Tattoo Rant

Well, just a bit of a rant at least..

 I'm a tattoo artist that has been at Lucky Bamboo Tattoo Shop for several years

 I have a pretty big clientele base here so usually I don't get TOO many of the small walk-in type tattoos.

But lately I've been seeing a lot of the same requests coming in when I do end up doing some of the smaller tattoos, a lot of these clients bring in pictures from Pinterest or Instagram which is an actual screenshot of someones existing tattoo, or a popular image that pops up on Google.

Perhaps it's just the want of getting another tattoo and not quite sure what to get and I'm definitely not hating here. I'm in the business to make you happy, but I think it would also be good to inform you of the growing popularity of these tattoos and maybe ween you onto a more unique design to 

A. Give me more creative freedom to the artists

B. More original tattoo for you

Some of the most recent fads being:

• Infinity signs, either alone or somehow incorporating "to infinity and beyond"
• Bird silhouettes
• Feather turning into bird silhouettes 
• Dandelions
• Dandelions turning into bird silhouettes

And again not hating and anytime a client is flexible on the concept I will do a million dandelions and make them different every time but some clients just aren't flexible and I think if you opened your mind a little you might love the new concept an artist puts together for you :]

I did want to write about the Paradise Tattoo Gathering in Keystone Colorado that I recently attended...

Keystone is B-E-A-Utiful! The brutal elevation difference aside it was a really amazing place, the hotel was around such a pretty lake full of rainbow trout and a fountain and the lovely tree covered mountain side in the background!  It was my first time in Colorado but I would really enjoy a trip back.

This was to be the last Paradise Tattoo Gathering it was a great location and I am still so honored to have been a part of it. So many amazing and inspirational artists there and not just tattooist but painters as well. It was awesome meeting so many new and diverse tattooists and getting to socialize with some friends I've made along the way. I've always thought such an amazing advantage of being an artist is the great and influential people you get to interact with along the way. I was excited to get tattooed as well! I received an amazing head tattoo from Dillon Forte and a traditional Tebori style tattoo from Horishin the first, both amazing experiences! 

 I took two really awesome seminars that weekend. One for advanced tattoo cover-ups from James Kern, the other was a 3 hour seminar from Tom Strom who has such a unique painting style, it was a really great learning experience as well. There was also an opportunity to sit in on all of the daily discussion panels which was a treat to get so much information from a group of artists that changed each day, as did the topic.

It would be hard to walk away from this convention not feeling motivated, inspired and just so appreciative of this industry. 

my name is christina walker.

i am an artist.

i've been tattooing since 2007

and drawing as long as i can remember.

im trying to make my way in the world 

and find my place in the industry.

having a blog to better document 

and put my word vomit down on virtual paper 

sounds like an awesome plan to me. 

...enjoy :]