new studio reveal!
plus designs, recs, & travel announcement for december
i’ve decided to start writing on substack more - i used to write all the time, and i miss it sooo much. it’s nice to have a creative outlet that isn’t just visual.
this means that moving forward, most of my newsletters will be scaled back to the basics: recent designs, booking/travel announcements, and recommendations (keeping the rec section going because i genuinely believe word of mouth is the best way to get good recommendations - this goes both ways! if anything i recommend reminds you of something else, i’d love to know about it!)
i’ll be posting more behind-the-scenes tattoo content & tattoo-related musings (e.g., my recent take on whether tattoo designs should be repeatable) directly to substack, so if you’re still interested in that content, feel free to follow me in the app:
otherwise, i have one last (and very exciting) announcement before we go back to said basics: i’ve got a new studio! i’m now based out of mod3, a private tattoo studio in bushwick, run by myself and my incredibly talented studiomate joline. if you follow me on my other social media platforms, you already know we’ve been working extra hard to bring this space to life since august, and now we’re finally ready to share it with the world. take a peek below:
even if you don’t come in for a tattoo, we’re planning to host events and workshops here as well, so i hope you get a chance to see it soon! you can follow along on the studio instagram for updates - we’re so excited about building and expanding our creative community in the process.
designs & inspo
behold! steaming hot & fresh outta the oven. it’s time to expand my dotwork universe to include representational stuff (and also script, both dothwork and otherwise):
we’ve also got some classic abstract ornamentals on the docket:
and finally, behold! some smaller designs i released for our studio flash day last weekend - while flash day pricing no longer applies, you can still book these at my regular rates (tip: book multiple pieces for better pricing):
i’m currently taking appointments for november & december, so submit your booking requests below! i will be traveling a lot (like, 50% of the time) starting feb of next year, so now is a great time to submit a booking request before my time in new york becomes more limited.
travel announcement
i’ll briefly be tattooing in portland, oregon in december, likely on the 22nd and 23rd - submit your booking request early below! (availability is subject to how much i want to work during my holiday lol)
recent work
here are a few quick pieces i’ve been loving:
obsessed with how this balanced asymmetrical tramp stamp came out & dying to do more dotwork/linework combo pieces! i’ve streamlined my process to where i handpoke the dots and use a machine for the lines - speedy, gorgeous, and a perfect combination of skillset utility.
in my last monthly newsletter, i said i was manifesting more dotwork blast-overs/unders, and it worked (see above)! i am just obsessed with the look of dainty dotwork next to darker/heavier pieces; the contrast makes both styles pop.
this was my first time combining different dot weights! i used a bugpin 7 for the inner flower and a regular 7rl for the outer border, and i’m thrilled with how it came out. we also did the inner flower in a greywash, which will lighten slightly as it heals & further emphasize the contrast between border and interior design.
recs: taste & tone
first off, i must rave about my citibike membership. i literally don’t know why i didn’t actually consider biking as a mode of transportation sooner. (i do know why. i was scared.) but it beats both the train and uber for speed, and it gives you a blissful period of genuine alone time (rare!) in a city where you are almost always surrounded by people. otherwise…
what i’m watching:
one battle after another - unless you live under a rock, you already know this is a must-see. we tried to watch it on opening weekend, but literally every movie theater in new york was sold out. if you have not seen it yet, go! watch! now!
what i’m reading:
annihilation by jeff vandermeer. if you’ve seen the movie, the book is completely different - but just as stunning. i literally could not put it down. (if you haven’t seen the movie, it’s also worth a watch.)
what i’m listening to:
getting killed by geese. on repeat. as well as cameron winter’s solo stuff. it’s like…radiohead meets rufus wainright? mark my words, they are going to be very big.
this four tet album was my soundtrack of choice while reading annihilation - it’s so ethereal and otherworldly.
when the pawn, kick ii, and dragon new warm mountain have also been favorites lately. it’s been a full-album-listen-through kind of month.
and with that, my sweet readers, i’m logging off to go work on my halloween costume (spoiler alert: my girlfriend is bo peep and i am one of her sheep). i hope you have a weekend full of treats - and a trick or two just to keep things spicy <3
all my love,
via xx