Tattoo Magic: Placement

One of the common things I hear from people when they are thinking about their next tattoo is that they have an idea of what they want but feel stuck as to where to place it on their body.

The first thing I want to say is that its ok not to know! By no means should not being sure of placement hold you back from moving forward with your tattoo idea. If you have your basic concept in mind, your tattoo artist should be able to talk you through options as to where to place it on your body.

Because placement is important there are a number of things that I consider when working with my client to find the best place on the body for their new piece of art. Below are five questions to help you think about the placement of your next tattoo and to spark helpful dialog between yourself and your artist.

1. Is the tattoo something that you want to be public or private? For example, if you get text on your arm people are going to ask you what it says. This may be great if it is an affirmation that you want to discuss and be reminded of. It may prove not so good if the tattoo is about something personal. Ask yourself, do I want to perform the story of this tattoo to strangers? If the answer is no then avoid tattooing the design in areas that are most readily seen like the wrist or forearm.

2. Will the tattoo affect your work or other aspects of your life? Although tattoos are more accepted in the workplace then ever before, stigma around tattoos is still very real. Especially when it comes to hand, face and neck tattoos, consider that depending on your profession an interviewers bias could mean that a tattoo looses you a job. I may ask my clients questions about their reasons for getting a tattoo in one of these highly visible places. This is not because I am trying to judge them worthy of getting this tattoo. I apprenticed under a tattooer (the incredibly talented Natan Alexander) who instilled in me the concept of “do no harm” when it comes to tattooing. I want to have real talk with my clients about what visible tattoos can mean for their life. If my client is young and/or not very tattooed I want to make sure that I am not aiding in them making choices that might negatively affect them. I suggest not placing a tattoo in one of these 3 places if you know that you will need to cover it up to keep your job, work in an industry that does not accept tattooing or are unsure of your professional goals. Odds are there is an alternate location that will cause you less stress in the long term.

Initial consultation to discuss design and placement of a custom tattoo.

3. How does the placement support the intention of the tattoo? Switching now from the practical to the more esoteric. When it comes to intentional tattoos, the intention of a given piece can be enhanced by placing it on a corresponding energy center. If you are getting a piece about opening to love or protecting your heart, why not put it over your heart chakra on the front or back of your body? In some esoteric models the left side of the body is the feminine/lunar/receiving side and the right is the masculine/solar/acting side of the body. Knowing this you might choose to place an design that is about what you want to bring into your life on the left hand side or put a sword or more martial element on your right. In doing so you can align your tattoos with the energetic patterns that are already present in your body.

4. Does the design fit with the anatomy of the body? This is a huge one. Just like the lines of clothing, tattoos can visually enhance curves and musculature or detract from them. The overall shape of the tattoo design should fit the body part both in size and geometry. For example, the curve of the top of the shoulder/deltoid suggests a round or oval shape whereas the back of the arm/triceps wraps diagonally and will distort a round design. Your tattoo artist is skilled in knowing what shapes will fit well with particular parts of your anatomy and may have helpful feedback when it comes to this particular consideration.

Checking final size and placement of a tattoo design

5. What is your long term plan for your tattoos? If you are getting your first few smaller tattoos but plan to get larger work in the future, don’t compromise your canvas. Placing a small tattoo in the middle of a limb or back means that you might be forced to cover up or work around the tattoo in the future. I suggest that my clients place smaller tattoos near a joint rather than in the center of a limb. For example, on the wrist or near the elbow crease as opposed to the center of the forearm.

Like this post? Follow me on Ig at @snakeoclock or email witchcityink@gmail.com to set up a consult for your next custom piece!

<3 <3 <3 Gratitude as always to the history and tradition of tattooing for all it has given me and to my two best teachers, the school of hard knocks and my teacher and partner Natan. <3 <3 <3

Tis The Season…

k-witch-hatNo, not THAT season… its finally Fall and the Halloween season officially kicks off next weekend!  One of the reasons we love being in Salem, MA is this amazing time of year, filled with witches and bats and so much more.  We love to see our yearly halloween clientele, and love to meet new halloween-loving folks visiting the Witch City!

We do, however, want to remind everyone that, if you have an appointment with one of our artists, please be sure to give yourself PLENTY oscreen-shot-2016-09-25-at-2-26-38-pmf extra time to get into the city and find parking.  It can be a real nightmare this time of year, especially on the weekends.  We hate when clients lose time on their appointment because they are running late due to traffic problems, so be sure to plan in advance for the delay, especially the closer we get to Halloween weekend.

If you are visiting the Witch CIty this season and will only be here for a few days, we definitely recommend you call or contact us through the website to prebook your tattoo appointmentscreen-shot-2016-09-25-at-2-28-24-pmt, even for something really small, because we book up quickly on the weekends especially, and if you want to come in for a walk-in, come in early in the day to grab a spot.  We also have a lot more availability for walk-ins during weekdays.

Please don’t hesitate to call the studio at
978-744-9393 if you have any questions about getting tattooed at Witch City Ink!

 

Natan in Stuff Magazine Boston

For the past four years, Boston’s Stuff Magazine has put out an annual body issue. This year, they did a feature on tattooed folk, and who better to speak to about body art than our very own Natan Alexander? As most Witch City Ink clients know, he is one of New England’s most prominent tattooers, currently owning two shops while also being the brains and the love behind the Boston Tattoo Convention. Oh, and did you know that he was one of the people who pushed to legalize tattooing in Massachusetts? This is a man who is passionate about what he does, and we’re proud to have him representing us in Stuff.

Pick up your copy now all over the Boston area, or check out Natan’s feature right here on the Stuff Mag website. You can see the Boston, Ink feature in it’s entirety online here.

Natan Still has Openings for the Philadelphia Tattoo Convention!

Natan still has openings at the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention, taking place February 10th-12th at the Philadelphia Convention Center. If you’re interested in getting tattooed at the show, give us a call at 978.744.9393, or send an email over to witchcityink@gmail.com.

Below is some of Natan’s work, which has won multiple awards at various conventions!

And although New England has lucked out with a mild winter thus far, who doesn’t need a vacation by the time February rolls around? This is a really good excuse to get away and get tattooed. If you’ve never been, Philadelphia is a beautiful city, full of history, art, and good food. If you prefer not to drive, their public transit system is easy to figure out. So even if you choose not to spend all of your time at the convention, you’ll have plenty of things to do! We’d be more than happy to give you some recommendations.

Molly: A Pre-Vacation In-Progress

Our wonderful Molly is off on some big adventures right now. Over the weekend she got on a plane to Germany, where she will be doing a guest spot in Berlin! She’ll be back at Witch City Ink the week of the 15th, and in the meantime, consults can booked for her return if you call the shop at 978.744.9393.

Here are a couple of pieces that she started shortly before leaving:

Welcome, Sharonn!

We have been excited to share some news with you, and finally, the day has come! We are pleased to welcome Sharonn Bradbury to Witch City Ink! She is no stranger, having been a friend of Natan’s for some time, and we are thrilled to have her here in Salem with us.

We’ll have a bio up for her soon, but for now, we will tell you that she has been tattooing since 1994, and she is already making her space here cozy and beautiful. Here is a peek at the very beginning of it (you should see it now that it’s getting decorated!).




And of course, here are some examples of her work. You can find many more over on her portfolio page.

Sharonn officially starts tattooing here next week, and is at the shop Tuesday-Saturday (please note: her Saturdays are currently reserved for existing clients). Give us a call if you would like to set something up with her! 978.744.9393

Memorial Pieces from Jay & Molly

Memorial pieces are bittersweet things. They bring the recipient quite a bit of joy, and as heart-wrenching as it can be, it’s an honor for tattooers to give you such a permanent reminder of your loved one. Molly and Jay created these:

Jay:

Molly:

While we have you here, let’s do some scheduling notes, shall we? Jay’s last days here at Witch City Ink (at least until we steal him back someday) will be next Friday and Saturday, and then he will be back at our sister shop Lightwave full time again. And our lucky lady of the shop Molly will be going on vacation for eight days beginning January 1st. She is booked until then, but you can schedule time with her for when she returns!

We’ll also have a couple of new faces around here soon.. we can’t wait to formally share them with you!

New Works from Molly & Jay

Molly and Jay have had a lot of fun clients and tattoo ideas come their way lately. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

This is a nautical sleeve done by Molly, on a fellow named Joe. He gave Molly a lot of artistic freedom with this one, and everyone walked away happy. The movement! The colors! Any ocean lover would be envious of this.

Molly also finished up this large plumeria piece. It begins on the client’s shoulderblade, and extends down her side. That’s some nice black and grey right there.

Jay has been busy as well, and continues to divide his time between Witch City Ink (where he works Friday and Saturday), and over at Lightwave (Monday through Thursday). This first piece – featuring dragonflies, flowers, and stars – was done at Lightwave.

Then there’s this owl! The skull makes it a little bit creepy, and the flower a little bit pretty, and we love that contrast.

Another Christmas reminder: The holiday is two weeks from today, so if you need to get a Witch City Ink gift certificate (they’re also good over at our sister shop Lightwave), we recommend doing so soon! Especially if you need us to mail it out to you. Mail runs a bit slower this time of year, so call us asap! 978.744.9393

Natan: Progressions

As usual, Natan has a ton of gorgeous in-progress pieces going on. One of the larger ones is a bright full backpiece on a very boisterous individual named Tony (if you’ve met him, you’ll know who we’re talking about by that short description alone). Since it is such a large and epic work, we’re not going to show you much of it right now, but this is what it was looking like at the end of his last session. He was lying down in this picture, so please forgive the odd angle:

Then there is Jon, who is in the beginning stages of a full sleeve that extends onto his chest. He and Natan came up with a very unique concept to include portraits of his wife and children, as well as a dragon. That might sound like an odd combination, and we don’t want to give too much away yet, but it’s all going to tie together beautifully. Here is the last portrait that Natan added to the piece:

You may remember this post featuring the first of Ted’s dia de los muertos girls. Natan added a second beauty to the piece earlier this week. This one is also going to be a coverup, as you can see in the photo.

Just a couple of reminders: Natan is currently booked through early January at this point, so if you want him to get started on your next tattoo, be sure to schedule a consult soon so we can get the ball rolling!

Secondly, we continue to have gift certificates available, and Christmas is only a couple of weeks away! If you need one mailed to you, we recommend giving us a call by early next week, to ensure that it gets to you in time for the holiday. 978.744.9393

Happy Almost-Thanksgiving!

Happy almost-Thanksgiving! Or, if you choose not to celebrate, happy hopefully-day-off! Regardless of how you choose to spend your coming Thursday, we here at Witch City Ink wish you a cornucopia of happiness (or a cornucopia of cats, whichever you’d prefer).

Please note that the shop will not be open on Thanksgiving day, which is this Thursday the 24th, but we will resume business as usual on Friday. Be well!