It's been about a week and the new tattoos are almost healed. There's still a little bit of scabbing which will probably be taken care of when I shower. I love text tattoos. They heal so fast.
I'm waiting to hear back from the piercer if he's at the shop today. I noticed my dermal is sticking out pretty far and I'm afraid it's gonna work itself out. I caught it on my seatbelt a few days ago and I guess it got a better yank than I thought. If he's not in, I'm gonna have to figure out sometime during the week to go.
In less happy news, Hell City is in two weeks and I'm not going. *sigh* It would've been great to see Muriel again and collect a new tattoo (or four). Maybe next year and maybe someone else can go with me. That'd be more fun than going by myself anyway. As I learned in New York, I'm only good at entertaining myself for about 2-3 hours.
Showing posts with label hell city phoenix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hell city phoenix. Show all posts
It's Official
So much has happened today.
After feeling almost frustrated for choice with all the tattooists who are attending, I decided to call Russ and get his advice. I figured he'd know a fair number of the attendees and be able to point me in the right direction. Firstly, we discussed my desire to be tattooed by Muriel. I told him I hadn't heard back from her yet so he gave me her number. He also gave me a list of about 5 guys who I should talk to. I picked the first guy he suggested Jeff Ensminger and the guy he said he knew somewhat well Matt "Skinny" Bagwell. But before I get to them, I called Muriel.
She is super, super nice. She said she'd gotten my email, but hadn't replied yet. So I told her to ignore it since I'd changed my mind. We batted around a few ideas and decided on an iron work inspired 1/4 sleeve around Lucy that fades into cherry blossoms on the back of my shoulder. Since I'm looking to go more traditional Japanese on my back, I figured the cherry blossoms would flow the best. We talked for a good 10 minutes and I'll be seeing her in person when she gets into town. That way she can see what she has to work with and then set up an official appointment. I'm really excited to work with her.
After that, I shot Jeff an email and then got the number for the shop Matt/Skinny works at. He was tattooing, but one of the other guys helped me out by playing middle man. I decided to give him the dragon. I described what I wanted and he requested a picture of my back to see what's currently there and my height. I ended up taking this vaguely soft core porn shot of my back as no one else could do it. I think it still gives the idea, though. So I guess I'll hear back from him in a day or so once he's had time to look at the pictures and source material.
So everything is booked. There was some drama over my flight, but in the end I only ended up paying $36 out of pocket. Sweet! I just have to fly out about 4 hours earlier than I originally planned. I'll get in around 2 and check in isn't until 4, so maybe I'll just explore for a few hours. I think they said something about a shuttle to the mall and I know they'll hold my bags until check in time. Maybe I can ask if I can lay out by the pool before I'm officially checked in. ;) That means I'll be there well in time for the meet and greet at 8. Yay!
After feeling almost frustrated for choice with all the tattooists who are attending, I decided to call Russ and get his advice. I figured he'd know a fair number of the attendees and be able to point me in the right direction. Firstly, we discussed my desire to be tattooed by Muriel. I told him I hadn't heard back from her yet so he gave me her number. He also gave me a list of about 5 guys who I should talk to. I picked the first guy he suggested Jeff Ensminger and the guy he said he knew somewhat well Matt "Skinny" Bagwell. But before I get to them, I called Muriel.
She is super, super nice. She said she'd gotten my email, but hadn't replied yet. So I told her to ignore it since I'd changed my mind. We batted around a few ideas and decided on an iron work inspired 1/4 sleeve around Lucy that fades into cherry blossoms on the back of my shoulder. Since I'm looking to go more traditional Japanese on my back, I figured the cherry blossoms would flow the best. We talked for a good 10 minutes and I'll be seeing her in person when she gets into town. That way she can see what she has to work with and then set up an official appointment. I'm really excited to work with her.
After that, I shot Jeff an email and then got the number for the shop Matt/Skinny works at. He was tattooing, but one of the other guys helped me out by playing middle man. I decided to give him the dragon. I described what I wanted and he requested a picture of my back to see what's currently there and my height. I ended up taking this vaguely soft core porn shot of my back as no one else could do it. I think it still gives the idea, though. So I guess I'll hear back from him in a day or so once he's had time to look at the pictures and source material.
So everything is booked. There was some drama over my flight, but in the end I only ended up paying $36 out of pocket. Sweet! I just have to fly out about 4 hours earlier than I originally planned. I'll get in around 2 and check in isn't until 4, so maybe I'll just explore for a few hours. I think they said something about a shuttle to the mall and I know they'll hold my bags until check in time. Maybe I can ask if I can lay out by the pool before I'm officially checked in. ;) That means I'll be there well in time for the meet and greet at 8. Yay!
Too Many Ideas!
I officially made my appointment with Tim this morning. I talked to his apprentice Zach, who was super nice. He was really helpful. I'm booked as Tim's first appointment on Friday, whenever that is. Neither of us knew when the official start of the convention was, so we decided to just say "first tattoo of the day". It took everything I had not to squeal in the poor kid's ear.
I got replies from two more tattooists, Eva Huber and Thad Ritchey. I emailed Eva back with a few ideas (detailed below) and gave Thad my cell, but haven't heard from him.
Now I have a dilemma. I've decided that I want all the tattoos I get that weekend to have an old school feel to them. Sailor Jerry and Ed Hardy of course being the kings of all things old school, but still awesome. I've already got the geisha booked, so I was browsing for more ideas. I came across this shirt and fell in love. The dragon is also a Japanese motif I can relate to. I was obsessed with dragons as a kid and had a stuffed dragon that I literally loved to pieces. He's currently sitting in the top of my closet so I can resist the urge to snuggle with him. My first thought for placement was going up my spine above my current tattoo and stopping right at the nape of my neck. Then I thought about putting it on my lower stomach between Mae's foot and Ol' Blue Balls. However, I don't think that's going to fit. It's a much smaller space and these guys are fairly detailed. My back may just end up being an incoherent mish mash of everything. And then Russ would cry. I guess a third option would be running up the back of my right thigh, as well.
I also still want a lock tattoo. I'm perfectly happy with the tattoo I got from Kevin, but in the end, I'm still lacking a lock tat. I though it could somehow be worked in with the rose and key I currently have, maybe on the back of my calf or something.
I'm also running into the issue of pieces being coherent and well laid out. The roses on my left foot will look fine with a geisha bust. But how well would a Japanese dragon and two Western style revolvers go together? Should tattoos on the backs of my calves or thighs be a pair? Maybe not, but they should have the same feel to them. I think a cupcake and a peach, both with banners describing my personality and heritage, could work. Or a cupcake and a bell. The right tattooist can give the cupcake the right feel to it.
If I opt for the dragon on my back, the revolvers are going to have to move. Now revolvers and pin up girls, that could work. I'm sure someone with Danielle's talent could keep the feel of the revolvers and wording in the same style as a pair of pin ups. It's a cliche place to have them, but I think in the long run I may be happier. I'm not concerned about it going with the shamrock or Ol' Blue Balls simply because they aren't visible even in a bikini. Let's face it, I wear a bikini once a year whether I need to or not. So it's more what makes the most sense artistically. In all honesty, I would like to stay away from my back. Perhaps just my original idea of "Tough Bitch" and a pair of lip prints on my ass like I started with. Then there's no meshing issues and it's still a tattoo I can be totally happy with.
Enough with the stream of consciousness for now and time to work out. After all, I'm still 7 lbs away from earning the right to have that "Tough Bitch" tat.
I got replies from two more tattooists, Eva Huber and Thad Ritchey. I emailed Eva back with a few ideas (detailed below) and gave Thad my cell, but haven't heard from him.
Now I have a dilemma. I've decided that I want all the tattoos I get that weekend to have an old school feel to them. Sailor Jerry and Ed Hardy of course being the kings of all things old school, but still awesome. I've already got the geisha booked, so I was browsing for more ideas. I came across this shirt and fell in love. The dragon is also a Japanese motif I can relate to. I was obsessed with dragons as a kid and had a stuffed dragon that I literally loved to pieces. He's currently sitting in the top of my closet so I can resist the urge to snuggle with him. My first thought for placement was going up my spine above my current tattoo and stopping right at the nape of my neck. Then I thought about putting it on my lower stomach between Mae's foot and Ol' Blue Balls. However, I don't think that's going to fit. It's a much smaller space and these guys are fairly detailed. My back may just end up being an incoherent mish mash of everything. And then Russ would cry. I guess a third option would be running up the back of my right thigh, as well.
I also still want a lock tattoo. I'm perfectly happy with the tattoo I got from Kevin, but in the end, I'm still lacking a lock tat. I though it could somehow be worked in with the rose and key I currently have, maybe on the back of my calf or something.
I'm also running into the issue of pieces being coherent and well laid out. The roses on my left foot will look fine with a geisha bust. But how well would a Japanese dragon and two Western style revolvers go together? Should tattoos on the backs of my calves or thighs be a pair? Maybe not, but they should have the same feel to them. I think a cupcake and a peach, both with banners describing my personality and heritage, could work. Or a cupcake and a bell. The right tattooist can give the cupcake the right feel to it.
If I opt for the dragon on my back, the revolvers are going to have to move. Now revolvers and pin up girls, that could work. I'm sure someone with Danielle's talent could keep the feel of the revolvers and wording in the same style as a pair of pin ups. It's a cliche place to have them, but I think in the long run I may be happier. I'm not concerned about it going with the shamrock or Ol' Blue Balls simply because they aren't visible even in a bikini. Let's face it, I wear a bikini once a year whether I need to or not. So it's more what makes the most sense artistically. In all honesty, I would like to stay away from my back. Perhaps just my original idea of "Tough Bitch" and a pair of lip prints on my ass like I started with. Then there's no meshing issues and it's still a tattoo I can be totally happy with.
Enough with the stream of consciousness for now and time to work out. After all, I'm still 7 lbs away from earning the right to have that "Tough Bitch" tat.
First Appointment!
I know I just posted, but it's my blog and I think this deserves its own post.
I got my first appointment booked for the convention! As I said I would, I sent out a bunch of emails and I got a response from one. His name is Tim Beck and he's based in Illinois. What caught my attention was how different the thumbnails for his work looked. So I clicked on his full portfolio and was super impressed. It's here for those who'd like to take a peek. When he said he had time and actually hadn't booked anyone in yet, I told him what I wanted.
As mentioned, I thought about a geisha bust. I'm not really much into the Japanese stuff, but I am into pin up girls and it's somewhat in the same vein. I also wanted something Ed Hardy inspired. Though I couldn't find an actual tattoo of the geisha bust I wanted, I found tons of the tees. This one really jumped out at me, in spite of it being on a shirt. I didn't notice any obvious Japanese work in his portfolio, so I waffled for a minute about suggesting it. It's also the biggest of the ideas I have. I kept mentally coming back to it. Sure enough, he loved the idea and was very enthusiastic about doing it. So I'm glad I pitched it to him. Plus, that's a reward for responding so quickly. He got the best idea I had. Anyone else is going to get one of the smaller pieces. Which brings me to...
Part of the purpose of the meet and greet is schedule time with tattooists. I think what I'll do is maybe book one more and then have two for sure. Everyone attending is super talented, so no matter who I go with, I'm going to get an awesome tattoo. Ideally, I'd like to work with someone who is from a state I doubt I'll ever find myself in, much less with time to get a tattoo. Tim is a great example. When am I going to find myself in Peoria with $300 and 3 hours to kill and near a tattoo shop? Probably never. Russ and Kreusman are the only GA reps, then there are a few guys from Alabama. The next closest is North Carolina. Sunday is probably the last day to fill up, but it is Labor Day weekend, so people will probably be staying until Monday morning because they can. I guess I'll see who gets back to me and when. I'll save Sunday for my "wild card" tat. I may be crazy for trying to get tatted in 3 days, but people before me have survived and I'm confident.
I'm so excited about this. It feels so amazing to know I'm going to get to spend 3 whole days immersed in the culture I adore and worship. If Russ is going, it's got to be a legit convention. This means meeting all kinds of super creative people in their element. It'll be such a breath of fresh air after my stuffy day job. I just have to wait 4 months for it! I think I'll start myself a countdown on my Chippendales calendar.
On that note, once I finish with my current plans, I'm quitting and saving up for the convention. I know I can do it because it's a defined goal. If I quit for 3 months, I'll get 2-3 awesome new tats. So I'll get my left foot cover up done, my Picasso dove, and my filigree/ivy/floral 1/4 sleeve thingy and I'm done. That'll all be done by June 7. Then it's almost exactly 3 months to the convention. I may have to swing by the shops just because I'll start to pine for all my tattooists.
*runs around in an excited circle*
Now my Benadryl is kicking in and the screen is starting to look shaky so I'm off to bed.
I got my first appointment booked for the convention! As I said I would, I sent out a bunch of emails and I got a response from one. His name is Tim Beck and he's based in Illinois. What caught my attention was how different the thumbnails for his work looked. So I clicked on his full portfolio and was super impressed. It's here for those who'd like to take a peek. When he said he had time and actually hadn't booked anyone in yet, I told him what I wanted.
As mentioned, I thought about a geisha bust. I'm not really much into the Japanese stuff, but I am into pin up girls and it's somewhat in the same vein. I also wanted something Ed Hardy inspired. Though I couldn't find an actual tattoo of the geisha bust I wanted, I found tons of the tees. This one really jumped out at me, in spite of it being on a shirt. I didn't notice any obvious Japanese work in his portfolio, so I waffled for a minute about suggesting it. It's also the biggest of the ideas I have. I kept mentally coming back to it. Sure enough, he loved the idea and was very enthusiastic about doing it. So I'm glad I pitched it to him. Plus, that's a reward for responding so quickly. He got the best idea I had. Anyone else is going to get one of the smaller pieces. Which brings me to...
Part of the purpose of the meet and greet is schedule time with tattooists. I think what I'll do is maybe book one more and then have two for sure. Everyone attending is super talented, so no matter who I go with, I'm going to get an awesome tattoo. Ideally, I'd like to work with someone who is from a state I doubt I'll ever find myself in, much less with time to get a tattoo. Tim is a great example. When am I going to find myself in Peoria with $300 and 3 hours to kill and near a tattoo shop? Probably never. Russ and Kreusman are the only GA reps, then there are a few guys from Alabama. The next closest is North Carolina. Sunday is probably the last day to fill up, but it is Labor Day weekend, so people will probably be staying until Monday morning because they can. I guess I'll see who gets back to me and when. I'll save Sunday for my "wild card" tat. I may be crazy for trying to get tatted in 3 days, but people before me have survived and I'm confident.
I'm so excited about this. It feels so amazing to know I'm going to get to spend 3 whole days immersed in the culture I adore and worship. If Russ is going, it's got to be a legit convention. This means meeting all kinds of super creative people in their element. It'll be such a breath of fresh air after my stuffy day job. I just have to wait 4 months for it! I think I'll start myself a countdown on my Chippendales calendar.
On that note, once I finish with my current plans, I'm quitting and saving up for the convention. I know I can do it because it's a defined goal. If I quit for 3 months, I'll get 2-3 awesome new tats. So I'll get my left foot cover up done, my Picasso dove, and my filigree/ivy/floral 1/4 sleeve thingy and I'm done. That'll all be done by June 7. Then it's almost exactly 3 months to the convention. I may have to swing by the shops just because I'll start to pine for all my tattooists.
*runs around in an excited circle*
Now my Benadryl is kicking in and the screen is starting to look shaky so I'm off to bed.
Hell City Bound
HUGE NEWS!!
Through a series of site jumps from Ink & Dagger (shameless plug), I ended up looking at Hell City Tattoo Fest in Phoenix. They have the flagship convention in Columbus, OH at the end of the month and then the Phoenix event over Labor Day weekend. I was thinking of taking a vacation by myself this year and the tagline for the Phoenix event was "Tattoo Vacation". A sign, mayhaps?
There was the small matter of money. I knew I was getting a nice tax refund, but we filed right at the deadline, so I figured I wouldn't see it for 6-8 weeks. Lo and behold, I come home and my Fed refund is in today's mail. Sweet! So once that gets deposited, I'm booking my flight and hotel for Phoenix.
As for the matter of being tattooed, there are tons of talented artists. One will actually be guesting at Ink & Dagger at the beginning of June. I emailed her on Sunday about doing some work while she's in town, but haven't heard back. If I don't hear back from her before she's in town, I'm gonna call the shop when she gets in and set something up. She'll also be at both Hell City events. So if I like her and she likes me, maybe I can go ahead and book time with her for Phoenix.
There are tons of others I'm interested in, but I've only sent emails to two of them. One I got a form email back thanking me for my interest. He's one of the organizers, so I doubt I'll get in with him. Though, I got in with Russ so stranger things have happened. I also emailed a guy from Austin. I'm gonna send more out today to others I was interested in. I have several ideas that I think are ideal "convention pieces". They are:
*A cupcake with devil horns and a spaded tail. Possibly a banner that says "Devilishly Good"
*A peach with a banner that says "Dirty" (my take on a Dirty South tat since I am a GA girl)
*An Ed Hardy inspired piece, right now I'm between a geisha and a flower inspired by this bag.
*Something that uses the text "No Love Lost"
Russ will be attending so if he's there when I next find myself there, I fully intend to pick his brain. Plus, they have a "worst tattoo" category in the competitions, so I may have to enter Ol' Blue Balls and see how we do. This could get interesting.
Now time to email more tattooists and see who wants to tattoo me.
Through a series of site jumps from Ink & Dagger (shameless plug), I ended up looking at Hell City Tattoo Fest in Phoenix. They have the flagship convention in Columbus, OH at the end of the month and then the Phoenix event over Labor Day weekend. I was thinking of taking a vacation by myself this year and the tagline for the Phoenix event was "Tattoo Vacation". A sign, mayhaps?
There was the small matter of money. I knew I was getting a nice tax refund, but we filed right at the deadline, so I figured I wouldn't see it for 6-8 weeks. Lo and behold, I come home and my Fed refund is in today's mail. Sweet! So once that gets deposited, I'm booking my flight and hotel for Phoenix.
As for the matter of being tattooed, there are tons of talented artists. One will actually be guesting at Ink & Dagger at the beginning of June. I emailed her on Sunday about doing some work while she's in town, but haven't heard back. If I don't hear back from her before she's in town, I'm gonna call the shop when she gets in and set something up. She'll also be at both Hell City events. So if I like her and she likes me, maybe I can go ahead and book time with her for Phoenix.
There are tons of others I'm interested in, but I've only sent emails to two of them. One I got a form email back thanking me for my interest. He's one of the organizers, so I doubt I'll get in with him. Though, I got in with Russ so stranger things have happened. I also emailed a guy from Austin. I'm gonna send more out today to others I was interested in. I have several ideas that I think are ideal "convention pieces". They are:
*A cupcake with devil horns and a spaded tail. Possibly a banner that says "Devilishly Good"
*A peach with a banner that says "Dirty" (my take on a Dirty South tat since I am a GA girl)
*An Ed Hardy inspired piece, right now I'm between a geisha and a flower inspired by this bag.
*Something that uses the text "No Love Lost"
Russ will be attending so if he's there when I next find myself there, I fully intend to pick his brain. Plus, they have a "worst tattoo" category in the competitions, so I may have to enter Ol' Blue Balls and see how we do. This could get interesting.
Now time to email more tattooists and see who wants to tattoo me.
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