Show Your Ink

[Matthew Strongin]

Nice! Where did you guys go?

[Rick Stevens]

My friend Darien opened High Spirits Tattoo Company a few years ago in North Ft. Lauderdale. He has done a good majority of my work. For the next tattoo, I'm going to talk with your guy at Jhon, at Rosa Negra. His work, especially the animals, is awesome.

[Matthew Strongin]

From a couple of nights ago. There were a couple of tough spots in there, which made a reasonably long session feel like an eternity.

[Rick Stevens]

Another beautiful piece Matt. My new tattoo is almost healed up and I'm already getting the itch for another.
I'm going to try and visit Rosa Negra this weekend, maybe we can meet up for a few beers.

[Mabouya]

From a couple of nights ago. There were a couple of tough spots in there, which made a reasonably long session feel like an eternity.

Nice.

I don't know a whole lot about tattoos - are that type usually done with an initial stencil, or is it all freehand?

Or more specifically, was yours freehand or with a stencil?

Just wondering how it's done.

[Matthew Strongin]

He uses a stencil and then makes adjustments once it's on the skin. Most tattooers in my experience do a stencil, though a some prefer to freehand draw on the body with marker before doing the tattoo.

[pajotfix]

Something fresh. Madame Chän is a very inspiring artist to work with...

[Octave]

Something fresh. Madame Chän is a very inspiring artist to work with...

Rad! I've long followed her work. Care to divulge a bit about the meaning/background of this one?

[pajotfix]

Sure! It started with the image of the ready made “Cadeau” by Man Ray – one of the first works of modern art that triggered my imagination as a young teenager. I’ve developed a lifelong interest in surrealism and this piece is the result of a collaborative process with Chän involving subconscious wordplay and associations, very much in a spontaneous surrealist tradition. That’s how we ended up with the Magritte clouds - digitized to bring them up to date, rendering them less cookie tin style so to speak…

She's living in Barcelona but from Brussels originally and regularly visiting...

[Eric Estlund]

A little gap filler- Hanumantra Instagram

[Matthew Strongin]

A little gap filler- Hanumantra Instagram

Hell yeah!

[rec head]

A little gap filler- Hanumantra Instagram

Damn!

[Chad]

Mr. Estlund does not play.

[pajotfix]

Had a crazy intense session with Caro Ley from Berlin last month. She makes her own needles: the proces is very painful but the details are amazing...

[ABiCi]

That's awesome - I'm planning for Caro and Cy to do my next tattoo, a full sleeve on my right arm, dense textures at the top fading to thinner ones by the bottom.

[Eric Estlund]

Very calligraphic. I dig it. If you remember in about 5 years, please repost I'd love to see this aged in.

[Octave]

Something fresh from the weekend (on the left) - first person to name where the image inspiration came from (the cone, that is) gets major kudos.

Ink 2.jpg

[rec head]

Baskin-Robbins?

[Chris Chesebro]

Berthillon?

[Mabouya]