In Progress from Sharonn and Steve

Although the flu has been beating up everyone in the shop and several of our clients, Sharonn and Steve have been quite busy. (This is a good time to point out that if you're sick, please, please do not come get tattooed — we'll happily reschedule you!) Here are two pieces that Steve has started recently, and one from Sharonn that's a couple of sessions in.

First, hummingbirds and peonies that extend from a client's hip to shoulder blade. We can't wait to see this one colored!

steve_hummingbird_session1

Try not to think less of Steve for this next one. Don't worry, he is still 100% loyal to Boston. We promise.

steve_yankees

Sharonn is in the midst of working on this archangel back piece on one of our favorite smartass clients (we say this in the most loving way). Less traditional than the usual archangel Michael imagery, the face was modeled after someone.. unexpected. We're not sure if we're allowed to give away the secret here, though.

sharonn_nate

Recent Works by Natan

Here are a few smaller pieces, recently completed by Natan.

Firstly, a brightly colored lotus blossom and lettering. “Amor fati” is a Latin phrase loosely translating to “love of fate” or “love of one’s fate.”

Second, a Tibetan double dorje. In Tibetan the word dorje means “indestructible.” The dorje is a spiritual weapon used to banish non-truths and bring in the truth. The dorje is often used in a Tibetan Buddhist ritual, where it is twirled in order to bring in truth.

Third, which perhaps shouldn’t be categorized as a “smaller work,” is a bright shamrock surrounded by traditional elements (such as a clipper ship and swallow) in black and grey.

Natan has limited December availability before he sets off to Japan, and his January is already filling up quickly. If you would like to book an appointment with him, give a call at 978.744.9393.

Stipple Work by Steve

“Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and these effects are frequently emulated by artists.

[…] This is similar to – but distinct – from pointillism, which uses dots of different colours to simulate blended colors.”

And stippling is one of Steve's favorite things these days. Check out this half-sleeve below. Like it? Want something in this style? Give the shop a call, and we'll get you in for a consult! 978.744.9393

Black and Grey Angel by Sharonn

Who wouldn't want a babe of an angel tattooed on their arm? This is a nice tattoo to look at (and the client is a gorgeous lady herself). Done by Sharonn, and more proof that black and grey is her specialty.

Sharonn is almost entirely booked out until December, and her weekends until the end of January, but we can get you in for a consultation session much sooner than that. Give us a call at 978.744.9393 or send an email to witchcityink@gmail.com.

Steve in Inked Magazine, and a Few BTC Pics!

It's officially October, which means Salem is becoming busier by the day. Our weekends in particular are filling up fast, and our schedules are full of wonderful clients traveling to Salem for the Halloween festivities — we even have some returning from previous years of visits, which makes us feel pretty damn special. If you'd like to be tattooed by one of our lovely artists this month, we recommend giving us a call to book your appointment as soon as possible! 978.744.9393

In other news, we recently had the October 2012 issue of Inked Magazine delivered to the shop. We opened it up to find none other than our own Mr. Gillespie. Note: This piece has since been finished, and had color added.

We've also been going through a ton of photos from the Boston Tattoo Convention recently, and have found some of our artists and clients! You can see more photos from the show right here


Jenny during a quiet moment at one of our booths.
Photo by Iggy Barskov.


Jenny in another moment of focus! By the way, have you checked out her work yet?
Photo by Tong Mangklarat.


Natan with the winner of the Miss Boston Ink Beauty Contest.
Photo by Iggy Barskov.


We were very fortunate to have a lot of our clients at the show. John is the proud owner of this back piece by Sharonn.
Photo by Arthur Newberg.

Lastly, Sharonn has been fancying up the shop window for the holiday. Here's a peek! Fun fact: She painted this skull herself!

Where the Buffalo Roam

Okay, it's been a while since we've made a blog post. Did you know that we put on the Boston Tattoo Convention each year? This means that the Witch City Ink website gets a little quiet in the summer, as we're preparing for the convention. However, our artists have been constantly busy tattooing (and sometimes even taking pictures, when we gently nudge them into doing so), and we have plenty to share from the last couple of months.

And yes, we certainly DO have photos of our artists from the BTC, which we'll be posting in the near future!

For now, here are two pieces that Sharonn completed yesterday. First up, a Gaia back piece. Who's Gaia, you ask? As always, wikipedia has a very thorough answer.

Sharonn also finished up this really cool buffalo. We wish more people requested tattoos in this style!

As usual, all of our artists' time is being booked quickly, especially with October right around the corner, and especially for weekends. Be sure to get in touch with us soon to get your next appointment in! 978.744.9393

New from Sharonn: Colorful Flowers & Lettering

We like to share a background story when we can, but for some of our clients, their excitement and stories are so personal, that we prefer to keep them between the client and artist. Kate has quickly become one of our favorite clients — her joy is contagious! Sharonn recently completed this back tattoo for her, which is full of personal symbolism, and was coincidentally finished on the summer solstice. Thanks, Kate!

New from Sharonn: Dragon and Knight

We usually post Japanese-style dragons here, but we’ve had a lot of medieval-style ones these days as well. Interestingly, dragons tend to be more symbolically positive in Asian cultures than elsewhere. For example, typically in Asian cultures, dragons represent nature, wisdom, religion, and the universe. But in many western stories and myths, how often do we see dragons depicted as evil and dangerous creatures, that are eventually slain by a hero? Even in the Slavic myth, the dragon is so vile that Mother Earth wishes not to have it within her womb, and thus the dragon is forced to remain above ground for all eternity.

We personally think that dragons are beautiful and strong creatures. And just plain cool.

This next photo is actually a rather small section of a client’s back that Sharonn is working on. As you can see, she is currently working on the Holy Grail, and in the foreground we have a gentleman from the Knights Templar. Templar Knights were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating financial techniques that were an early form of banking, and building fortifications across Europe and the holy land.

And that concludes today’s edition of the more you know.

Sharonn does have time in her schedule next week for consults and possibly smaller tattoos (as well as continuations on existing pieces). If you’d like to book time with her, give us a call here at the shop, and we’ll talk about scheduling! 978.744.9393