How did you find your shop/artist?

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Permalink Reply by Andrea on July 25, 2007 at 3:07pm

For me it was partly based on a recommendation from another artist. My brother and sister-in-law get all of their ink done by Fip at Avalon II in San Diego. My partner got a tattoo from him too on a summer vacation one year. When we mentioned that we lived in Oakland he immediately recommended Temple Tattoo (www.templeoakland.com). So when I was ready to start looking for an artist Temple was the first place I looked. I immediately fell in love with Jesse's style and the atmosphere in the shop.

My new dilemma, however, is to stick with the same artist or not. I am lucky enough to live in the San Francisco Bay Area where there are tons of great artists. I really enjoy going to the different shops (i.e. Blackheart, Primal Urge, Tattoo City, Everlasting, etc.) and looking through portfolios. There are so many artists that it would be really cool to get tattooed by, but I also love the work I have and the relationship I have with my current artist. I am torn between sticking with one artist and being tattooed by many artists. I guess that when I decide on what I want next I will follow my gut on what artist to choose.

What are everyone else's views on the subject?

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Permalink Reply by BlahStuff Jake on July 25, 2007 at 3:22pm

Andrea,
I am right there with you on that dilemma, though I don't have quite as many tempting choices here in Denver (there are still a few great shops with several fantastic artists around here, though).

I've just bonded so firmly with my artist on a personal level that it's hard for me to think about going to someone else as long as he's an option. So far, I've had four sessions with him, my wife has had three, my best friend had one, and my mother-in-law had one... He's the family tattooist! I can't possibly go elsewhere.

I also believe he's a total bargain for the work I get out of him, so I've got lots of incentives to stick with him.

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Permalink Reply by jude on July 25, 2007 at 6:27pm

I had a couple of small tattoo's done by various artists and was looking to do a back piece. My husband and I heard about the 1st annual tattoo convention at WoodStock, NY. I was 6 months prego at the time and Dan was one of the last booths we visited and when I saw his work up on the wall I know I found "my man". Now Im borderline obsessed with getting more work done by him. He has to fly in from Belgium a few times a year so it's going to take a while to do everything I want. I guess that gives me a little time to save my pennies in between sessions.

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Permalink Reply by BlahStuff Jake on July 25, 2007 at 6:31pm

Or... You need to work out a few trips to Belgium! ;^)

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Permalink Reply by jude on August 2, 2007 at 12:25pm

absolutely, good tattoos and delicious beer!

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Permalink Reply by Miguel Collins on July 30, 2007 at 1:48pm

It all started with a visit to the Hollywood Sex Museum, where I saw an opening for Mike Giants Yoga Tattoo Series.

I was blown away by Mike Giants work and I was determined to get a piece by him. So I proceeded to email, call and generally hound him for an appointment. At that time he had taken a hiatus from tattooing (which eventually became a retirement). Of course being the persistant person I was I kept emailing him until one day he just replied that he was not tattooing anymore, so I hit him up one more time with the question.

"MIke if you were in Los Angeles and wanted to get some work done where would you go?"

and his reply was

"Thats easy, Juan Puente over at spotlight tattoo"

So I trudged over to spotlight and asked for Juan. Of course he wasn't there. But Marco Ceritelli was and since then he has been "The Man" as far as I'm concerned.

Although I'm eventually going to get something from Juan just to say I got a Juan Puente Tattoo, but I have time for that.

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Permalink Reply by Indelible Mark on November 13, 2007 at 8:55pm

I did an internet search. I work a couple of blocks off of South Street in Philly, the Tattoo meca of my area. My biggest concerns were about the risks. I am taking imunal suppresents for chron's disease and can't risk infection. The shop was great. They had a large portfolio to review and I have been going there ever since. My wife got two there as well!

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Permalink Reply by Erin on November 13, 2007 at 11:21pm

I have had many different artists work on me. I usually find my artists by research. I spend tons of time looking at online portfolios. I also love going to tattoo conventions which is really great in making those long distance artist easier to meet up with. Although I have built great relationships with most of the artists whose work I wear, I think it is important to keep options open. Not every tattoo I want can be done by one artist. I want each tattoo of mine to be done by the artist I think will do it the best. There are so many great artists!

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Permalink Reply by Dana on November 14, 2007 at 7:44pm

I agree with you Erin, there are way too many good tattoo artist's out there!

I did the same thing, I spent tons of time looking for the right artist online. I spent months for hours a day looking at online portfolios (I wasn't working at the time so I had a lot more time!)!

I really wanted to find someone who had done white ink tattoos because at the time that's what i thought I wanted...needless to say that's not what I ended up getting. But basically I came across Dana Helmuth's portfolio online and he has some amazing work of white birds...which is what I wanted! A white swan! So I was sold. It didn't matter that he was in MD and I was in Philadelphia...he was it for that tattoo! And instead of getting a small white ink swan on my sternum I ended up with half my back, hip, and thigh tattooed! Gotta love it!

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Permalink Reply by Jess on November 14, 2007 at 5:52pm

My story, not so glamorous. I went to "the shop" in town, that is the shop that had been around longest and had a decent reputation in town. (www.finelinetattooinc.com). They have been in the business over 30 years, and the owners are the folks who fought to legalize tattooing in Kansas. I quickly learned, however, that length of operation does not equal quality work. They are a cookie cutter shop. Their staff are all rude in my opinion. I know that certain artists there will make a tattoo more painful if you say something to piss them off. If one is in a bad mood, your tattoo will turn out like total crap. It's not nearly as sanitary as the new shop I go to, either. I tell everyone not to go there. I'm very good friends with the owner of the shop I go to now, and I muse when they turn people away because Fine Line was going to charge less. I live by the motto: Good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good. If you want a cookie-cutter, off the wall (literally) tattoo that you'll regret in 3 years, be my guest and go to Fine Line. But if you want a clean shop with friendly artists, there is only one place in Topeka to go, and that's Kevin and Marilyn Wathke's shop, Electric Tattoo (www.electrictattooing.com)!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Zoe on November 15, 2007 at 1:02pm

Well i wasn't really on a quest to find a tattooist, but my partner had a fixation about visiting all the local tattooist in Yorkshire, he just loved to chat tattoo's, look at flash and i guess just hang out really. I have for a few years been looking at getting tattoo's, so have asked different tattooist different questions, have been able to get a good look at several studios, have been able to see the artists at work and get a general feel for them.
After visiting and revisting studio's one artist really caught my eye, through talking to him about what i was interested in i learned that he shared a similar spiritual path as myself, I knew that this was the artist for me, not only did he appreacite what i wanted tattooing but he actually understood what it was all about. There are actually two artists in the shop, two brothers, Roy and Paul Priestly, at www.skinshokz.co.uk they have both done individual work on me and they both will be collaberating on my next project. I am in total awe at their artistic ability and feel so very comfortable with either of them, the shop has a wicked atmosphere, its very clean and you are made to feel extreamely welcome.

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Permalink Reply by Wild Moon on November 18, 2007 at 9:37am

Being in Boston I have a lot of shops to choose from but since I only know one other person that is inked I've been going on instinct.

When I finally had a design for my first I went to a shop in Salem, Mass that was "calling" me. When I went in the owner was very patient with all my newbie questions. I wanted to make an appointment right then but he was booked solid. So after I got home I started looking closer at the shops website and found another artist that who's portfolio look good. But when I called to get an appointment with him he told me he was working out of the Gloucester shop. Turned out that the shop and the location were even better for me as far as atmosphere and just feeling right.

Although I loved my first small piece and was good with the artist, for the second piece I went to the the same shop but with someone else. That's because when I called he answered the phone and after discussing what I wanted I felt like he should be the one to work on it. I did feel somewhat uncomfortable though when I walked in to get the work done and both guys were there. Like I was "betraying" the guy who did my very first tattoo. But after it was over I knew I had made the right choice because the artist really went beyond what I was expecting.

When I was ready to go into the majors with my large piece I first looked at both of the guys portfolios but just didn't feel like either one was right for what I wanted. But there was another artist who worked for the same line of shops up in New Hampshire. After looking over his portfolio several time I drove up there with all my artwork. But it turns out that what I wanted wasn't in the end his specialty and after a week of working things he said that he hadn't been able to come up with a drawing that he felt was 100% of what I was looking for.

The week before though I had visited a new shop not too far away from me "The Painted Bird II in Medford, just to check it out. I had a good feeling about the place and the artist, Jason, but felt somehow committed to the original shop, no matter which location. (Not really sure why though). So after the NH place didn't work out I went back to this guy and he was into my design and seemed to really, really understand what it was I was trying to achieve that I knew that I would feel very comfortable having him take me to the next level.

So here it is one week later after getting the outline done and I am thrilled. I can't wait to see what he does with the color as I'm leaving it all up to him. I guess that will be the true test but I feel pretty confident.

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