Matthew Williams

Funny "sketchy" to me means untrustworthy.

A couple of artists that do killer line work in Toronto are Jennifer Lawes at the Pearl and Alex Snelgrove at the Okey Doke

www.instagram.com/jenniferlawes/

www.instagram.com/snelgrove

Jennifer often does guest work in Chicago at GLT.

Sketchy probably wasn't the best title to go with. I think the actual style of tattoo is called sketchworks. The ones you linked (which are super cool) are dotwork. I personally call those scientific-illustration tattoos because they look like drawings from an old science book.

If anyone's curious where I'm getting these names from:

Just go for it, you don't have to be in a hurry to finish

It's funny, but I never thought about it that way. In my head I was thinking about how to get it finished as quickly as possible, but there's really is no reason to rush it. Do artists care if you have another artist color-in or finish shading their tattoo? If not, I could travel for the design and initial inking, but have a local artist finish up.

I'm considering flying out to get a tattoo done and wondering if the logistics of it are even possible.

I've heard a detailed tattoo sleeve can take up to 40 hours depending on the artist and obviously there would have to be multiple sessions with healing in between.

The amount of time I'd have to take off work or the amount of flights I'd have to take makes this seem pretty affordable. Not to mention you have to schedule times that work for both you and the artist and book tickets accordingly.

Anyone had any success traveling to get a tattoo from a favorite artist? How much time and money did you have to spend?

There's some seriously good artists at that convention. Maybe I should just move to Canada :cool:

Nomi Chi is in Vancouver if you're allowed into Canada..

https://www.instagram.com/nomi_chi/

I love Nomi Chi's stuff, I've been following her on instagram for a while now. I don't have a passport right now, but might be worth registering for one if I think I could get in to see her.

Check out Mike Moses in Columbus, OH. He's very illustrative, but not exactly like the above style. There are plenty of sketchy tattooers in the US however, they usually do full sleeves for a pack of smokes and dimebag.

I hear there's plenty of sketchy artists at my local state penitentiary too.

But seriously, I just checked out Mike Moses's work and this is definitely closer to what I'm looking for. His shading style is a little bit different then the images above, but he has that illustrative/story-book look to his designs which I love. Thanks for the lead.

I've been desperately searching for artists who are doing this newer, sketchbook/illustration style of tattooing. I've found some amazing ones, but none of them seem to be in the United States!

The only person I could really find was David Hale in Athens GA, but I've been unable to get a hold of him for booking. If anyone knows any artists currently doing this style or who might be flexible enough to do this style please let me know! Right now I'm in Portland, OR but I'd travel across the country for the right artist.

Here's some examples:

That's some fantastic cover up, I'm guessing the tattoo being super faded makes it a lot easier for the artist

They will find out eventually... Think of it like ripping off a band-aid.

I agree, plus what's the worst they can do? Make you take it back? haha

It's not too late to turn that into a Lord of the Rings tattoo.

Not sure if she's been mentioned yet, but Ivana Belokava has some of the most amazing color work I've ever seen. She's up in Vancouver, BC

Even if super bright colors are not your thing, you should still check out her talent

https://www.instagram.com/ivanatattooart/

So if I'm understanding this correctly, you are finding it difficult to get an appointment with him but you haven't even asked him for one. We're not talking about getting tattooed by Greg Irons here.

Ha, ok ok. You make a good point. I'll shoot him an email or a tweet tomorrow and see what happens. Can't hurt to try right?

He's actually going to be in Portland this month, but he's only doing a limited selection of tattoos while visiting for some reason.

Not certain, but would you be looking for "woodcut" style? I believe that most any tattooist that has strong line ability could do you a great job with that style.

I checked out woodcut. It's close, but not quite what I'm looking for. I like denser tattoos that are more on the heavy side for detail. You're right about the line ability, I'm pretty sure I can find an artist talented enough, I just have no idea how to get the design I want without stealing someone else's tattoo.

If you really want a David Hale tattoo I'd go for it. Could be worth the wait. A pal o mine has two by him. He can't be that impossible to book with. Why compromise?

I wish! It says on his site that he's no longer taking new clients, but you can subscribe to his newsletter in case it changes. Not sure how your friend got in to see him, but any tips would be great.

Check out Corey Crowley and Cheyenne Sawyer at Atlas Tattoo on N Albina. Let the artist design his or her own tattoo for you, but by all means bring in some favorites for reference.

Ooh ya. Corey Crowley is definitely close to what I'm looking for. I bookmarked him :)

Also since I started this post I found some tattoo parlors that I'm digging.

Scapegoat Tattoo

Forbidden Body Art

Icon

Anyone had an experience with any of the above?

Yes, that can be tricky. I would print out some of the images you like and maybe take them to some shops near you, see if any artist is interested in creating something similar. It might be a little hard to find an artist who you like and who will also do something outside of their certain style. You may be able to at least find someone who does similar work, and they will give you their interpretation of it. Get some consultations done if possible, and then you cab see what artists might be willing to do.

How much should I expect to pay for consulting or a design draft from a tattoo artist? I have a general idea of what the tattoo itself will cost, but I'm not sure what people pay for that kind of thing.

First off, welcome!

Secondly, what style of tattoo are you looking for? Traditional, floral, tribal, etc. Or do you want to be an open canvas for an artist? Thinking about these things can help you narrow down an artist you like. Also, it doesn't hurt to just go visit local shops and check out portfolio books. Talking to the shops can also help you.

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That's the tricky part, I'm looking for a style of tattoo that's kind of rare. (I was going to make a post once I unlocked the privilege) I don't have a particular image in mind, but I love the kind of black ink, geometric style of tattoo David Hale does. He's booked until the end of time apparently, so I'm not really sure who I could go to to get a piece like this done, or even just commission the design of one.

Hey all. Joined this forum in hopes to educate myself before I get my first tattoo. I'm 30 years old now and it's something I've always wanted to do, but never got around to it.

I live in Portland now and I hear there's a lot of great artists out here. If you know one, or just live in hear yourself don't hesitate to let me know!

Anyway, it's nice meeting everyone : )