking at Cathy Johnson at Regeneration in Allston.

I don't know Cathy or anyone at that studio so I can't say anything about them, but I have browsed Cathy's work on their site. She does nice things with shading and her all-black work is nicely done.

Here are some samples that caught my attention-

http://regenerationtattoo.com/artwork/1074976.html
http://regenerationtattoo.com/artwork/1074972.html
http://regenerationtattoo.com/artwork/1074980.html
http://regenerationtattoo.com/artwork/1260946.html

[teko.livejournal.com]

Odd question but... do any tattoo places around here do UV tattoos?

[volata.livejournal.com]

That's gorgeous!

I have a friend who worked with Alex at Fat Ram - he did an amazing job with a Frida Kahlo inspired piece on her arm.

Another coworker recently had her shoulder done by someone else at Fat Ram - can't remember who it was though.

Both are super happy with the results and the experiences they had there.

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Considering there's absolutely nothing of substance in your comment (other than possibly sour grapes), it's completely relevant.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

Both my wife and I have I've had great results with Redemption.

[mogwaikisses.livejournal.com]

I disagree on the opinion on Painted Bird. I am in the process of having them finish a large piece, and the artist I had is very good. Look at their site, the portfolios are on display. True that most of the artists, I wouldn't use, but I encourage you to look closely. Some (one?) of the artists are pretty good, and you can make an appointment with a specific one.

They're on the orange line at Wellington, the one in Somerville closed.

Another satisfied customer of Fat Ram's

[sordidsky.livejournal.com]

This isn't particularly relevant for the thread since it is an entirely different style, but I had to respond to the negative feedback.

I am about 24 hours into a 32 hour project that covers the bulk of my torso, and have been very pleased with Ram's work - both for the design, and for the implementation.

Here's a photo of the back piece so far:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ObVIk_RpKvR8tGLWCzoobw?feat=directlink

There's a comparable amount of work on my chest, but this serves as a decent example of his work.

Re: Another satisfied customer of Fat Ram's

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

wow!

actually, i think it is quite relevant because it speaks to the incredibly wide variety of stuff out there. there are so many different styles and while i think some can be judged more objectively (say, 'traditional' tattoos, pin-ups, etc.), most of the stuff i'm interested falls into the 'let's dream something up and go with it' category. my ex had some technically BAD tattoos - just drawn poorly and some were permanently raised from his skin because the guy had a crazy heavy hand, etc - so i've seen the crappy stuff that still sucks no matter how you justify it, lol.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

thank you!

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

thank you :)

alex is great. i was a designer and i can't recall if he was illustration or fine arts, but we took a bunch of printmaking classes together - he's always been a talented artist. i was so happy for him when he went into the tattoo industry and got to study under ram. ram is great, was always coming in to chat with the clients and make sure his artists were doing could work, and would offer constructive criticism when needed.

Re: Another satisfied customer of Fat Ram's

[sordidsky.livejournal.com]

For this piece I came to Ram last summer with an idea - I wanted to do a spiral galaxy on my back, which wrapped over my shoulder to merge with another spiral galaxy on my chest. Black and gray only, not excessively dark, and with the spiral on the chest going at a 45 degree angle.

I brought a few photos from hubble to show what sort of galaxies I enjoyed most, and he went out back to get an astronomy book to look at more examples. He drew a quick sketch of an idea for the piece, then after we chatted about it some more he drew another quick sketch that really captured what I was looking for.

He doesn't have a particularly heavy hand, and my healing has gone very quickly each time.