We’ve borrowed Jay Ski from our sister shop, Lightwave for a little while. He’ll be tattooing here at Witch City Ink on Fridays and Saturdays until we decide that we’re sick of him and kick him out. Just kidding. He’s too nice to get sick of (seriously, come by and meet him, get a tattoo.. we’re sure you’ll agree!).

He’s making himself right at home these last couple of weeks, tattooing up a storm. Today he did this knife on a marine. It’s apparently called a k-bar. We learn something new every day around here.

This dark tattoo is by PJ. We think it’s perfect for today.

It’s finally Halloween! Here in Salem we’ve been seeing plenty of costumed folk walk by all month, but today is the day that the costumes outnumber the plain clothes. No surprise, but the most popular seem to be witches and warlocks, but we’re also seeing zombies, superheroes, a whole lot of animals, dia de los muertos girls, and a random assortment of both weird and scary. As you can imagine, the city is pretty hectic right now, so if you’re coming down to participate in the festivities, be sure to give yourself extra time to find a parking spot.

If you’ve been looking to get tattooed but are waiting for the insanity to die down — fear not! Tomorrow is November 1st and Salem life will be considerably calmer. Give us a call and we can help you plan for your next piece of work! 978.744.9393

If you know who Lord Egan is, then the title of this post might confuse you a bit. It took us a while to decide if these two tattoos should even be in the same post together. Something about it seems wrong.

Still confused? We recommend taking a quick trip to Google and typing in Lord Egan. But this picture is also a good summary. He came into our shop recently and PJ was more than happy to fulfill his tattoo wishes. But really, who could say no?

On the opposite end of the darkness spectrum, Molly did this adorable owl yesterday. We don’t think Lord Egan would trade in his raven for it anytime soon, but it’s still pretty great in a non-Satanic way.

This decorative Indian elephant done by Steve was a girl’s first tattoo. Pretty bold! She was sent here by her mom, who has also had work done by Steve. Want to know more about the tradition of decorating these giant creatures? This article is quite interesting!

We’ve been showing off bits and pieces of Molly’s recent flash, and now here is a whole sheet. Good stuff.

If you’re coming to Salem this weekend or next, please be advised that traffic and parking is.. well, let’s just say “not so fun,” so be sure to give yourself a little bit of extra time. If you’re taking the train, the MBTA has added a few extra trains to their schedule to accommodate those visiting for the Halloween festivities. You can see the schedules here. Enjoy!

Before we jump to the art, we wanted to remind you of Molly’s new schedule. She will be splitting her time between two shops – ours, and our sister shop Lightwave. Depending on what day you want to set up an appointment/consult, please use the following contact info:

Sunday & Monday
Witch City Ink
978.744.9393

Friday & Saturday
Lightwave Tattoos
781.233.1780

She won’t know it until reading this blog post, but the Antarctica painting below is this blog-nerd’s new favorite of hers. Ship, filigree, and a rough looking bearded man? Yes please.

Fact: Molly enjoys drawing with ballpoint pens. It may or may not be where her heart lies. The medium is harder to perfect than one might imagine, but she does it well. The next two drawings are fine examples.

Lastly, is this simple but pretty nurse. It would be a good tattoo, don’t you think? Hint-hint.

As October rolls on, each weekend is a little busier than the last. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting some great new clients, as well as working with some of the old.

Steve did this massive rosary on a very friendly guy who was visiting Salem with his family. He sat like a champ!

Molly was the genius behind this next tattoo, which was on a lady’s inner bicep. Molly freehanded the outline on her, shown below in the first picture.

Finished (click for larger):

Natan did these steampunk locks and keys on a wonderful couple. We really do have the best clients. Hers was actually done last week, but his was done today.

Hers (and again, please forgive the redness that goes along with new tattoos):

His:

Our favorite lady of the shop has been working hard since returning from vacation. We’ve only managed to snag a few pics from her lately, but we remain excited about everything she’s done and is doing.

For example, while this octopus coverup is only an outline thus far, we have no doubt that it is going to be something amazing.

Molly has also been creating some flash sheets when she’s not tattooing. Check out this dapper couple.

There’s also an important change in Molly’s schedule that we need to spread the word about. She will now be working at our sister shop Lightwave on Fridays and Saturdays, but will still be here at Witch City Ink on Sundays and Mondays. So to book an appointment or consult with Molly:

Sunday & Monday
Witch City Ink
978.744.9393

Friday & Saturday
Lightwave Tattoos
781.233.1780

Questions? Concerns? Give one of the shops a call and we’ll help you out!

We’ve had a lot of pretty-lady tattoos going on in the shop lately, and you won’t hear a single one of us complaining about it. Steve did this pin-up over the weekend, which purposely resembled the equally-pretty lady getting it tattooed on her.

We talked a bit about coverups here in this post, and this next sleeve is a double coverup. Sleeves are big projects for both the tattooed and the tattooer, and take multiple sessions. Steve continued adding to this Japanese piece last week. It is a beauty.

Salem’s Halloween festivities are picking up, and we continue to be busy tattooer bees. Like always, we recommend setting up an appointment for your next piece, and we are here 11a-7p every day to help you schedule your consults and appointments. 978.744.9393, or if you’re wandering about and taking in the sights, stop on by!

Sometimes putting too much symbolism into a tattoo doesn’t work out. If you try to put too many elements into a relatively small space, it can appear jumbled and confusing — both aesthetically and logically. This client came to us with a handful of ideas, all good ones, and Natan helped him put them all together into one piece. This tattoo is not only good, but it makes sense when you look at it. Not everyone could figure out how to put a raven, all-seeing eye, and alpha and omega symbols together without it being a mess.

Fun fact: Natan was not responsible for the lettering above the raven, but Jay Ski over at our sister shop Lightwave was.

Ahh, little is known about our resident tattooer, PJ. He specializes in traditional tattoos. He makes a pretty awesome ice cream cake. He maintains a constant demeanor that is equal parts sweet and surly. But other than that, there’s a reason we refer to him as an international man of mystery.

We recently sent a brave young explorer to PJ’s lair in an attempt to gather information based on observations of the surroundings. His things were not to be touched of course, as we know that PJ is a southerner and we don’t know what sort of Louisiana voodoo he may have put in place for intruders. Our explorer was able to snap these pictures of artifacts hanging from the walls.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for Part Two of our PJ investigation in the coming days. That is, unless he finds us out and puts a halt to the operation. In the meantime, you can help us distract him by booking consult and tattooing time with him. Give us a call at 978.744.9393, or stop on by. He is in the shop Thursday-Monday. You can also view his portfolio right here, but oh, there is much more to see.